When you print a document, Windows first spools the print job to a temporary file before it’s sent to the printer.Ĥ. Temporary files are also created by web browsers to cache web pages and store your browsing history. When applications need more memory than is available in physical RAM, Windows uses virtual RAM and creates temporary files to hold the data.ģ. When you use an application like Word or Excel that allows you to undo edits you’ve made, Windows creates a temporary file to hold data on the changes you make.Ģ. Microsoft lists several circumstances in which temporary files are created:ġ.
Temporary files are exactly what they sound like - files created by the Windows system that are deleted when no longer necessary. But what are temporary files? Where are they stored? And if they’re temporary, why are they still on your hard drive taking up space? Get answers to all of these questions, and find out how to get rid of temporary files quickly and easily. If you spend any time researching how to free up space on a Windows PC, you'll see one piece of advice, again and again, is to delete temporary files.
