windowsweep
windowsweep reclaims disk space on a Windows machine from caches, temp files, superseded tool releases and items you choose. It names paths before it touches them. Documents, credentials and browser state are protected. Section 19 can offer large or old files in Downloads and folders you add; it selects nothing for you.
Start with npx windowsweep --scan. It measures every target and deletes nothing.
The README is the short version; this folder is the manual.
What people ask before they run it
How do I free up disk space on Windows without deleting anything important?
Start with npx windowsweep --scan, which deletes nothing and measures what is present. The safe batch
clears caches and temp files; personal files require you to choose them. Read the safety model
before a real run.
Does this cleanup tool send my data anywhere? No. The command-line tool makes no network calls at all, and self-test check [9] greps its own source for HTTP and socket calls and fails the run if it finds any. The desktop application is a separate program: it sends usage and crash reports. There is no switch. In 1.1.0 no destination was configured in the build; from 1.2.0 all four are.
| The question | Where it is answered |
|---|---|
How do I delete node_modules from old projects? | Sections 0-29, section 17 |
| How do I clear the yarn or npm cache safely? | Sections 0-29, sections 1 and 3 |
| Is it safe to use a Windows cleaner - will it delete my files? | Safety model |
| How do I see what it will delete before it deletes it? | Quick start |
| Windows Update / SoftwareDistribution is taking up space | Admin sections and elevation |
| How do I run a cleanup on a schedule? | CLI reference, --install-task |
Start here
| If you want to... | Read |
|---|---|
| Install it in under a minute | Installation |
| Run your first cleanup | Quick start |
| Read every guarantee before deleting anything | Safety model |
| Know what the developer question changes | Developer mode |
Reference
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Sections 0-29 | Every section: what it touches, which flags tune it, how it behaves in dry-run and batch mode |
| CLI reference | Every mode, option, exit code, environment variable and config key |
| Profiles | The named bundles: dev, minimal, cache-only, system, deep, audit |
| Admin sections and elevation | What needs Administrator rights, how --elevate works, the hibernation decision |
| Reports and logs | What a run writes under %USERPROFILE%\.windowsweep, the JSON schema, exports |
| Desktop app | The window over the same engine: what it adds, what it collects, the SmartScreen note, where it writes |
| Desktop plans | Real-run allowance, plan requests and referrals |
| Required updates | Notices and installing a required release |
| Policy notice | Terms and Privacy links in the desktop app and website |
| Desktop tours | Page tours and the walkthrough |
| AI integration guide | The contract for an agent or a script: --json, exit codes, guarantees |
When something is off
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Troubleshooting | Symptom, cause, fix |
| FAQ | The questions people ask first |
Meta
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| The windowsweep team | Its channels, the sibling tools, how to support the work |
| Project status | Every phase and sub-task with its state, its evidence and its commit |
🔴 The three planning files are no longer in this repository. Since 2026-09-07 (owner decision)
remaining-work.md (the specification of every open item), remaining-work-summary.md (the one-page view
with the percentage) and what-this-project-consists-of.md (what exists today) live one level above the
repository, in the workspace folder that holds it - outside version control. A git clone does not carry
them; the whole windowsweep-root folder has to be copied. The status record above stays here.
Quick contact
| Channel | Where |
|---|---|
| Issues | https://github.com/aoneahsan/windowsweep/issues |
| Author | The windowsweep team - contact form, after signing in |
| Support the work | https://aoneahsan.com/payment?project-id=windowsweep&project-identifier=windowsweep |
Last Updated: 2026-11-03 - tool version 1.4.1