Clearing Thumbnail Cache with Disk Cleanup

Open Disk Cleanup. Disk Cleanup is a system tool that is installed automatically with Windows. It enables you to not only clean junk files and temp data from drives, but also remove the thumbnail cache. It lets you select the drive from where you want to clean the thumbnail cache files.

• Click Start and search "Disk Cleanup". A small window will appear, showing you that the disk cleanup is calculating useless files that can be deleted. Simply wait until it's finished.
• Your thumbnail cache is all of the preloaded thumbnails that windows uses as previews for your folders. If you have a lot of files, the thumbnail cache can take up a fair chunk of space.

Choose Thumbnails. After the scan, a new window will appear with the list of files that can be deleted. You will see the names and the file size in that category.

• Look for the Thumbnails entry and then tick the box.
• You can also include the Windows Error Report and Temporary Files to free up more space.

Clear the Cache. After ticking the files you wanted to remove, including the thumbnail cache, confirm the process in the next step by clicking OK and then 'Delete Files'.

• Congratulations, you have deleted the unwanted files, giving you more disk space and better computer performance.

Repeat this regularly. The thumbnail cache and temporary files folders will grow quickly, so it pays to clean them out regularly. Do this again at least once a month to maintain your computer's performance.