What Are Junk Files and Why You Should Delete Them

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Junk files is something that every computer expert recommends to delete on a regular basis. But what are junk files and why you should delete them? Let's find out.

How do junk files accumulate?

Every time you use your computer, different files are created. When you open a document, Microsoft Word creates temporary files that help things run smoothly and automatically back up your work. When you browse the Internet, your browser downloads temporary Internet files that get pre-loaded whenever you visit the same websites again to make pages load faster. Even when you simply power on or shut down your computer, Windows creates temporary system files. All these files are very useful there and then, but the problem is that they don't get deleted automatically when they are no longer needed by your system or your software. That's how temporary files become junk files.

Why junk files should be deleted

Junk files sound pretty harmless, but unfortunately that's not the case. If you have too many junk files stored on your computer, they will start causing all sorts of problems. The main problem is that they take up a lot of disk space. If you've never done junk files cleanup, then we are talking about gigabytes of wasted space. And even if you run disk cleanup occasionally or have a relatively new computer, you may still have one or two gigabytes of junk. So, if you start running out of space and especially if you have an SSD, you should run disk cleanup regularly.

Another reason why you should delete junk files is that they make your computer slow. The more outdated temporary files you have, the more time your system needs to find your documents, open programs, launch web pages and so on. And if there are too many junk files on your disk, your computer can get really slow on startup. Deleting junk files will not only free up valuable disk space, but it will also make your computer faster.

How to delete junk files?

The best way to delete junk files is to use a disk cleanup utility that will find them all and let you delete them in just one mouseclick. Windows has a built-in disk cleaner that you can use for basic file cleanup. But if you are looking for something more advanced or something that will delete junk files automatically in the background, try FileCleaner. It's fast, easy to use and very effective

Now you know what are junk files and why you should delete them. Run disk cleanup regularly and your computer will stay fast.

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