Windows Update sets aside a slice of your system drive that most people never see. On modern builds it is around 7 GB of Reserved Storage plus a WinSxS component store that can grow past 15 GB, plus Delivery Optimization cache, plus the last three feature updates in case you roll back. On a 256 GB SSD that easily crosses 20% of the drive. If Storage Sense has been running on default settings and your OS drive is still low on space, these are the best apps for Windows Update reserved storage cleanup on desktop.
What to look for in a cleanup app
- DISM and WinSxS awareness. Real cleanup goes deeper than emptying the Recycle Bin. The tool should trigger a DISM cleanup pass, purge superseded component-store versions, and remove old feature-update backups.
- Delivery Optimization cache visibility. Some tools show you exactly how much of your drive Windows Update has cached for peer-to-peer distribution.
- No aggressive registry cleaner defaults. Registry “optimisation” usually breaks more than it fixes. The best tools either skip it or make it opt-in.
- Portable mode. Being able to run without an installer is useful when the drive is nearly full.
- Log or report output. After a big cleanup you want to know what was removed in case a Windows feature stops working.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free plan | Starting price/mo | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk Crap Uninstaller | Removing dozens of leftover installs at once | Windows | Full | Free (open source) | 4.8 |
| WinDirStat | Seeing where every gigabyte went | Windows | Full | Free (open source) | 4.6 |
| TreeSize Free | Faster scans with an Explorer-like tree | Windows | Full | Free | 4.7 |
| Wise Disk Cleaner | Weekly maintenance without the CCleaner history | Windows | Full | Free | 4.5 |
| CCleaner | Familiar defaults with a light footprint | Windows | Basic | About $30/year | 4.1 |
| PatchCleaner | Purging orphaned Windows Installer files | Windows | Full | Free | 4.4 |
| CleanMgr+ | Modern replacement for the classic Disk Cleanup wizard | Windows | Full | Free (open source) | 4.6 |
The apps
1. Bulk Crap Uninstaller – best for removing leftover installs at scale
Bulk Crap Uninstaller (BCU) is open-source and reads every install manifest Windows tracks, including MSI leftovers Add/Remove Programs forgets about. You can group by installer type, size, or date, and mass-uninstall with a single confirmation. Reserved Storage does not shrink directly from uninstalls, but purging orphaned installers and their cached MSIs frees up space Windows Update was quietly holding.
Where it falls short: The interface is dense on first launch and the default view lists everything, including OS components you should never touch.
Pricing:
- Free: Everything.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Windows.
Download: bcuninstaller.com — Source (GitHub)
Bottom line: The first app to run on a machine that has been in use for more than a couple of years.
2. WinDirStat – best for visualising where the space went
WinDirStat scans the drive and renders every file as a rectangle sized by disk usage. You can see at a glance that WinSxS is a huge orange block, that a Steam shader cache is another one, or that a forgotten Downloads folder is the real problem. It does not clean anything on its own; it tells you where to point the scalpel.
Where it falls short: Scans of full drives take a while on spinning disks. The visualization can be overwhelming until you learn to read it.
Pricing:
- Free: Everything.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Windows.
Download: windirstat.net
Bottom line: The map you consult before you touch anything.
3. TreeSize Free – best for a faster, tree-view scan
TreeSize Free takes a similar approach to WinDirStat but presents it as an Explorer-style tree with size totals per folder. Scans are noticeably faster, especially on NVMe. The free version handles the Reserved Storage folder and the SoftwareDistribution download cache without complaint.
Where it falls short: Advanced features (network scans, scheduled reports, ownership analysis) are paid-only.
Pricing:
- Free: Personal use, full disk scans.
- Paid: TreeSize Professional starts at a modest one-time price.
Platforms: Windows.
Download: jam-software.com/treesize_free
Bottom line: The one to use when WinDirStat feels slow.
4. Wise Disk Cleaner – best weekly maintenance tool
Wise Disk Cleaner covers the standard cleanup tasks (browser caches, temp folders, thumbnail caches, memory dumps, Windows.old) plus a scheduled maintenance run. It surfaces the Windows Update download cache and Delivery Optimization files by name, so you know what you are about to delete.
Where it falls short: The installer offers optional bundled software during install. Uncheck those boxes.
Pricing:
- Free: Full cleanup features.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Windows.
Download: wisecleaner.com/wise-disk-cleaner
Bottom line: A weekly-run task that keeps the OS drive from creeping.
5. CCleaner – best for users who already know the workflow
CCleaner is the tool everyone has used at least once. The free tier still covers system cache cleanup, browser cache, and Windows Update download cleanup. It is the fastest to configure if you already know the settings.
Where it falls short: The 2017 supply-chain incident and the more recent telemetry defaults have soured a lot of users on it. Turn off the “smart cleaning” prompts on first launch or it will nag.
Pricing:
- Free: Basic cleanup.
- Paid: Professional adds scheduled cleaning at about $30/year.
Platforms: Windows.
Download: ccleaner.com
Bottom line: Fine if you already use it; there is no reason to switch to it now.
6. PatchCleaner – best for purging orphaned Windows Installer files
PatchCleaner targets a specific problem: the C:\Windows\Installer folder collects .msi and .msp files from every install and update, and Windows never cleans them. On a five-year-old machine this folder can hold 20+ GB. PatchCleaner enumerates every file, marks the ones no installed program still references, and either moves or deletes them.
Where it falls short: It is a single-purpose tool. There is no ongoing maintenance. Always let it move files to a staging folder first before deleting, in case an update pack you rarely install needs one of them back.
Pricing:
- Free: Everything.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Windows.
Download: homedev.com.au/free/patchcleaner
Bottom line: The single biggest one-time reclaim on a long-running Windows install.
7. CleanMgr+ – best modern Disk Cleanup replacement
CleanMgr+ is a modern rewrite of the classic Disk Cleanup wizard Microsoft has been slowly hiding since Windows 10. It surfaces every cleanup category Windows knows about, including the Windows Update Cleanup and Delivery Optimization Files targets that the built-in tool hides behind an admin prompt.
Where it falls short: No scheduler; you run it when you remember to.
Pricing:
- Free: Everything.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Windows.
Download: github.com/builtbybel/cleanmgr-plus
Bottom line: The right pick if you liked Disk Cleanup and want the modern equivalent.
How to pick the right one
Start with WinDirStat or TreeSize Free to see what the drive is holding. There is no point running cleanups blind.
Run CleanMgr+ for the Windows Update Cleanup and Delivery Optimization Files categories. That alone typically reclaims 3-8 GB on a machine that has taken a year of feature updates.
Use PatchCleaner once, move files to a staging folder, and delete after a week of normal use. Expect the largest single reclaim on old installs.
Add Bulk Crap Uninstaller to remove software you actually forgot you installed, including the OEM bloat that came with the machine.
Schedule Wise Disk Cleaner for weekly maintenance so the drive does not creep again.
Stay with built-in Storage Sense if you install almost nothing, do not download much, and only need automatic Recycle Bin and Downloads cleanup. It is not enough on any machine that has ever installed a game.
FAQ
How do I actually turn off the 20% Windows Update Reserved Storage?
Run DISM /Online /Set-ReservedStorageState /State:Disabled from an elevated command prompt. Some feature updates re-enable it, so check after major updates.
Is it safe to delete files in C:\Windows\WinSxS?
Never manually. Only through DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup or the Windows Update Cleanup option in Disk Cleanup / CleanMgr+. Hand-deleting files there will break the OS.
Does emptying the SoftwareDistribution folder break updates?
No. Windows Update recreates it on the next check. It is safe to stop the Windows Update service, empty C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download, and start the service again.
Which app reclaims the most space on a long-running install? PatchCleaner, in almost every case. The Windows\Installer folder is the largest orphan cache on old machines.
Can I use these apps alongside Storage Sense? Yes. Storage Sense handles temp files and the Recycle Bin on a schedule; the tools above handle categories Storage Sense does not touch.
