Just 10 Minutes a Day to Clean Up Your Windows Computer

Is your computer taking longer to get going in the morning than you do?

Before you decide it’s time to spend hundreds of dollars on a new one, give the old girl a little attention.

Computers accumulate junk. Programs you haven’t used since 2022 are still hanging around. Apps you didn’t even know you had are launching themselves every time Windows starts. Your Downloads folder contains 843 files, six copies of the same restaurant menu and a PDF you downloaded three years ago because you were definitely going to read it later.

Then there’s your web browser, where 37 open tabs are quietly consuming memory while you wonder why everything seems so slow.

The good news is that you don’t have to spend an entire Saturday trying to fix it.

Give me 10 minutes a day for five days.

We’re going to clear out junk, stop unnecessary programs from starting automatically, uninstall things you don’t use, give your browser a much-needed intervention and make sure Windows itself is properly updated.

You don’t have to be a computer expert. You don’t need special software. And please don’t download one of those flashing YOUR PC HAS 4,972 PROBLEMS! CLICK HERE NOW! programs.

We’re going to use tools already built into Windows.

One important rule before we start: If you don’t know what something is, don’t delete it. Google it first or leave it alone. We’re cleaning the house, not knocking down load-bearing walls.

Ready?

Set a timer for ten minutes.

DAY 1: GET RID OF THE JUNK

Today we’re tackling the easiest problem: stuff you simply don’t need anymore.

Step 1: Empty the Recycle Bin

Yes, we’re starting with the obvious.

Find the Recycle Bin on your desktop.

1. Right-click it.
2. Click Empty Recycle Bin.
3. Windows will ask if you’re sure.
4. If you’re sure there’s nothing in there you desperately need, click Yes.

Congratulations. You’ve already accomplished something.

Step 2: Face Your Downloads Folder

Open File Explorer — the little folder icon on your taskbar.

On the left side, click Downloads.

Now behold the archaeological record of your life.

You’ll probably find installers for programs you already installed, duplicate pictures, PDFs you don’t remember downloading and files with names like FINAL-FINAL-REALLY-FINAL-2.pdf.

At the top, choose Sort and sort the files by Date or Size.

Delete the obvious junk.

Don’t recognize something? Leave it alone for now.

Step 3: Let Windows Find More Junk

And remember: deleting something usually sends it to the Recycle Bin, so you’ll need to empty that again eventually if you want the space back.

Now we’ll let Windows do some of the work.

1. Click Start.
2. Click Settings.
3. Choose System.
4. Choose Storage.
5. Click Temporary files.

Give Windows a moment to calculate everything.

You’ll see categories of files that can potentially be removed.

Things like Temporary files, Thumbnails, Delivery Optimization Files and Windows Update Cleanup may appear.

Read the descriptions before checking boxes.

Pay particular attention to Downloads if Windows lists it. Checking that option can delete files from your Downloads folder, and you may actually want some of those.

Once you’ve selected the things you’re comfortable removing, click Remove files.

BONUS: Did You Recently Update Windows?

You may see Previous Windows installation(s) taking up a surprisingly large amount of space.

That’s often the Windows.old folder — a copy of your previous Windows installation that allows you to roll back after a major upgrade.

It can be enormous.

If your computer is working properly after the update and you’re certain you don’t want to go back to the previous version of Windows, Windows can remove it for you.

Just understand that once it’s gone, it’s gone. Don’t delete it on Day 1 after an update if you’re still muttering, “Why is my printer doing that?”

TODAY’S GOAL

You don’t have to clean every file on the computer.

Spend ten minutes getting rid of obvious junk and see how much free space you’ve recovered.

Then stop.

Tomorrow we’re going after the freeloaders.

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DAY 2: STOP EVERYTHING FROM STARTING WITH WINDOWS

You turn on your computer because you want to check Facebook.

Windows apparently interprets this as:

PLEASE START EVERY PROGRAM I HAVE EVER INSTALLED IMMEDIATELY.

Spotify wants in. Teams is reporting for duty. Adobe has something terribly important to do. A printer utility you haven’t thought about since 2021 is ready for action.

All of those programs starting at once can make a perfectly decent computer feel ancient.

Let’s put a stop to it.

Step 1: Open Task Manager

Press these three keys together:

Ctrl + Shift + Esc

That opens Task Manager.

If that doesn’t work, right-click the Start button and choose Task Manager.

Step 2: Find Startup Apps

In Task Manager, click Startup apps.

You’ll see a list of programs that are allowed to start automatically when you sign into Windows.

Look at the Status column.

Anything marked Enabled is allowed to launch automatically.

You may also see a Startup impact rating telling you how much effect a program has on startup.

Step 3: Disable the Obvious Stuff

See something you recognize and don’t need running every time you turn on the computer?

Select it and click Disable.

You are not uninstalling the program.

You’re simply telling it:

“You may come to work when I call you. You don’t need to be standing in my kitchen when I wake up.”

Good candidates can include music apps, game launchers, meeting software and other programs you only use occasionally.

BUT DON’T GO CRAZY

If you see something and have absolutely no idea what it is, leave it alone.

Don’t start disabling mysterious entries because some newsletter told you it would make your computer faster.

That’s how Day 2 turns into Day 3: Why Doesn’t My Computer Work Anymore?

TODAY’S GOAL

Spend ten minutes reviewing your startup programs and disable the obvious unnecessary ones.

The payoff should become apparent the next time you restart your computer.

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DAY 3: UNINSTALL THE STUFF YOU DON’T USE

Today we’re cleaning out the computer equivalent of the junk drawer.

You know that program you downloaded to make Christmas labels in 2019?

It’s still there.

So is the free photo editor you hated, three games you haven’t played in years and quite possibly some trial software that came with the computer.

Let’s evict a few tenants.

Step 1: Open Your Installed Apps

1. Click Start.
2. Open Settings.
3. Click Apps.
4. Click Installed apps.

You’ll see a list of the programs installed on your computer.

Depending on your version of Windows, you may be able to sort the list by Size, Name or Date installed.

Sorting by Size can be particularly enlightening.

“THAT takes up 14 GB?”

Yes. Yes, it does.

Step 2: Look for Programs You Know You Don’t Use

We’re looking for easy victories.

Old games.

Software for devices you no longer own.

Programs you installed for one specific task three years ago.

Trial programs you never used.

When you find one you’re certain you don’t need:

1. Click the three dots beside it.
2. Choose Uninstall.
3. Follow the instructions.

THE RULE REMAINS THE SAME

Don’t recognize it?

Don’t uninstall it.

Some very important Windows components have names that sound like they were invented by a committee of robots.

We’re not playing Russian roulette with anything called “Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable.”

Leave the mysterious stuff alone.

TODAY’S GOAL

Don’t try to examine every program you’ve ever installed.

Give yourself ten minutes.

Remove the obvious dead weight and move on with your life.

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DAY 4: YOUR BROWSER NEEDS AN INTERVENTION

For a lot of us, the browser basically is the computer.

Email, Facebook, shopping, banking, work — it all happens in Chrome, Edge or another browser.

Which means your browser can also become a spectacular mess.

Let’s clean it up.

Step 1: Deal With Your Tabs

Look at the top of your browser right now.

How many tabs are open?

Five?

Twelve?

Forty-seven?

Are some of them so tiny you can’t even tell what website they belong to anymore?

Every open tab can consume resources.

Bookmark pages you actually want to return to and close the rest.

Yes, even that article you’ve had open for three weeks because you’re definitely going to read it.

You’re not going to read it.

Close it.

Step 2: Check Your Extensions

Browser extensions can be genuinely useful.

They can also accumulate like barnacles.

In Chrome:

1. Click the three dots in the upper-right corner.
2. Choose Extensions.
3. Choose Manage extensions.

In Edge:

1. Click the three dots.
2. Click Extensions.
3. Choose Manage extensions.

Look through what’s installed.

If you recognize an extension and no longer use it, remove it.

If you don’t recognize an extension at all, investigate before removing it.

Step 3: Stop Annoying Website Notifications

Ever visit a website once and accidentally click Allow, only to spend the next six months receiving notifications from Bob’s Discount Weather Radar and CelebrityToenailNews.com?

You can revoke those permissions.

In Chrome:

1. Click the three dots.
2. Choose Settings.
3. Choose Privacy and security.
4. Click Site settings.
5. Find Notifications.

Review the websites allowed to send notifications and remove or block the ones you don’t want.

Edge has similar controls under Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Notifications.

Step 4: Use Your Browser’s Memory-Saving Features

Modern versions of Chrome and Edge can put unused tabs to sleep instead of allowing them to gobble up memory indefinitely.

In Chrome, look under:

Settings > Performance

In Edge, look under:

Settings > System and performance

Look for memory-saving or sleeping-tab options.

These are particularly useful if you’re one of those people who considers closing a tab an unacceptable commitment.

TODAY’S GOAL

Close unnecessary tabs, remove extensions you don’t use and stop websites you don’t care about from pestering you.

Your browser has been through enough.

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DAY 5: UPDATE IT AND TURN IT OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN

We’ve reached the grand finale.

And yes, I’m going to tell you to restart your computer.

There’s a reason “Have you tried turning it off and back on again?” became a cliché.

It frequently works.

Step 1: Check Windows Update

1. Click Start.
2. Open Settings.
3. Click Windows Update.
4. Click Check for updates.

If Windows finds updates, let it download and install them.

This portion may take longer than ten minutes, but your involvement doesn’t. Start the process and let Windows do its thing.

Step 2: Restart

Once your updates are finished, do an actual restart.

Click:

Start > Power > Restart

Not “I’ll just close the lid.”

Not “I’ll do it next Thursday.”

Restart.

A restart clears out temporary processes, completes updates and gives Windows a fresh start.

Step 3: See What You’ve Accomplished

After the computer starts again, go back to:

Settings > System > Storage

Look at your available storage.

Think about how the computer feels.

Does it start faster?

Does your browser feel snappier?

Are fewer programs popping up the instant you sign in?

If so, congratulations.

You just gave your PC a tune-up without buying anything, downloading a mysterious “PC OPTIMIZER PRO DELUXE” or handing a teenager $100 to do essentially the same thing.

YOU’RE DONE

Over five days you’ve:

• Cleared unnecessary files.
• Reduced the number of programs launching at startup.
• Removed software you don’t use.
• Cleaned up your browser.
• Updated and restarted Windows.

Will this magically transform a 12-year-old computer with 4 GB of memory into a brand-new machine?

No.

Sometimes a slow computer is slow because it’s old, its drive is failing, it doesn’t have enough memory or there’s another problem that requires more than housekeeping.

But computers also slow down because we spend years piling stuff onto them and never cleaning anything up.

Ten minutes a day for one workweek is a pretty painless way to find out which problem you’ve got.

And if nothing else, you finally deleted that restaurant menu from 2021.