Regularly cleaning up junk data on Windows 11 helps free up storage space on the hard drive and ensures smoother computer operation.

1. Clearing Recycle Bin Data
On Windows 11 operating system, the Recycle Bin remains unchanged, preserving documents until you perform the cleanup process.
Step 1: Right-click on the Recycle Bin in Windows 11 and select Empty Recycle Bin.

Step 2: Immediately, the Recycle Bin on Windows 11 will be cleaned, freeing up a large amount of storage space on the computer.

2. System Data Cleanup
For storage drives, system data often accumulates, requiring regular cleanup to free up storage space.
Step 1: Right-click on the drive you want to clean up and select Properties.

Step 2: Then, go to the General tab and select Disk Cleanup to start scanning and cleaning up data.

Step 3: Next, check all items in the Disk Cleanup window and select Clean up system files to begin cleaning up data on your computer.

Step 4: The process of cleaning up junk data on the drive will take from 5-10 minutes, and you just need to wait until the process is complete.


Utilize Command Prompt for data cleanup.
Command Prompt is known as a popular command-line tool on Windows computers and also provides the ability to clean up data on the computer.
Step 1: Open the Start Menu, type Cmd, and select Run as administrator to open with admin privileges.

Step 2: Then, copy the command below and paste it into Cmd to start running the data cleanup command on the computer.
dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /analyzecomponentstore

5. Clean up old backup version histories on your computer.
When you update Windows, the system will store many different update versions, which will directly affect the storage capacity of the computer.
Step 1: Open the Start Menu and type Control Panel to open it.

Step 2: Then, select Save backup copies of your files with file history to check the backup history.

Step 3: Next, choose the Advanced Settings tab to configure the backups.

Step 4: Finally, simply select Clean up versions to start deleting previous outdated update versions on your computer and free up space.

In this article, Software Tricks has shared effective ways to clean up junk data on Windows 11. Wish you success!