The Complete Guide to Deleting Temporary Files on a PC (TMP Files)

How to Delete Temporary Files

You've probably heard of temporary files before, but do you actually know what they are? Do you know where to find temporary files on your computer or how to delete temporary files if you want to?

If not, you aren't alone, and we have some good news! We've put together a primer on temporary files (and how to delete temporary files) so that you can find all of the answers in one place.

While individual users can manage their own temporary files, businesses face a different challenge. Across dozens or hundreds of workstations, temporary files can consume terabytes of storage, slow critical applications, and even create security vulnerabilities. Professional IT support ensures these files are handled systematically without disrupting productivity.

What Are Temporary Files?

Why are there temporary files on my computer?

Your computer makes temporary files automatically. Temporary files store temporary data. They're created by programs that users use (like Windows). You may also see them referred to as foo files.

• Temporary files have the .tmp or .temp extension
• If you use files like ISO or RAR, you may have seen your computer extract files in your temporary folder while you use them and then remove the files automatically
• Temporary files help contain information while a new file is being made

Temporary files help your computer run more smoothly when you use programs or perform tasks that are related to them.

• If, for example, you use media editing software, your work progress will be saved with temporary files
• These temporary files help the media editing software run smoother
• The temporary files also create a recovery backup; this offers protection if your system or program shuts down unexpectedly

In corporate environments, temporary files accumulate from multiple sources: Office applications auto-saving drafts, browsers caching data, software installers leaving remnants, and Windows updates creating backup files. Multiply this across your entire network, and you're looking at significant storage consumption and performance degradation.

Why Do I Have Temporary Files On My Computer?

Why am I getting temporary files on my computer?

Most of the time, the temporary files that your system uses get deleted automatically. Deletion should occur once whatever task the files were helping with is complete.

Sometimes this isn't the case. Some files do stay in your computer's storage for use in the future. Daily programs, for example, use temporary files to complete operations and tasks more efficiently for users.

The automatic deletion process often fails in business environments due to permission issues, network interruptions, or applications running continuously. Our monitoring shows that average office computers accumulate 5-10GB of temporary files monthly - space that could be used for actual business data.

When To Delete Temporary Files From Your Computer

When do you need to delete temporary files?

There's no hard-and-fast rule about when you should delete temporary files. If you want your computer in top operating condition, then it's recommended that you delete temporary files once they're no longer being used by an app. You can delete your system's temporary files as often as you feel comfortable doing so.

Temporary files have no use and they slow down your PC; it usually only benefits you to delete them.

That being said, for businesses, random manual deletion creates problems. Employees might delete files still in use, causing application crashes or data loss. Our managed IT services implement automated cleanup policies that:

• Run during off-hours to avoid disrupting work
• Preserve files from active business applications
• Document cleanup activities for compliance
• Monitor storage recovery across all workstations

Is It Safe To Delete Temporary Files?

Can I delete the temporary files on my computer?

It's completely safe to delete temporary files from your computer. It's easy to delete the files and then restart your PC for normal use. The job is usually done automatically by your computer, but it doesn't mean that you can't perform the task manually.

When It's NOT Safe in Business Settings

While generally safe, business users should be cautious. Temporary files might include:

• Unsaved work from crashed applications
• Email attachments being reviewed
• Database transaction logs
• Print spooler files for pending jobs

Our technicians identify which temporary files are truly safe to remove without impacting business operations or losing work in progress.

Why You Should Delete Temporary Files

Why do you need to delete temporary files?

It's a good idea to delete temporary files from your computer now and then. They take up space that could be used for other data (or that could be left free, which helps your computer run faster). Temporary files slow down your computer and make it difficult to work-- sometimes, it can even be hard to perform basic operations.

The Hidden Business Costs of Temporary Files

Beyond slowing individual computers, accumulated temporary files across your network can:

• Trigger unnecessary hardware upgrade requests
• Increase backup times and storage costs
• Hide malware or unauthorized software
• Violate data retention policies if they contain sensitive information

Professional IT management prevents these issues through proactive maintenance rather than reactive cleanup.

How to Delete Temporary Files: An Overview

Need help deleting temporary files? Here's some assistance

It should take less than a minute to manually clean out the Temp folder in Windows. If your collection of temporary files is very large, it could take a bit longer.

• Most temporary files are stored in the Windows Temp folder
• The location of this folder differs from computer to computer (and sometimes even user to user)

Follow these seven steps to delete temporary files in Windows:

1. If you have Windows 11, Select the Cortana search box to the right of the Start button on the taskbar
   • Windows 8.1: Rick-click or tap-and-hold the Start button, then choose Run
   • Windows 8.0: Access Run from the Apps screen
   • Earlier versions of Windows: Choose Start to bring up the search box or find Run; open the Run dialog box by entering the WIN+R keyboard shortcut
2. Enter the following command exactly in the Run window or search box: [username]\AppData\Local\Temp.
   • The command is a type of environment variable in Windows
   • Entering the command will open the folder that Windows has designated as your Temp folder
3. Select all the folders and files in the Temp folder that you want to delete (usually, all of them)
4. Use the Delete key on your keyboard or the Delete button from the Home menu to delete all the temporary folders and files you've selected
5. Locate the Recycle Bin on your Desktop, right-click or tap-and-hold the icon, and hit Empty Recycle Bin; then you can confirm that you want to delete the items and permanently remove the temporary files from your computer

The process of deleting temporary files from a computer is quick and easy. It can go a long way to help protect private information, but it isn't the ultimate answer to keeping your data private.

Warning for Business Users Before Deleting TMP Files

Before following these steps on work computers:

• Ensure no critical applications are running
• Verify with IT that no shared temp files are in use
• Check company policies on file deletion
• Consider that some "temporary" files may be needed for auditing

Professional IT Cleanup Services Include:

• Automated scripts that safely identify deletable files
• Group policies preventing excessive temp file creation
• Storage monitoring with proactive alerts
• Scheduled maintenance during non-business hours
• Detailed reporting for compliance requirements

Signs You Need Professional Temp File Management

Your business might need professional temp file management if you're seeing warning signs across your computers. You keep getting "low disk space" messages even though employees haven't saved many files. Programs that used to run fast now take forever to load and respond. Your nightly backups are taking so long they're still running when people arrive in the morning. Your IT team wastes hours going from desk to desk, manually cleaning up computers one at a time. Even stranger, computers you bought together perform completely differently - some run fine while others crawl. These problems all point to temporary files building up and choking your systems.

GAM Tech's Comprehensive Approach to Deleting Temp Files

We don't just delete temporary files, we prevent the problem:

• Initial Assessment: Analyze temp file accumulation patterns
• Root Cause Analysis: Identify applications creating excessive files
• Policy Implementation: Deploy automated cleanup rules
• Continuous Monitoring: Track storage trends before they become critical
• User Training: Educate staff on proper file management

Beyond Temporary Files: Complete Data Management

Deleting temporary files is just one aspect of comprehensive data security and system optimization. For businesses, proper file management includes:

• Secure data destruction for compliance
• Recovery of accidentally deleted business files
• Performance optimization across all workstations
• Protection against data breaches through orphaned temp files

Our managed IT services handle temporary file cleanup alongside complete system maintenance. We ensure your computers run efficiently while protecting sensitive business data from exposure through forgotten temporary files.

Don't let temporary files permanently slow your business. Contact GAM Tech for a storage assessment. We'll show you how much space temporary files are wasting across your network and implement automated solutions that keep systems running at peak performance.

Ready to reclaim your storage and boost performance? Schedule your free consultation today.