How to Clear Vista Temporary Files in the Temp Folder

   Information

The Temp folder is where Vista and programs sometimes store temporary files. Sometimes these files are not deleted after Vista or the program is finished with them. This can cause the temp folder to fill up with junk temp files which may cause Vista to take longer to access the Temp folder and create a slight delay.

This will show you how to clear the Vista temporary files through Disk Cleanup or manually in the Temp folder.

   Note

The Vista Temp folder is located at:

C:\Users\(User-Name)\AppData\Local\Temp

   Warning

While it is safe to delete these files, it is best not to do this while installing or uninstalling anything.

   Tip

CCleaner is a free program that is great at keeping the temporary files cleaned up and more.

EXAMPLE: Vista User Account Temp Folder

METHOD ONE

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Through Disk Cleanup

   Note

Disk Cleanup will only delete Temporary files that have not been modified in 7 days. To clear everything, see METHOD TWO below, or How to Set Disk Cleanup to Delete Vista Temporary Files Less than a Week Old .

1. Open Disk Cleanup.

2. Check Temporary files. (See screenshot below)

3. Click on OK.

4. Click on Delete Files to confirm the action.

METHOD TWO

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To Manually Clear the Temp Folder

   Note

The Temp folder is located at the hidden system folder:

C:\Users\(Your Username)\AppData\Local\Temp

1. Open the Start Menu.

2. In the white line (Start Search) area, type %temp% and press Enter.
NOTE: This opens the Temp folder.

3. Delete anything you want in this folder. (See screenshots below step 4)

   Warning

If you delete the Low folder, it can prevent you from printing from Internet Explorer. To fix this, close all Internet Explorer windows and reopen Internet Explorer to recreate the Low folder. You can also manually fix this by recreating the Low folder in the Temp folder below, open a elevated command prompt, then Copy and Paste the command below in the command prompt and press enter.

Code:

icacls %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Temp\Low /setintegritylevel (OI)(CI)low

   Note

If you receive a File In Use error message while the files are being deleted, then this just means that one of the temp files is in use by a program right now. Click Skip to continue deleting the other files, then close all open programs, and repeat the steps above. If you still receive the message, then restart the computer or logoff and logon, and repeat the process again. (See screenshot below)

4. Close the Temp folder when done.

That's it,
Shawn

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