The Best Windows Server 2012 (R2) Disk Cleanup Tool

What is Disk Cleanup?

Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) is a computer maintenance tool first introduced with Windows 98 and included in all subsequent versions of Windows. It is designed to free up disk space by deleting files that are no longer needed or can be safely deleted.

There are many types of files that Disk Cleanup targets during the initial disk analysis. Mainly include the following types.

• Compression of old files.
• Temporary Internet files.
• Temporary Windows files.
• Downloaded program files.

Disk Cleanup is missing in Windows Server 2012

Windows Disk Cleanup is very useful utility and I’ve used it to free up disk space from Server 2003. It helps remote most of junk and unnecessary files safely and easily. Many people feedback that Disk Cleanup is missing in Server 2012 (R2).

If you try to run Disk Cleanup in Server 2012 from the Run window with command, you’ll receive the error: Windows cannot find ‘cleanmgr’. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.

This is because that Disk Cleanup is not enabled in Server 2012 by default, before running it to free up disk space, you must enable or install this tool.

Install Disk Cleanup in Server 2012 (R2) with Desktop Experience

In Windows Server 2012 (R2), you can start Windows Server Disk Cleanup according to the following method. This method ensures that Disk Cleanup works in most cases, but it requires a reboot to finish installing the Desktop Experience feature. Also, along with Desktop Experience, there are many other unnecessary components that may get installed on the server.

Step 1. Click Server Manager on bottom left, click the 2nd option “Add roles and features”.

Step 2. Click Next till you see the Features.

Step 3. Click the checkbox in front of “Desktop Experience” and click Next.

Step 4. Within several minutes, the installation is complete, click Close.

Step 5. Restart the server to finish adding features.

After booting to the desktop,  you can right-click C drive in Explorer and select Properties to see the Disk Cleanup option.

The Best Disk Cleanup Software for Windows Server 2012 (R2)

In addition to using the disk cleanup tool in Windows Server 2012 (R2), you can also choose a simpler and more effective method to help you. Professional disk erasing software - AOMEI Backupper Server can help you easily erase Windows Server 2012 (R2) disks to prevent the data inside from being restored again.

It integrates data backup and recovery functions to protect important data, as well as useful tools for wiping hard drives. You can clean selected partitions, or the entire hard drive. It is a disk-erasing software for Windows Server users, supporting Windows Server 2022/2019/2016/2012(R2)/2008(R2)/2003, etc.

• Its method of filling sectors with zeros prevents your data from being recovered, which is indeed safer and more thorough than manual deletion.
• But if you're after a more thorough and secure approach, you can also sanitize sensitive information with a more secure wipe method, such as DoD 5220.22-M or Gutmann.

Download and install AOMEI Backupper Server. Since wiping the disk will erase all data, it is recommended that you backup files in advance. When you finished the preparation work, you can perform Windows Server 2012 (R2) disk cleanup without desktop experience according to the steps below.

Step 1. Open the professional disk-wiping software, then navigate to Tools tab and choose Disk Wipe.

Step 2. Choose a Wiping Type to determine what to clean, select Wipe disk here and click Next to proceed. 

Step 3. Select the hard drive you want to clean. Click Next to continue. 

Step 4. Choose a Wiping Method with the safety level and speed you want, hit Start to wipe the hard drive. 

Notes:

• This feature doesn’t support dynamic disks wiping currently.
• Safer wiping methods come with more passes and lower wiping speed.
• For your current system disk, the wiping operation will be executed in reboot mode, and you won’t be able to enter the system after completion.

Summary

This article describes what is Windows Server Disk Cleanup and how to enable Windows Server Disk Cleanup in Windows Server 2012 (R2). You can also learn how to wipe Windows Server 2012 (R2) disk with the best Windows Server Disk Cleanup tool. It provides you with a variety of erasing methods, you can choose according to your own needs, and it can prevent your data from being easily recovered after being erased, resulting in data leakage.

In addition, this software is also a professional backup and restore software, you can use it to easily backup system, disk, partition and files. This software also provides a variety of functions to protect your data security in an all-around way. You can download this software to explore more functions you are interested in.