Clear-TempFolders#

PowerShell script to safely clean Windows TEMP directories (C:\Windows\Temp and all user %LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp) with DryRun mode, beautifully formatted summary output, and automated Task Scheduler integration.

Features#

DryRun Mode: Simulate cleanup without deleting any files
Beautiful Output: Modern, color-coded summary with statistics
Safe Cleanup: Skips locked/in-use files automatically
Flexible Retention: Configure age threshold (default: 2 days)
User TEMP Support: Clean both system and all user TEMP folders
Task Scheduler: One-command weekly automation setup
Logging: Optional detailed log file generation
Quiet Mode: Summary-only output for scheduled tasks
PowerShell 5.1 & 7: Full compatibility with both versions

Quick Start#

# Download the script
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/paulmann/Clear-TempFolders/main/Clear-TempFolders.ps1" -OutFile "Clear-TempFolders.ps1"

# Run DryRun to see what would be deleted
.\Clear-TempFolders.ps1 -DryRun

# Clean files older than 2 days (default)
.\Clear-TempFolders.ps1

# Clean with custom retention and logging
.\Clear-TempFolders.ps1 -DaysOld 7 -LogPath "C:\Logs\tempclean.log"

Installation#

Option 1: Direct Download#

# Download main cleanup script
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/paulmann/Clear-TempFolders/main/Clear-TempFolders.ps1" `
    -OutFile "Clear-TempFolders.ps1"

# Download Task Scheduler registration script (optional)
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/paulmann/Clear-TempFolders/main/Register-TempCleanupTask.ps1" `
    -OutFile "Register-TempCleanupTask.ps1"

Option 2: Git Clone#

git clone https://github.com/paulmann/Clear-TempFolders.git
cd Clear-TempFolders

System Requirements#

OS: Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2016+
PowerShell: 5.1 or later (PowerShell 7 supported)
Privileges: Administrator rights required
Execution Policy: RemoteSigned or Bypass

Usage Examples#

Basic Usage#

# DryRun mode - see what WOULD be deleted
.\Clear-TempFolders.ps1 -DryRun

# Default cleanup (files older than 2 days)
.\Clear-TempFolders.ps1

# System TEMP only (skip user folders)
.\Clear-TempFolders.ps1 -UserTemp $false

# Quiet mode (summary only, no per-file output)
.\Clear-TempFolders.ps1 -Quiet

Advanced Usage#

# Keep files for 7 days with detailed logging
.\Clear-TempFolders.ps1 -DaysOld 7 -LogPath "C:\Logs\cleanup.log"

# Aggressive cleanup: 1 day retention, quiet mode
.\Clear-TempFolders.ps1 -DaysOld 1 -Quiet

# DryRun with custom retention
.\Clear-TempFolders.ps1 -DryRun -DaysOld 3 -UserTemp $false

# Full cleanup with logging
.\Clear-TempFolders.ps1 -DaysOld 2 -LogPath "C:\Logs\temp_$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd').log"

Parameters#

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`-DaysOld`	Int	`2`	Files older than this many days will be deleted
`-LogPath`	String	`''`	Full path to log file. Omit for no logging
`-UserTemp`	Bool	`$true`	Also clean all user TEMP folders
`-DryRun`	Switch	`$false`	Simulate only - no files deleted
`-Quiet`	Switch	`$false`	Show summary only, hide per-file output

Task Scheduler Setup#

Automatic Weekly Cleanup#

# Register with defaults (PowerShell 5.1, Sunday 03:00)
.\Register-TempCleanupTask.ps1

# Custom schedule (PowerShell 7, Monday 02:00, 7-day retention)
.\Register-TempCleanupTask.ps1 -UsePS7 $true -DayOfWeek Monday -TaskTime "02:00" -DaysOld 7

# Verify registration
Get-ScheduledTask -TaskName 'Clear-TempFolders'

# Run immediately
Start-ScheduledTask -TaskName 'Clear-TempFolders' -TaskPath '\Maintenance'

# Remove task
Unregister-ScheduledTask -TaskName 'Clear-TempFolders' -TaskPath '\Maintenance' -Confirm:$false

Task Scheduler Parameters#

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`-ScriptPath`	String	(same dir)	Full path to Clear-TempFolders.ps1
`-DaysOld`	Int	`2`	Retention passed to cleanup script
`-LogPath`	String	`C:\Logs\TempClean.log`	Log file path
`-UsePS7`	Bool	`$false`	Use PowerShell 7 (`pwsh.exe`)
`-DayOfWeek`	String	`Sunday`	Day to run task
`-TaskTime`	String	`03:00`	Time to run (HH:mm format)

Output Examples#

DryRun Mode Output#

+----------------------------------------------------------------+
|  CLEAR-TEMP-FOLDERS  v1.1.0  *  DRY RUN - no files ...        |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+

  Mode      :  DRY RUN (simulation)
  Retention :  older than 2 day(s)
  User Temp :  Yes
  Log       :  -
  Quiet     :  No

------------------------------------------------------------------
  > Scanning: C:\Windows\Temp

  ~ FILE  C:\Windows\Temp\MsiA12F.tmp                    1.24 MB
  ~ FILE  C:\Windows\Temp\cab_1234\expand.exe             512 KB
  ...

==================================================================

  +------ PROJECTED CLEANUP --------------------------------+
  |  Files to delete    :  1234                            |
  |  Est. space freed   :  487.21 GB                       |
  |  Paths scanned      :  1                               |
  |  Retention          :  older than 2 day(s)             |
  |  Elapsed            :  00m 04s                         |
  +----------------------------------------------------------+

  i  DRY RUN complete. Re-run without -DryRun to apply.

Live Cleanup Output#

  +---------------- SUMMARY --------------------------------+
  |  Files removed      :  1234                            |
  |  Dirs removed       :    87                            |
  |  Space freed        :  487.21 GB                       |
  |  Skipped (locked)   :    12                            |
  |  Paths processed    :  1                               |
  |  Elapsed            :  01m 23s                         |
  +----------------------------------------------------------+

  +  Cleanup complete  *  2026-03-14 22:05:41

Troubleshooting#

Common Issues#

"Please run as Administrator"

Right-click PowerShell → Run as Administrator
Or use: Start-Process PowerShell -Verb RunAs

"Execution policy" errors

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
# Or run with bypass:
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File Clear-TempFolders.ps1

No files deleted

Check if files are actually older than retention period
Verify Administrator privileges
Check if paths exist: Test-Path "C:\Windows\Temp"

Many "SKIP" messages

Normal for locked/in-use files
Reboot and run again for best results
Files used by Windows services cannot be deleted

License#

This project is licensed under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

Author#

Mikhail Deynekin

⭐ Star this repository if you find it useful!

Last updated: March 14, 2026 | Version: 1.1.0