How to clean up old Windows drivers and hidden files
Summary
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Use Disk Cleanup or Storage Sense to delete temporary files and schedule automatic cleanups.
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Use BleachBit for deeper scans, granular app cleaning, and secure free space destruction.
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Remove old drivers via Device Manager, vendor tools, or DDU: Be careful not to remove necessary drivers.
Over time, hidden junk files and old drivers clog Windows systems, slow them down, and even introduce security vulnerabilities. That’s why it’s a good idea to “spring clean” your computer every once in a while. Deleting old junk files will speed up your computer and free up disk space at the same time. I’ll show you two ways to do this.
How to clean hidden junk files
Windows has built-in tools for this job, so if you don’t want to install a third-party app (more on that in a bit), start here. Older versions of Windows have a tool called Disk Cleanup, available in virtually every version of Windows. In the Windows search bar, search for “disk cleanup” and launch the Disk Cleanup tool. You will first need to select a disk drive to scan. The tool will automatically scan this drive and present you with any old driver files or temporary junk files that you can delete to free up space. You can also repeat these steps for other readers.
Windows 10 and Windows 11 have an additional feature to clean up storage. It’s called Storage Sense and can automatically clean junk and hidden temporary files on a schedule. You can schedule Storage Sense to run daily, weekly, or monthly. You can also set Windows to automatically delete files from the Downloads folder if they haven’t been opened in a while. Storage Sense can also automatically clean the Recycle Bin on a schedule.
Storage Settings on Modern Windows also has other handy features. For example, you can see how much storage is taken up by temporary files or downloads. You can also get system cleanup recommendations to clear old, unused files or unusually large files. This is handy when you’re trying to clean up a disk and you don’t know where the heavy files are.
There is also BleachBit, an open source application designed specifically for cleaning junk files. It can run a deeper scan of folders that Windows tools ignore and gives you better control over what is deleted. If you want to remove ghost files from previously uninstalled apps, BleachBit is a good choice.
Start by downloading and installing the BleachBit app on your computer. Launch it once setup is complete and click the BleachBit icon in the corner to open Preferences. We will add all the drives we want to analyze to the Drives tab.
Now check the box next to “Deep Scan” and click “Preview”. BleachBit will scan the drives and present you with a list of files that can be deleted. You can review the list, make sure there is nothing critical in the list, and then click the “Clean” icon to start the cleaning process. You’ll also see a list of apps with checkboxes next to them, which allow you to clean up apps with granular control. For example, you can clean File Explorer’s thumbnail data or search history without deleting anything else.
Sometimes deleted files are still available on the disk and can be recovered with the right techniques. If you want to make sure that empty spaces on your disk are actually empty, you can use the “shred” feature available in Bleachbit.
How to clean old drivers
Old drivers that are no longer in use take up storage space, so it’s a good idea to delete them. Additionally, removing drivers, especially graphics drivers, sometimes leaves behind ghost files that can disrupt new installations or driver updates. If you are having issues with graphics drivers, it is always a good idea to clean the previous installation and then reinstall the drivers. I also recommend cleaning up old drivers if you are installing a new GPU.
Windows also has a built-in device manager where you can remove or disable old hardware drivers. Find “Device Manager” in the Start menu and launch it. Under the View tab, select “Hidden Devices” to view inactive or old device drivers. You may need to expand each category to see the faded icons of old, disused drivers. Right-click a device and click “Uninstall Device” to remove its drivers.
Do not remove all device drivers, as your system may need them. Proceed with caution.
NVIDIA and AMD have dedicated tools for a fresh installation. They are both simple utilities that work with just one click (no installation setup required). For AMD utility, you may need to boot into Safe Mode first. If the official tools don’t work, there is a third-party tool to remove old GPU drivers from any manufacturer called “Display Driver Uninstaller” or DDU. It can remove driver packages from AMD, NVIDIA and Intel.
Now you know all the ways to clean junk files and drivers to quickly improve your PC performance and free up storage space at the same time.
