How to clear the cache in Windows 11: a complete and practical guide

The cache in Windows 11 is a temporal data set that the system and your applications save to speed up common tasks: from opening programs to loading websites or resolving Internet addresses. Over time, these files accumulate., they take up space and can cause slowness, unexpected errors, and even problems installing software if the disk runs out of free space.

What is the cache in Windows 11 and why you should clear it?

The cache saves copies and intermediate results to make the system run faster next time: thumbnails, temporary files, application data, DNS translations, etc. It is useful, but if not managed, it becomes a burden. which slows down your computer and reduces available space.

Key advantages of deleting it: elderly general agility, more free space, fewer errors per corrupt files y better system stability. There is also a component of privacy, since some of these temporary data may contain sensitive information.

Browsers and some apps (Microsoft Store, Teams, Steam, monitoring suites, etc.) generate their own cache. Clearing your browser cache ensures you always see the most recent versions. of websites and prevents excessive storage from causing crashes or slowness.

Windows 11 incorporates several utilities to help you: Cleanup Recommendations, Disk Cleanup, and Storage Sense, which can safely remove Temporary files system, thumbnails, update delivery cache and more.

Quick cleanup with Windows 11 tools

If you are looking for a safe and fast cleaningStart with the built-in utilities. They're ideal for those who want a guided, hassle-free process with low risk.

Cleaning recommendations in Settings

Windows 11 makes guided cleanup easier from Settings, with a section suggesting temporary files and large items that you can delete without affecting your work.

1. Open Settings on Windows 11.
2. Sign in System > Storage.
3. Accede to Cleaning recommendations.
4. Mark the temporal elements that take up more space and press Clear To eliminate them.

Disk Cleanup

Disk Cleanup It is still an effective tool to detect and clear system cache, thumbnails, temporary files and Distribution optimization files (we will see this in detail later).

1. Write "Disk Cleanup" in the taskbar search and open it.
2. Choose the drive where Windows is (usually C:).
3. Mark the temporary file types that you want to delete (thumbnails, temporary files, etc.).
4. Click on Clean up system files For further analysis, please confirm with Accept and select Delete files.

Empty system-specific caches

In addition to general cleaning, there are specific caches that should be emptied when you experience performance, connection, or update issues.

Microsoft Store: Reset the cache

If the Microsoft Store fails when downloading or updating, your cache may be corrupted. Resetting it is very simple and doesn't delete your apps.

1. Press Windows + R to open Run.
2. Write wsreset.exe and press Accept.
3. A window will open briefly de symbol of the system and it will close itself; the cache will be cleared.

DNS Cache: Solve Browsing Problems

DNS translates domain names into IP addresses. If the cache fills up or saves old entries, may cause some websites to not load.

Option PowerShell (Windows 11)

1. Right click on the Start button and open PowerShell as administrator.
2. Run: Clear-DnsClientCache and press Enter.

Command Prompt Option (CMD)

1. Search Command Prompt, choose Run as administrator and confirm.
2. Run: ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.

Temporary files on hand (%TEMP%)

If you want to make sure the user's temp files are deleted, you can empty the %TEMP% folder manually or by using commands.

1. Press Windows + R, writes % Temp% and press Accept.
2. Select all (Ctrl + A) and removes with Delete or the trash icon.
3. If it appears "Access to folder denied", press Skip to continue with the rest.

You can also do it with PowerShell To go faster, run as administrator:

del /q /f /s %TEMP%\*

Apps: Clear the Microsoft Teams cache

Teams can accumulate cache from the interface, the web engine, and the GPU. If you notice slow startup or crashes, clear this temporary data.

1. Close completely the desktop application of Microsoft Teams.
2. Opens Run Windows + R and paste: %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams.
3. In Explorer, hold Ctrl and select cache, Cache code y GPUCache; after, delete them.
4. Restart Teams to regenerate the clean cache.

Delivery Optimization: Limits and Control

Windows uses Delivery Optimization to download system updates, Microsoft Store apps, and other Microsoft products more efficiently by using a cloud-based downloader and sometimes sharing parts of the updates. downloads between computers on your network or the Internet.

You can decide if your PC shares loads with other devices and, in addition, set limits on bandwidth which is used for downloading and uploading. This is very useful if you have a metered connection or want to avoid overloading the network.

Limit download bandwidth in Windows 11

1. Go to Home > Settings > Windows Update > Advanced Options > Distribution Optimization.
2. En Download options, choose one of these modes:

• Absolute bandwidth limit: sets different limits for downloads in background and in foreground, indicating the maximum amount in Mbps.
• Percentage of measured bandwidth: sets a percentage of available bandwidth for downloads; low values use less network but make the updates take longer.

Limit upload bandwidth

1. On the same screen, within Loading options, adjust the porcentaje of bandwidth that is allowed for upload updates to other devices on the Internet.
2. If you need it, set a monthly upload limit between 1 and 500 GB to control total data consumption.

If you're coming from Windows 10, the route may be displayed as Start > Settings > Update & Security > Delivery Optimization > Advanced Options; the settings of Absolute bandwidth y Percentage measured They function equivalently.

Can't turn off Delivery Optimization?

Do not panic: Disabling Delivery Optimization does not prevent Windows Update from working; it simply forces downloads directly from Microsoft instead of leveraging computers on the local network or the Internet. If the switch to disable it appears dimmed, your device is probably managed by your organization.

1. Opens Start > Settings > Windows Update > Advanced > Delivery Optimization.
2. If the team is managed, you will see a note indicating that Some options are managed by your organization and the option Allow downloads from other devices will appear disabled. These policies are defined by your IT administrator..

Clear the Delivery Optimization cache

The Delivery Optimization cache flushes itself with There, but if you need to free up space now, you can delete it manually using Disk Cleanup.

1. Search Disk Cleanup and open it.
2. On the main tab, check Distribution optimization files.
3. press Accept and confirm with Delete files to free up that space immediately.

Browsers and location cache

Browser cache (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, etc.) saves images, scripts, and other resources. Over time it can slow down your browsing or display older versions of pages.

1. Open your browser (for example Microsoft Edge) and press Ctrl + Shift + Del to open Clear browsing data.
2. Choose It's always been like this and brand Cached files and images (you can add cookies if you need to).
3. Click on Delete data y restart the browser.

You can also clear your location history and annual Windows to delete temporary data associated with app permissions.

1. Go to Settings > Privacy and security.
2. En App permissions, go into Location.
3. Search Location History and press Delete.

Automate maintenance with the Storage Sensor

If you are too lazy to clean by hand from time to time, turn on Storage Sense so that Windows automatically clears temporary and compatible caches periodically.

1. Opens Configuración> Sistema> Almacenamiento.
2. Active Storage sensor and enters Configuration.
3. Choose the frequency runtime and what to delete (temporary, trash, old downloads, etc.).
4. If you need it urgently, press Clean now to run the process instantly.

Need more? Cleanmgr+ as an optional alternative

In addition to the native tools, there are free utilities such as Cleanmgr+ which expand the options of the classic Space Cleanup and facilitate a deeper cleanup. It is a portable tool which maintains the philosophy of Microsoft's "cleanmgr.exe", but with a modern interface and more controls.

Although Space Cleanup is still available In Windows 11, Microsoft has been replacing it with Storage sensor. Cleanmgr+ It is useful if you prefer a simpler interface for selecting exactly which caches and temps to clear. Always download it from its official repository and use it wisely.

Enterprise Environments: Clearing the Cache in System Center Operations Manager (SCOM)

If you manage SCOM (System Center Operations Manager), you may be advised to "clear the cache" of the monitoring service to resolve view errors (for example, ObjectNotFoundExceptions), workflow issues, or when the cache file grows too large. This procedure forces the configuration regeneration and reconnection to clients, useful if there are faulty or missing management packages.

Management Servers

PowerShell option (run as administrator): Stops the HealthService service, deletes the status folder, and restarts it. Make sure you have the proper permits and understand the impact (the configuration will be reconditioned from the database).

# Lee la ruta desde el registro y realiza los pasos indicados
Stop-Service HealthService -Force -Verbose;
Remove-Item -Path "$((Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\System Center Operations Manager\12\Setup\Server').InstallDirectory + 'Health Service State')" -Recurse -Force;
Start-Service HealthService -Verbose

CMD Option (Batch File):

:: Clear Health Service State (Cache)
ECHO OFF
net stop HealthService
FOR /F "usebackq tokens=2,* skip=2" %%L IN (`reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft Operations Manager\3.0\Setup" /v InstallDirectory`) DO SET installpath=%%M
echo %installpath%
@RMDIR "%installpath%Health Service State" /S /Q
net start HealthService

Manual steps:

1. Navigate to the management server.
2. Stop the service Microsoft Monitoring Agent (HealthService).
3. Delete the cache folder: %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft System Center\Operations Manager\Server\Health Service State.
4. restart the service HealthService.

Gateway Servers

If the gateway appears disconnected or does not communicate with the management server, clearing the cache may resolve stale data not being inserted into the database. The procedure is similar to the administration servers: stop service, delete status folder and restart.

Client Servers (Agents)

On client computers with workflow or communication issuesAs a last resort, clearing the cache and restarting the agent may be effective. Use PowerShell or CMD, or do it manually according to your organization's policies.

PowerShell Option:

# Lee la ruta desde el registro y realiza los pasos indicados
Stop-Service HealthService -Force -Verbose;
Remove-Item -Path "$((Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\System Center Operations Manager\12\Setup\Agent').InstallDirectory + 'Health Service State')" -Recurse -Force;
Start-Service HealthService -Verbose

CMD Option:

:: Clear Health Service State (Cache)
ECHO OFF
net stop HealthService
FOR /F "usebackq tokens=2,* skip=2" %%L IN (`reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft Operations Manager\3.0\Setup" /v InstallDirectory`) DO SET installpath=%%M
echo %installpath%
@RMDIR "%installpath%Health Service State" /S /Q
net start HealthService

Manual steps:

1. Access the client computer.
2. Stop the service Microsoft Monitoring Agent (HealthService).
3. Delete the cache folder: %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Monitoring Agent\Agent\Health Service State.
4. Start the service again HealthService.

Remember that in managed environments Many of these actions require elevated permissions and may be restricted by policies.

With all of the above, clearing the cache in Windows 11 is a simple task that can make a difference: from freeing up space with tools like Tips and Cleanup, to fixing specific issues like updating the Microsoft Store, correcting navigation errors, or limiting the load on updates. Automate with Storage Sensor and serving specific caches like Teams or SCOM helps maintain a lean, error-free system with minimal effort.