Windows has two cleanup tools and they do not do the same things
One runs on a schedule and one reaches further. What each removes, what neither touches, and which to use when.
Windows ships with two cleanup tools that overlap without being the same, and most advice names one without mentioning the other. Both are worth using and neither will find everything.
What each one is
| Storage Sense | Disk Cleanup | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Settings, System, Storage | cleanmgr, or the drive's Properties |
| Runs | On a schedule, automatically | When you run it |
| Temporary files | Yes | Yes |
| Recycle Bin | Yes, on a schedule | Yes |
| Downloads folder | Optionally, by age | Optionally |
| Previous Windows installation | Yes | Yes, with system files |
| Update caches | Yes | Yes, with system files |
| Component store | No | Only via DISM, separately |
The button people miss
Disk Cleanup opens in a limited mode and there is a Clean up system files button that relaunches it with more categories: previous Windows installations, update cleanup, error reports and delivery optimisation files. Almost all of the space Disk Cleanup can recover is behind that button, and nothing on the first screen says so.
Which to use
- Turn Storage Sense on and forget it. It handles temporary files and the Recycle Bin on a schedule, which is most of the recurring chore.
- Run Disk Cleanup with system files after a feature update. That is when Windows.old and the update caches are worth tens of gigabytes.
- Use DISM for the component store, which neither tool covers.
- Look at the drive yourself for everything else, because both tools only report categories they have rules for.
The limitation both share
Neither shows you a folder tree. A 40 GB folder that fits none of their categories does not appear in either tool, at any size, which is why a machine can report a few hundred megabytes of cleanable space while being genuinely full. That is the same gap the macOS storage screen has, for the same reason.
The order that finds the rest is in why the C drive is full.
Common questions
What is the difference between Disk Cleanup and Storage Sense?
Storage Sense runs automatically on a schedule and handles temporary files, the Recycle Bin and optionally Downloads. Disk Cleanup is manual and, behind its Clean up system files button, reaches further into update caches and previous installations.
Is Disk Cleanup still in Windows 11?
Yes, as cleanmgr and from a drive's Properties, alongside Storage Sense in Settings. The two overlap without being identical, and the system files mode of Disk Cleanup still reaches categories Storage Sense does not.
Why does Disk Cleanup find so little space?
Because it only reports categories it has rules for, and because its first screen omits the system file categories entirely. The Clean up system files button is where almost all of its recoverable space is.
Should I turn on Storage Sense?
Yes for temporary files and the Recycle Bin, which is the recurring part. Be deliberate about the option that deletes Downloads by age, since that one can remove something you meant to keep.