System-Wide Deep Sweep (SWDS)

A PowerShell script for cleaning and maintaining Windows 11 systems. Removes temporary files, browser caches, app caches, system logs, GPU shader caches, crash dumps, and more — all from an interactive menu so you pick exactly what runs.

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Usage

Method 1 — Download and run ❤️

Copy and paste this into your PowerShell window.

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/womblee/win11_disk_cleaner/main/win11_cleaner.ps1 -OutFile "$env:TEMP\win11_cleaner.ps1"; powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$env:TEMP\win11_cleaner.ps1"

Method 2 — Run locally

If you've cloned or downloaded the repo, allow .ps1 files to run (one-time):

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope CurrentUser

Then run:

.\win11_cleaner.ps1

If Windows says the file is blocked, unblock it first:

Unblock-File -Path .\win11_cleaner.ps1

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Requirements

• Windows 8.1, 10 or 11

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Menu

When the script launches you'll see the full task list. Enter numbers separated by commas, A to run everything, S for a safe subset, or Q to quit.

1,2,6,34      run specific tasks
A             run all tasks
S             simple mode (skips: GPU shader, DirectX, TCP reset, Disk Cleanup, Font Cache, Windows.old, DISM Cleanup)
Q             quit

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Available Tasks

Temp + Cache

#	Task
1	Windows Temp Folder
2	User Temp Folder
3	Windows Update Cache
4	Prefetch Files

Browsers

#	Task
5	Microsoft Edge
6	Google Chrome
7	Mozilla Firefox
18	Brave

Cache and temp files only. Cookies and login sessions are not touched.

Apps

#	Task
32	Spotify Cache
33	Telegram Cache
43	Zoom Cache
44	Adobe Cache
45	TeamViewer / AnyDesk Logs
46	OBS Temp

Apps are terminated before clearing where necessary. They relaunch normally afterwards.

Logs + Diagnostics

#	Task
8	Windows Event Logs
9	Windows Diagnostic Traces
10	CBS (Component-Based Servicing) Logs

Recycle + Restore

#	Task
11	Empty Recycle Bin (all drives)
12	Old Shadow Copies (keeps latest)
31	Old System Restore Points (keeps latest)

Performance + Startup

#	Task
19	Windows Performance Counters

Disk + Store

#	Task
20	Windows Disk Cleanup (GUI)
21	Microsoft Store Cache

Cache + Icons

#	Task
15	Rebuild Windows Search Index
16	Thumbnail Cache
17	Icon Cache
24	Notification Cache
25	Recent Files + Jump Lists

Network

#	Task
26	Flush DNS Cache
27	Reset TCP/IP Stack

Telemetry

#	Task
28	Delivery Optimization Cache (DOSVC)
29	Windows Update Logs

Gaming

#	Task
34	Steam Cache (HTML cache, shader cache, download depots)
35	GPU Shader Cache (NVIDIA + AMD)
36	DirectX Shader Cache (D3DSCache)
37	Discord Cache (stable, PTB, Canary)
38	Xbox Game Bar / GameDVR / DXGI Logs
39	Crash Dumps (minidumps, app dumps, WER reports)

Steam and Discord are terminated before clearing.

Dev Tools

#	Task
40	Visual Studio / .NET Temp (packages temp, ASP.NET temp files, Roslyn compiler cache)
41	npm Cache
42	pip Cache

System (Extra)

#	Task
47	Font Cache (Explorer restarts briefly to rebuild)
48	WinSAT Results
49	Windows.old
50	DISM Component Store Cleanup

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Tasks that require confirmation

These tasks prompt [Y] before running due to their impact:

#	Reason
12	Deletes all shadow copies except the most recent
20	Opens the Windows Disk Cleanup wizard
27	Resets TCP/IP stack — network will briefly drop
31	Deletes all restore points except the most recent
35	Clears GPU shader caches (NVIDIA + AMD)
36	Clears DirectX shader cache
47	Deletes font cache DB files — Explorer restarts briefly
49	Permanently deletes C:\Windows.old — removes ability to roll back Windows version
50	Runs DISM component cleanup — takes several minutes and cannot be undone

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Logging

Each run saves a log file in the same folder as the script:

SWDS_YYYYMMDD_HHmmss.log

Every task is logged as clear, skip, or error, with the amount freed in MB.

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Safe to run?

• Browser tasks only clear cache — cookies and sessions are untouched.
• Tasks 12 and 31 keep your most recent shadow copy / restore point.
• Task 15 resets the search index — Windows rebuilds it automatically in the background.
• Task 17 restarts Explorer briefly to rebuild the icon cache.
• Task 20 opens the built-in Windows Disk Cleanup tool.
• Task 27 resets TCP/IP — network reconnects on its own within seconds.
• GPU / DirectX shader caches (35, 36) are rebuilt automatically by your drivers and games on next launch.
• Crash dumps (39) are debug files only — safe to delete unless you are actively diagnosing a crash.
• Task 44 clears Adobe media caches and temp files — your projects and assets are untouched.
• Task 45 removes TeamViewer and AnyDesk log files only — remote access settings are preserved.
• Task 46 removes OBS logs, crash files, and profiler data — recordings and scenes are untouched.
• Task 47 restarts Explorer briefly to rebuild the font cache — open windows will reappear.
• Task 48 removes old WinSAT benchmark result files — Windows regenerates them as needed.
• Task 49 permanently removes C:\Windows.old — only present after a Windows upgrade. Cannot be undone.
• Task 50 runs DISM component cleanup — removes superseded Windows update components. Takes several minutes.

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License

Copyright [2026] [nloginov]

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at

http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.