How To Prevent Windows 10 From Automatically Deleting Files

Storage Sense in Windows 10 is a fairly new feature. The feature, when turned on, automatically deletes unused files when your computer is low on disk space. For instance, it can automatically delete files older than 60 days from the Recycle Bin to free up some space.

By default settings, the Storage Sense automatically deletes temporary files when your computer is low on disk space. It can delete older files in the Downloads folder and the Recycle Bin to free up space.

But not all users want to automatically delete files from Downloads folder or Recycle Bin, especially users who prefer to keep unwanted files in the Recycle Bin for a long time before deleting it.

If you don’t want the Storage Sense to automatically delete files, you can change the default settings of Storage Sense to prevent it from automatically deleting files when your PC is low on disk space.

NOTE: If files are automatically being deleted from your PC, we strongly recommend you scan your PC with a good antivirus solution. You can try out free antivirus software like Avast Antivirus, AVG Antivirus free or free version of Kaspersky Antivirus.

Here is how to disable the Storage Sense feature to prevent it from automatically deleting files to free up disk space.

Turn off Storage Sense in Windows 10

Step 1: Open the Settings app. Click the System category and then click Storage.

Step 2: Move the Storage Sense switch to the off position to turn off the feature. When the feature is turned off, it will not automatically delete files to free up disk space.

You might also want to read our 16 ways to free up disk space in Windows 10 guide to know how to manually free up GBs of disk space without using third-party software.