C:/Users/username/AppData/Local/Temp

Question

This folder grows with files and affects my laptop performance.  About a year ago, I tried researching how to speed up my laptop when playing Facebook games.  I came across a post that instructed the user delete all of the files in this folder.  It worked!  But since then, I have been researching why the 'unnecessary' files even show up in this folder and never leave.  Can anyone help?

Answer 1

Hello I am a fellow community member here to help. As I have always understood it, this folder contains files that Windows needs for various operations in the moment but doesn't need to keep long term. Why Microsoft doesn't have the system auto delete them though.... Your guess is as good as mine

Answer 2

Hi JDHouser,

That folder will contain all the temporary files created by the software on your PC as well as the temporary files created when browsing the internet, installing software and updating software

It should be cleaned out about once a month to keep your system running optimally

When deleting the files from that folder, you will always get one or two files that cannot be deleted, as they are in use by software currently running on your PC

There is no way to stop these temporary files being created in the first place, as that is the nature of software - it will always create temp files . . .

Answer 3

Hey JD,

I believe it is the role of the developers of programs that store files into the Temp folder to clean up these files after, and by extension, it leaves some room for creativity where you would use something like Task Scheduler and you would make it a scheduled task to remove files in that Temp folder.

It could very well be something that requires user intervention or these files are kept simply out of neglect that software is otherwise supposed to remove when they're not needed anymore.

Hope this helps a bit.