How to Clear Cache on Windows 11 — Every Type
Short answer: Open Settings, System, Storage, Temporary files, tick everything except Downloads (that is your real Downloads folder), and click Remove files — on a machine left uncleaned for months this alone frees 10-30 GB. For specific problems clear the matching cache instead: ipconfig /flushdns for network issues, the browser cache for web glitches, or the icon and font caches for display bugs.
Open Settings, go to System, Storage, Temporary files. Check everything except Downloads — that’s your actual Downloads folder, not cache. Click Remove files. On a machine that hasn’t been cleaned in six months I usually see 10-30 GB come back from this alone.
For a deeper clean, type cleanmgr in Start, select your Windows drive, click “Clean up system files.” That catches Windows Update leftovers and old installation data that the Settings page misses. If the drive is seriously full, our disk space guide goes further into hibernation files and WinSxS.
When Every Icon Turns Into a White Square
This is my favorite cache problem because people always think they’ve been hacked. A client called in last month — every desktop icon had become a blank white rectangle. Programs still opened if she double-clicked the mystery squares, but she couldn’t tell Word from Chrome from her tax software. She’d already run three antivirus scans.
It’s the icon cache. Windows keeps a database of rendered icons at %LocalAppData%\IconCache.db so it doesn’t regenerate them every time you look at your desktop. After a Windows Update or a hard crash the database gets scrambled. Fix:
ie4uinit.exe -show
taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F
DEL /A /Q "%localappdata%\IconCache.db"
DEL /A /F /Q "%localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\iconcache*"
start explorer.exeDesktop vanishes for a second then comes back with correct icons. If some are still wrong, log out and back in.
Thumbnail cache is the same idea but for File Explorer previews — photos, videos, documents. When thumbnails show the wrong preview image or don’t generate at all, run cleanmgr and check “Thumbnails.” They rebuild when you open the folder again.
DNS Cache
One command. Open Command Prompt as admin, type ipconfig /flushdns, done.
The DNS cache stores website-to-IP-address lookups so your computer doesn’t ask the DNS server every single time. Normally invisible. Causes problems when you change DNS settings, switch VPNs, or a website moves servers — your machine keeps using the old cached address. Symptoms: specific websites refuse to load while everything else works fine, or you see “DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN” in the browser. If DNS is completely broken rather than just stale, that’s a different problem.
Windows Update Cache, and the Folder You Should Never Touch
Every update Windows downloads goes into C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download\ and failed updates just sit there. I’ve seen this folder hit 15 GB on machines where updates have been quietly failing for months. The irony is that all this dead weight contributes to disk usage problems that make the next update even more likely to fail.
To clear it you have to stop the service first. In an admin Command Prompt: net stop wuauserv then net stop bits. Open that SoftwareDistribution Download folder, delete everything inside. Then net start wuauserv and net start bits. Windows re-downloads whatever it actually needs.
Now here’s the warning I wish more cleanup guides would include: do not touch C:\Windows\Installer\. Cleanup tools like to flag it because it can be 5-10 GB and the files inside look like garbage — random .msi and .msp files with no recognizable names. But Windows uses this folder to uninstall and repair every program on your machine. Delete it and you can’t uninstall anything anymore. I’ve had clients come to us after nuking this folder because some “free PC cleaner” told them to, and the only fix was a repair install of Windows. Leave it alone.
Browser cache is Ctrl+Shift+Delete in whatever browser you use. Pick “cached images and files,” leave cookies unchecked unless you want to log out of everything. If Chrome is eating memory that’s a tabs problem, not a cache problem.
If clearing cache makes things feel better for a week and then it’s slow again, cache wasn’t the issue. Startup programs, malware, a dying drive, not enough RAM — those don’t fix themselves by deleting temp files. Our speed optimization guide covers the actual checklist, or we can just look at it and tell you what’s wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to clear all cache on Windows 11?
Most caches are completely safe to delete — temporary files, DNS cache, browser cache, thumbnail cache, and Store cache will all regenerate automatically. Two exceptions: never delete the Windows Installer cache at C:\Windows\Installer (it breaks your ability to uninstall or repair programs), and clearing Prefetch is safe but makes your next 2-3 boots slightly slower while Windows rebuilds it. Browser cache doesn't delete passwords or log you out — that's cookies, which is separate.
Will clearing cache delete my files or passwords?
No. Cache is pre-computed temporary data that Windows and apps create for speed — thumbnails, DNS lookups, rendered icons, compiled shaders. Your documents, photos, passwords, and browser bookmarks are stored separately and are not affected by clearing cache. The one thing to watch: if you clear browser cookies (not cache), you will be logged out of websites. But clearing cached images and files alone won't touch your logins.
How much space does clearing cache free up?
It varies dramatically by machine age. On a Windows 11 PC that hasn't been cleaned in 6 months, we typically find 10-30 GB in temporary files alone. Browser cache adds 1-4 GB per browser, Windows Update cache can be 2-15 GB, and thumbnail cache ranges from 200 MB to 2 GB depending on how many images you have. Total on a neglected machine: 15-50 GB is common. On a machine with Storage Sense running monthly, clearing cache might only free 2-5 GB.
Why does my PC slow down again after clearing cache?
Because cache wasn't the real problem. Clearing cache is a temporary fix — within days, Windows rebuilds the same caches. If your PC gets slow repeatedly, the actual cause is usually something else: too many startup programs, malware running in the background, a failing hard drive, insufficient RAM, or Windows system file corruption. Cache clearing is step one of troubleshooting, not the complete solution.
Can I automate cache clearing on Windows 11?
Yes — Storage Sense handles the most common caches automatically. Go to Settings > System > Storage > Storage Sense, turn it on, and configure it to run monthly. Set it to delete temporary files older than 30 days, clear the Recycle Bin after 30 days, and remove Downloads files not opened in 60 days. This prevents 80% of cache buildup without you ever thinking about it. For browser cache, Chrome and Edge don't have built-in scheduling, but you can set Firefox to clear cache on exit.
What's the difference between clearing cache and Disk Cleanup?
Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr) is one specific tool that clears certain types of cache — temp files, thumbnails, Windows Update files, and system error dumps. But it doesn't touch DNS cache, browser cache, Store cache, icon cache, or font cache. Clearing cache comprehensively means addressing each type individually. Think of Disk Cleanup as hitting the big stuff, and the individual cache clears as targeted fixes for specific problems like broken icons, failed DNS lookups, or Store download errors.