orzcls Windows Disk Cleaner
Free, universal C: drive cleanup — no paid software needed.
Workflow
1. Assess the situation
Ask user for context if not provided:
- Windows version (10/11)
- Current free space and total drive size
- Any scan results (screenshots from WinDirStat, TreeSize, etc.)
- Whether they are a developer (affects which dev caches to target)
- Whether they use hibernation/sleep mode
2. Generate the cleanup script
Read and deliver scripts/disk_cleaner.ps1 to the user. The script:
- Requires admin privileges (
#Requires -RunAsAdministrator) - Has
-DryRunmode for safe preview - Has skip flags:
-SkipHibernation,-SkipWinSxS,-SkipRestorePoints - Covers 10 modules: temp, recycle bin, WU cache, browsers, system logs, app caches, dev caches, hibernation, WinSxS, restore points
- Includes bonus Windows Disk Cleanup utility invocation
Encoding requirement: Save as UTF-8 with BOM for Chinese Windows compatibility. Use Python:
import codecs
with codecs.open('disk_cleaner.ps1', 'w', encoding='utf-8-sig') as f:
f.write(content)
3. Customize for user's environment
Adapt the script based on user context:
- Non-developers: Remove module 7 (dev caches) or comment it out
- Laptop users who need sleep: Add
-SkipHibernationto recommended command - Users with specific large files: Add targeted cleanup commands (e.g., Android SDK, USMT.ppkg, Docker images)
- Chinese software users: Ensure QQ/WeChat/DingTalk/Baidu paths are included
4. Recommend free tools
For details, read references/free_tools.md. Key recommendations:
- BleachBit — open-source CCleaner replacement
- WizTree — fastest disk analyzer (reads NTFS MFT)
- Everything — instant file search (
size:>500mbtrick) - dupeGuru — open-source duplicate finder
5. Long-term maintenance advice
Provide these tips:
- Enable Storage Sense (Settings > System > Storage)
- Move default install path to D: drive
- Redirect Downloads/Desktop/Documents to D: drive
- Use
mklink /Dfor symlink migration of installed apps - Schedule monthly BleachBit/script runs
Common large file targets
| File/Folder | Typical Size | Safe to Remove? |
|---|---|---|
hiberfil.sys |
RAM size | Yes if not using hibernate |
pagefile.sys |
1-16 GB | Reduce if RAM >= 16GB |
WinSxS |
5-20 GB | DISM cleanup only (never delete manually) |
Windows.old |
10-30 GB | Yes after confirming new OS works |
C:\Recovery\ USMT.ppkg |
1-3 GB | Yes after factory setup |
| Android SDK images | 2-10 GB | Yes if not developing |
| Docker WSL vhdx | 5-50 GB | Compact with wsl --shutdown + diskpart |
| npm/pip/yarn cache | 0.5-5 GB | Yes (re-downloads on demand) |
| JetBrains caches | 1-5 GB | Yes (rebuilds automatically) |
| Shader caches (NVIDIA/Intel/AMD) | 0.2-2 GB | Yes (rebuilds on next launch) |
Resources
scripts/disk_cleaner.ps1— Main PowerShell cleanup script (10 modules, DryRun support)references/free_tools.md— Curated list of free/open-source disk tools with usage tips