How to clear cache in Windows 11 and speed up your PC

  • Clearing the cache in Windows 11 improves system performance and frees up hard drive space.
  • Clearing the cache reduces errors and crashes in your applications, ensuring smoother operation.
  • Preserving privacy and security is key, eliminating sensitive information stored temporarily.
  • Clearing the cache prevents software conflicts and improves system response speed.
Daniel Terrasa

6 minutes

clear cache windows 11

Clearing your computer's cache is a highly recommended solution for improving aspects such as performance and security. In this article, we'll explain how to clear the cache in Windows 11 and thus speed up your PC.

Cache memory is one of the resources the CPU (Central Processing Unit) uses to temporarily store recently processed data. It's a kind of auxiliary memory that allows us to quickly access frequently used data.

The existence of cache memory offers many benefits . Thanks to it, we achieve better application performance . It also saves on database resources , since applications, by reading from the cache, eliminate the latency caused by frequent accesses and load much faster.

On the other hand, it's worth noting that caching is also very helpful when managing database usage spikes . If these advantages are so numerous and obvious, why should we clear the cache in Windows 11? We'll explain below:

Reasons to clear cache in Windows 11

Here is a set of compelling arguments that help us better understand why it is necessary to clear the cache in Windows 11 on a regular basis:

  • Improve system performance, freeing up hard drive space while at the same time deleting files that may have become corrupted over time.
  • Avoid application errors and failures. The programs installed on our PC store information in the cache in order to access frequently used data more quickly. This is, in principle, a good thing. Except when the cache is outdated or damaged, which leads to numerous errors.
  • Preserve our privacy and security. Since the cache temporarily stores information about many of our activities (website visits, form data, etc.), it is best to clean it to keep sensitive information safe. In addition, keeping the cache clean reduces the risk of exposure to third-party threats.
  • improve speedAn overloaded cache can become inefficient, slowing down system speed and responsiveness.
  • Avoiding software conflictsOld files stored in the cache can cause compatibility issues with new programs that are installed. The same can be said about system updates.

Methods to clear cache in Windows 11

Ok, now that we know the advantages of cleaning the cache on our PC, let's look at the different methods we can use in Windows 11:

Disk Cleanup

free up disk space

This is a good solution to remove temporary files, thumbnails and other files that we don't need. Here's how to use this tool:

  1. In the Windows search engine we write "Disk Cleanup" and we click on the result.
  2. After We choose the disk that we want to clean and press "To accept".
  3. Then in the window "Disk Cleanup", we select the types of files we want to delete (temporary files, thumbnail cache, files in the recycle bin...) and click "OK".
  4. Finally, we click the button «Delete files».

From the Settings menu

clear cache

In the Windows 11 settings menu there is an option that allows us to clean temporary files and delete other unnecessary data. Here's how it works:

  1. First, we open the setup menu via the Windows + I keys.
  2. Then we go to the section System.
  3. Then we select "Storage" and click on "Temporary files".
  4. There you simply have to select the temporary files you want to delete.
  5. We conclude the process by clicking on «Delete files».

Clear the DNS cache

dns cache

This is the best method when you have problems with your internet connection or accessing certain websites. Here's how to clear your DNS cache :

  1. In the Windows search engine, we write "Command Prompt" or "CMD".
  2. Then, using the right click, we select "Execute as an administrator".
  3. Then we write the command ipconfig / flushdns and we press Enter.

After a few seconds, a message will appear on the screen indicating that the DNS cache has been successfully cleared.

Clear Windows Update Cache

Windows Update

To avoid problems with Windows updates, it's always a good idea to clear the Windows Update cache by following these steps:

  1. To start, with the key combination Windows + S we open the search engine, where we write "Services".
  2. In the list that appears, we look for Windows Update and we right-click.
  3. Then, among the options that appear, we select "Arrest".
  4. Now we are going to C: \ Windows \ SoftwareDistribution and there we delete all the contents of the SoftwareDistribution folder.
  5. Finally, we go back to Services, right click on Windows Update and select "Start".

In conclusion, we can say that clearing the cache periodically will help us keep our PC up to date and at full performance. We should not wait for problems to appear before taking action.


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