Using a built-in feature called Storage Sense, you can save disk space by configuring Windows 10 to automatically delete files of a certain age located in your recycle bin every day, week, or month. Here’s how to set it up.
First, launch “Settings” by opening the “Start Menu” and clicking the “gear” icon on the left. You can also press Windows + I to quickly open settings. In Settings, click on the “System” icon, then click on “Storage”.
At the top of the storage options, you’ll see a small paragraph of text about Storage Sense. Click the slide switch located just below to put it in the “On” position. Then click on “Configure Storage Sense or run it now”.
In the “Storage Sense” options, you will want to take note of a few different settings. The first is how often Storage Sense runs, which is set with a drop-down menu titled “Run Storage Sense”. You can configure it to run daily, weekly, or monthly, or whenever disk space is low. Click on the menu and select the option that best suits you.
Since we’re only talking about deleting files from the recycle bin, uncheck the “Delete temporary files that my apps don’t use” checkbox if you don’t want Storage Sense to delete old temporary files. If necessary, also set the option “Remove files from my Downloads folder” to “Never” using the drop-down menu.
In between these you will find a drop-down menu titled “Delete files from my recycle bin if they have been in it for a long time” and the options are “Never”, “1 day”, “14 days,” 30 days “or” 60 days ”.
Here’s how it works: Every time Storage Sense is run (depending on the previous setting), it will automatically delete files that have been in your Recycle Bin for longer than this time period. Using the menu, set it to the option you want.
After that you are free to close the settings.
If you change your mind about how often to empty the Trash (or want to turn it off), just go back to Settings> Storage and set Storage Sense to “Off.” You can also change the interval options again to suit your needs.
