Disc cleanup is a built-in tool in Windows that helps free up space on your hard drive by removing unnecessary and temporary files. However, sometimes disc cleanup may stop working or fail to run. There are a few reasons why this can happen.
Corrupted System Files
Corrupted system files can prevent disc cleanup from running properly. The tool relies on certain system files to identify and remove unnecessary files. If any of these system files become corrupted or damaged, disc cleanup may fail to start or complete properly.
To fix corrupted system files, you can run the System File Checker (SFC) tool. SFC scans Windows system files and can replace corrupted or missing files. To run SFC, open an elevated Command Prompt and type “sfc /scannow”. Allow the scan to complete, which could take some time. Restart your PC afterwards.
Outdated or Conflicting Software
Having outdated, incompatible or conflicting software programs installed can also cause issues with disc cleanup. For example, some security or cleaning utilities may conflict with the built-in disc cleanup tool.
Try uninstalling any recently added cleaning or optimization utilities. Also make sure you have the latest updates installed for Windows and any other software on your computer. Outdated programs can sometimes prevent disc cleanup from running properly.
Insufficient Permissions
You may receive permission errors when trying to run disc cleanup if your user account does not have sufficient access to system files and folders. Discleanup needs full read and write access to system folders like Windows and Program Files to function correctly.
Check that your user account has administrator privileges. If not, log into an admin account and try running disc cleanup. You can also try running the tool directly from an elevated Command Prompt.
Damaged Hard Drive
If your hard drive has any physical damage or corruption, it can also stop disc cleanup from running. Severely fragmented hard drives, bad sectors or filesystem errors can prevent disc cleanup from identifying and removing files properly.
Check your hard drive health using the Check Disk tool. To run Check Disk, open an elevated Command Prompt and type “chkdsk /f”. Allow the scan to complete, which can take a while for large drives. This can help fix any filesystem errors that may be disrupting disc cleanup.
Incorrect Folder Permissions
Disc cleanup requires access to several protected system folders like Windows and Program Files. If the permissions on these folders have been incorrectly modified, it can prevent disc cleanup from removing files properly.
Reset the folder permissions for critical system folders back to their default settings. You can do this by running the following commands in an elevated Command Prompt:
icacls "C:\Program Files" /reset icacls "C:\Program Files (x86)" /reset icacls "C:\Windows" /reset
This will reset the permissions to their default state and may resolve any permission issues blocking disc cleanup.
Corrupted Cleanup Utility Files
The disc cleanup tool relies on some utility files that can become corrupted over time. Damage to these utility files can prevent disc cleanup from starting or working correctly.
To resolve this, you can try replacing the utility files from a clean Windows installation or backups:
- Navigate to C:\Windows\System32
- Rename the files Cleanspl.exe and Dism.exe to Cleanspl.old and Dism.old respectively
- Copy fresh versions of these two files from a clean Windows install or recovery image
- Restart your PC and try running disc cleanup again
Registry Errors
The Windows registry stores system configurations and settings that disc cleanup relies on to function. Corruption or invalid entries in the registry can disrupt disc cleanup.
Try using the built-in Registry Editor tool (regedit.exe) to navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches and delete the Active and RegPath values. Restart your PC afterward and test if disc cleanup runs.
You can also try using a dedicated registry cleaning utility to identify and fix other registry errors that may affect disc cleanup.
Starting Discleanup in Safe Mode
If disc cleanup fails to start normally, you can try running it in Windows Safe Mode. Safe Mode loads a minimal version of Windows with only essential drivers and services. This can isolate potential software conflicts or driver issues that may be preventing disc cleanup from running.
To start in Safe Mode and run disc cleanup:
- Restart your PC
- As your PC begins booting, hold down the F8 key until the Advanced Boot Options screen appears
- Select Safe Mode and press Enter
- Log in to your account
- Try running disc cleanup as usual
If disc cleanup runs successfully in Safe Mode, it indicates a driver or software conflict in normal mode. You can then troubleshoot the conflicting program.
Creating a New User Profile
Corrupted files or registry entries in your user account settings could potentially disrupt disc cleanup. Creating a brand new user profile resets your account’s files and registry configuration.
To create a new profile:
- Open Control Panel > User Accounts > Manage Another Account
- Click Create a new account
- Give the account a name and make sure to assign administrator privileges
- Log in to this new account
- Try running disc cleanup
If disc cleanup now works properly, you know your original profile’s settings were the issue. You can choose to continue using the new profile or selectively transfer files and data over.
System Restore
Using Windows System Restore can roll back system files and registry settings to an earlier restore point. This can revert any changes that may have disrupted disc cleanup.
To run System Restore:
- Open Control Panel > Recovery > Open System Restore
- Select Choose a different restore point and click Next
- Select a restore point before you had disc cleanup issues and click Next
- Confirm the restore and restart your PC
After restoring to an earlier state, check if disc cleanup starts working again normally.
Using Selective Startup
Selective startup is a Windows startup mode that prevents non-essential apps and services from loading. This can help isolate potential conflicts with disc cleanup.
To enable selective startup:
- Open msconfig (type msconfig into Start menu)
- Go to the Services tab and check “Hide all Microsoft services”
- Click “Disable all”
- Go to the Startup tab and click “Open Task Manager”
- Right-click each startup item and select “Disable”
- Close Task Manager and click OK in msconfig
- Restart your PC
After booting into selective startup mode, try running disc cleanup. If it functions correctly, systematically re-enable startup items and services in groups to isolate the conflict.
Running SFC and DISM
The System File Checker (SFC) and Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tools can scan for and replace corrupted system files that may be causing disc cleanup issues.
To run SFC and DISM:
- Open an elevated Command Prompt
- Run SFC with: sfc /scannow
- Allow scan to complete fully
- Run DISM with:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
- Restart your PC afterwards
This will check your system files against a known good state and replace any corrupted files that could be impacting disc cleanup.
Running Antivirus Scan
Viruses, malware and other infections can sometimes prevent disc cleanup from running properly. Running a full antivirus scan can uncover and remove any infections.
Use your installed antivirus software to perform a full system scan. Remove any infections it detects and restart your PC. Then try disc cleanup again to see if the issue is resolved.
You can also try installing and running a separate on-demand antivirus scanner like Malwarebytes to perform a second opinion scan, just in case your main antivirus missed anything.
Uninstall Recent Updates
Recently installed Windows Updates can sometimes introduce bugs or issues that disrupt certain applications like disc cleanup. If the issues started after a particular update, uninstalling that update may resolve the problem.
To uninstall recent updates:
- Open Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features
- Click “View installed updates” on the left
- Sort by Install Date and look for any updates installed around the time issues began
- Right-click on suspect updates and select Uninstall
- Restart your PC afterwards
Check if disc cleanup functions properly again without the problematic Windows Updates installed.
Back Up Personal Data
If none of the above solutions fix your disc cleanup issues, you may need to consider backing up your data and performing a full Windows reinstallation. Before this drastic step though, attempt the troubleshooting steps again and try solutions like a repair install or startup repair to see if they can correct any system file errors.
If you do need to reinstall Windows, remember to:
- Backup important personal files and data
- Have your Windows license key ready
- Download the latest Windows ISO (from Microsoft) and prepare a bootable installer USB
After reinstalling Windows fresh, you can restore your files and test if disc cleanup now works properly in the new Windows environment.
Conclusion
Disc cleanup failing to run can stem from corrupted system files, driver conflicts, malware infections or registry issues. Try solutions like SFC, DISM, Safe Mode, selective startup and System Restore to fix system file errors. Check for malware or hardware problems as well. In rare cases, fully reinstalling Windows may be needed to fully reset the environment.
Start with less disruptive solutions first. Ensure you have backups before attempting repairs. Patience and slowly testing each solution is key to pinpointing what is preventing your disc cleanup tool from working.