Cache Cleaner

A much more efficient and no-reinstall way to clean up cache files, trash, and build artifacts from developing applications using VS Code, Bun, Yarn, npm, etc. This often causes the C: folder to be full even though it doesn't store many personal files.

Here are the steps to clean up storage without reinstalling, but still produce a "like new" effect in the development environment:

✅ 1. Clear Package Manager Cache

🧹 Bun

bun pm cache clean

Or delete manually:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\bun\

🧹 Yarn

yarn cache clean

Or delete manually:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Yarn\Cache

🧹 npm

npm cache clean --force

Or delete manually:

%APPDATA%\npm-cache

✅ 2. Delete .next, dist, build, node_modules, etc.

Find and delete all build result & dependencies folders: Run in project root folder.

Get-ChildItem -Recurse -Include "node_modules", ".next", "dist", "build" | Remove-Item -Recurse -Force

Or manually:

• Open project folders one by one
• Delete:
  • node_modules
  • .next, build, dist
  • bun.lockb, package-lock.json, yarn.lock (if you want to clean install later)

✅ 3. Clear VSCode Extension Cache

VSCode stores a lot of cache, history, and extensions:

%APPDATA%\Code\Cache
%APPDATA%\Code\CachedData
%APPDATA%\Code\User\workspaceStorage

If you don't mind losing your workspace history, you can delete it all.

✅ 4. Use Windows Clean-up Tool

Open Disk Cleanup:

• Press Win + R, type %temp%, Enter
  • Delete all contents of the temp folder.
• Press Win + R, type cleanmgr /low disk, Enter
  • Select C:
  • Check all except "Downloads"
  • Click "OK"

✅ 5. Check Largest Folders in C: Using WinDirStat

Download WinDirStat, then:

• Run, select Local Disk (C:)
• Wait for scanning to complete
• Find folders with large block colors (usually .cache, .npm, .bun, etc.)
• Delete unimportant caches/deps

✅ 6. Use Storage Sense (Automatic)

Windows has a Storage Sense feature that can automatically clear the cache:

• Settings → System → Storage
• Enable Storage Sense
• Click Configure Storage Sense or run it now
• Check:
  • Temporary files
  • Unused apps
  • Downloads (optional)
• Run manually or set a schedule

🚀 Optional: Relocate node_modules to Drive D: (Continued)

If C: is small but you have a large D:, you can symlink node_modules or .bun to D: by default.

Example:

# Move npm cache to D
npm config set cache "D:\npm-cache" --global

# For buns (if using)
setx BUN_INSTALL "D:\bun"

🎯 Conclusion: The Most Effective Order

Steps	Effects	Safe?
Clear Bun/Yarn/npm cache	💥 Large	✅ Safe
Clear node_modules and build output	💥 Large	✅ Safe
Clean VSCode workspace & cache	⚠️ Medium	✅ Safe
Disk Cleanup & %TEMP%	💥 Large	✅ Safe
Use WinDirStat	🎯 Accurate Target	✅ Safe
Enable Storage Sense	🌀 Automatic	✅ Safe