Windows 11 ships with native cleanup tools that recover more space than most third-party cleaners — Storage Sense for temporary files and Installed apps for bloatware.
Short answer: run Settings > System > Storage > Temporary files and remove everything you do not actively need, then sort Settings > Apps > Installed apps by size and uninstall pre-installed junk.
Running Storage Sense manually
Storage Sense is Microsoft's modern replacement for the classic Disk Cleanup utility. One-time run is enough to recover most temp-file space.
- open Settings > System > Storage
- click Temporary files
- wait for the scan — common categories include Windows Update Cleanup (often multiple GB), Downloads, Thumbnails, DirectX Shader Cache
- untick Downloads unless you are sure it is empty
- click Remove files
Toggle Storage Sense to On below the Temporary files entry to have it keep the drive cleaned up automatically on a schedule.
Removing pre-installed bloatware
New PCs ship with trial games, OEM utilities (Dell SupportAssist, HP Support Assistant, Lenovo Vantage), and demo apps that nobody asked for.
- open Settings > Apps > Installed apps
- set Sort by to Size (Large to small)
- find pre-installed apps you do not use
- click ⋯ on each and choose Uninstall
Most OEM utilities are safely removable — driver updates still come through Windows Update.
Better next routes
If the C: drive is still in the red after Storage Sense and bloatware removal, continue with Deep Cleaning Windows 11 & 10.
For the Temp folder specifically, read Is it Safe to Delete the Temp Folder in Windows?.