Delivery Optimization Files What They Are and How to Clear Them
In the Temporary files list, one line surprises people: Delivery Optimization Files, sometimes several GB, reappearing after every update. They are not a virus and not your data. They are pieces of updates Windows downloaded once and keeps to share — and you can clear or cap them whenever you like.
✍️ Technical Anshu🪟 Windows 11⏱️ 4 minute fix
🎥 Watch the full process in the video — Delivery Optimization cleanup inside the complete routine
Delivery Optimization is Windows Update's sharing system. When your PC downloads an update or a Store app, it can keep the pieces and serve them to other PCs — on your own network, and depending on your settings, to PCs on the internet too. The kept pieces are the Delivery Optimization cache. It saves Microsoft bandwidth and can make a second PC in your home update faster. On a small C drive, it is also pure reclaimable weight.
Settings > Storage > Temporary files — example sizes
☑ Delivery Optimization Files4.2 GB
☑ Temporary Windows installation files1.9 GB
☑ Temporary files860 MB
☑ Thumbnails112 MB
The Delivery Optimization line is often the biggest single row here in the days right after Patch Tuesday — and the safest to clear.
Example Temporary files list after a monthly update. Sizes swing widely from PC to PC.
1
What These Files Actually Are
Chunks of Windows updates and Microsoft Store apps that this PC has already downloaded and installed
Kept in a cache so Windows can hand them to other PCs instead of every PC downloading everything from Microsoft separately
They are not needed by your installed updates. Removing them uninstalls nothing
Their size follows your update activity: big after feature updates and heavy Store downloads, small on a quiet PC
They live under Windows management, not in a normal folder you should hunt for — always clear them through the supported tools below
2
Clear Them Through Settings — the Main Route
Open Settings → System → Storage → Temporary files and wait for the scan to finish
Tick Delivery Optimization Files
Add the other safe rows you want in the same pass — and keep Downloads unticked, that one is your personal folder
Choose Remove files and confirm
The space returns immediately; there is no restart requirement for this cleanup
3
Clear Them Through Disk Cleanup — the Classic Route
Run cleanmgr, select drive C: and let the scan complete
In the list, tick Delivery Optimization Files
Choose OK and Delete Files
Either route reaches the same cache — use whichever you are already using for the rest of the after-update cleanup
4
Will Clearing Them Break or Slow Updates
Honestly: almost nothing changes, and what does change is minor.
Your installed updates keep working — the cache is a copy for sharing, not part of any installation
If another PC in the house was mid-download from yours, it simply fetches those pieces from Microsoft instead
Your own next update may download a few pieces it would otherwise have reused. On a normal connection this is barely noticeable
The cache will start refilling as new updates arrive. That is the system working as designed, not the cleanup failing
5
Small Drive — Cap the Cache Instead of Chasing It
If C: is 128 GB or smaller, monthly clearing is a treadmill. Put a ceiling on the system instead.
Open Settings → Windows Update → Advanced options → Delivery Optimization → Advanced options
Under download settings, you can limit how much bandwidth updates may use in the background
Under upload settings, limit both the bandwidth used to share updates with other PCs and the monthly upload cap — a capped upload means a smaller working cache
On the main Delivery Optimization page you can also switch off Allow downloads from other PCs entirely. Trade-off, stated plainly: your updates then come only from Microsoft, which can be slower on a busy connection, and your PC stops helping the PCs around it
🔴 Clear the cache through Settings or Disk Cleanup only. The files are system-managed; hunting their folder down and deleting pieces by hand can leave the Delivery Optimization service with a corrupted index — the supported checkbox takes ten seconds and does it cleanly.
🎥 Watch the Complete Video Guide
Delivery Optimization explained and cleared — one part of the full after-update cleanup in the video.
Yes. They are cached copies of updates and Store apps kept for sharing with other PCs. Deleting them through Settings → Storage → Temporary files or Disk Cleanup removes no installed update and breaks nothing. Windows will simply download fresh pieces when they are next needed, so the cache slowly refills over time.
Why do Delivery Optimization Files keep coming back?
Because that is their job. Every new update or Store download adds its pieces to the cache for sharing. On a large drive this is invisible and helpful. On a small drive, either clear them after big updates or cap the system under Settings → Windows Update → Advanced options → Delivery Optimization → Advanced options.
Can I turn Delivery Optimization off completely?
Yes — Settings → Windows Update → Advanced options → Delivery Optimization has the Allow downloads from other PCs switch. Turning it off means your PC neither shares nor receives update pieces from other PCs. Updates still work normally, downloading everything from Microsoft; on a slow connection they may take a little longer.
This guide is based on the Technical Anshu C drive full after update video • Stuck on any step? Ask in the video comments — you will get a reply there 🙏