Why on earth would Microsoft give two entirely different functions the same name?
It’s a baffling user-interface mistake: When Microsoft spliced some functions from the classic Disk Cleanup app into Win10’s “Storage sense,” they created silliness like this: There are now two separate on-demand disk-cleanup functions, both called Free up space now, both just one level apart within the Storage sense dialogs — but they’re not at all the same, and work very, very differently!
Click one of the Free up space now options, and it hands control to you: A dialog shows you exactly what it proposes to delete, giving you useful feedback, options, choices, and confirmations. Storage sense’s internal file-deletion parameters aren’t involved: You’re in full control; and nothing gets deleted without your final say-so.
But click the other Free up space now option, and Win10’s automated, black-box Storage sense immediately takes over, using its internal, hardwired, cleanup settings, which are by design mostly non-user adjustable: In fact, there’s no user feedback at all. The deletions simply take place, or not, according to Storage sense’s internal rules.
Why on earth would Microsoft allow two very different functions, just one level apart and within the same Settings dialogs, to use the same Free up space now nomenclature? It’s confusing, to say the least — just plain bad UI design.
How two “Free Up Space Now” options collided
The problem seems to have occurred when Microsoft decided to kill off the classic, stand-alone, Disk Cleanup app (see “Say goodbye to Windows’ classic Disk Cleanup Tool“). The tool still exists, but won’t be updated, and will be dropped from future Windows versions.
The replacement function works fine, and is accessed via the first “Free Up Space Now” menu in Win10’s Settings/System/Storage/Storage sense menu. (See Fig. 1.)
This location makes sense on the face of it: The old, classic, Disk Cleanup tool was buried in a File Explorer submenu — you kind of had to know it was there to find and use it.
Putting all OS-level tools in the same place — in Settings — should be less confusing and make all the tools more discoverable and accessible.
But putting it here, under the “Storage sense” heading, and calling it Free up space now was a mistake.
For one thing, despite its location under Storage sense, this Free up space now isn’t really part of the Storage sense subsystem; it operates just fine whether or not Storage sense is enabled.
Worse, one level down, Storage sense already had an entirely separate “Free Up Space Now” option of its own — one that operates by different file-deletion rules!
You can see it here: Starting from the same Settings/System/Storage/Storage sense dialog, click Change how we free up space automatically (Fig. 2.):
The first Free Up Space Now option (Fig. 1) is the one that does not operate like a black box. Rather (like the classic Disk Cleanup tool it replaces), it gives you specific feedback and choices about what it proposes to delete, like this (Fig. 3):
The second Free up space now (Fig. 2), actually is part of Storage sense. It runs immediately upon your click, using Storage sense’s own, mostly hardwired, non-user-adjustable internal settings and rules; there’s no pause for your input, adjustments, or approvals.
This second Free up space now should have been called something like Run Storage sense cleanup now. That would make its function blindingly clear and obvious.
Similarly, the Free up space now that’s the follow-on to the classic disk cleanup could have been called something like Run advanced disk cleanup now; and maybe moved out from under the Storage sense heading. That way, its function also would be clear and obvious.
But as-is, with two radically different Free up space now options under Storage sense, it’s very confusing.
And I know I’m not the only one who did some head-scratching over this. Take this note I got (via the CONTACT link):
Hi Fred, I just read your article “Say goodbye to Windows’ classic Disk Cleanup Tool.” I was wondering: Can I use the new version without enabling Storage sense? I really hate black boxes that mess with my stuff (especially deleting) without telling me when and what it’s doing. Many thanks, Amber
Yes, Amber; the Free up space now tool shown in Fig. 1 will run just fine whether or not Storage sense is enabled.
But that leaves the “black box” portion of Amber’s concern unaddressed. Like her (and probably you, if you’re reading this), I’m also very wary of black box operations, especially when they’re deleting files!
So, in an upcoming article, I’ll have more on what Storage sense is good for; what I think it’s not good for; and how to assert at least minimal control over its mostly black-box behavior.
Stay tuned!
Permalink: https://wp.me/paaiox-cU
Reply? Questions? Use the Comment box at the bottom of the page, or click CONTACT.
WIndows 10 1809 now includes the Downloads folder as an option in Disk Cleanup.
So be careful what you select.
Exactly! That’s the danger with automated, black-box file cleanups. I much prefer the manual options that let you see and control what the app proposes to delete!