Disk Cleanup: 'Clean up system files' button missing, but advanced options (e.g., Windows Update Cleanup) are still visible and selectable

Question

Hello, I'm experiencing an unusual issue with Disk Cleanup on Windows 10 Home.

Normally, to access options like 'Windows Update Cleanup,' you click a 'Clean up system files' button in the initial Disk Cleanup window. However, this button is completely missing for me.

Despite the button being absent, when I run Disk Cleanup (even as Administrator, without a UAC prompt), I immediately see advanced options like 'Windows Update Cleanup,' 'Windows Upgrade Log Files,' 'Device driver packages,' and 'Language Resource Files' already present in the list, and some are even pre-checked.

Is this a known bug or a recent change in Disk Cleanup behavior?

Has Windows removed the 'Clean up system files' button, and if so, why are the advanced options still appearing without it?

Are others experiencing this, or is this an indication of a specific system issue on my end?

I've already run chkdsk, sfc /scannow, and DISM with successful repair results, and have also performed an in-place upgrade, which temporarily brought the button back once.

Any insights or explanations would be greatly appreciated."

Answer 1

Hi ,

Your system is fine. Don't worry, what happens when you open Disk Cleanup as an administrator? It opens with permissions, allowing access to system folders. If you open it without administrator access, it will offer the option to clean system files.

The UAC prompt or administrator access is required to check system folders.

Give feedback if the information was useful or not.

Thanks