How to Automate Disk Cleanup for Windows 11 Upgrades Using Intune Remediation

Navigate to the Microsoft Intune admin center to access the Proactive Remediations feature. This is where you'll create and manage your disk cleanup automation.

Open your web browser and go to endpoint.microsoft.com. Sign in with your administrator credentials that have Intune Administrator or Endpoint Security Manager permissions.

Once logged in, navigate to Devices > Endpoint analytics > Proactive remediations. You'll see the main dashboard where existing remediations are listed.

The detection script runs first to identify devices with insufficient disk space for Windows 11 upgrades. This script checks the C: drive and triggers remediation if free space is below the threshold.

Click Create > Proactive remediation. Enter the following details:

• Name: Disk Cleanup for Win11 Upgrade
• Description: Detects low disk space and guides users through cleanup for Windows 11 upgrades

In the Detection script section, paste this PowerShell code:

# Detection script for low disk space
$FreeSpaceGB = [math]::Round((Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_LogicalDisk | Where-Object {$_.DeviceID -eq 'C:'}).FreeSpace / 1GB, 2)
$RequiredSpaceGB = 64  # Microsoft recommended minimum for Windows 11

if ($FreeSpaceGB -lt $RequiredSpaceGB) {
    Write-Output "Low disk space detected: $FreeSpaceGB GB free (requires $RequiredSpaceGB GB)"
    exit 1  # Triggers remediation
} else {
    Write-Output "Sufficient disk space: $FreeSpaceGB GB free"
    exit 0  # No remediation needed
}

Set the Run this script using the logged-on credentials to No (runs as SYSTEM for accurate disk space reading).

The remediation script provides a user-friendly popup that guides users through cleaning their Recycle Bin and Downloads folder. This approach ensures user consent while automating the cleanup process.

In the Remediation script section, paste this PowerShell code:

# Remediation script with user interaction
Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms
Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Drawing

# Get current free space
$FreeSpaceGB = [math]::Round((Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_LogicalDisk | Where-Object {$_.DeviceID -eq 'C:'}).FreeSpace / 1GB, 2)

# Create user-friendly message
$message = @"
Low disk space detected: $FreeSpaceGB GB free

To prepare for Windows 11 upgrade, we recommend cleaning:
• Recycle Bin
• Downloads folder (files older than 30 days)

This will free up space safely. Continue with cleanup?
"@

# Show popup dialog
$result = [System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox]::Show(
    $message, 
    "Disk Cleanup for Windows 11 Upgrade", 
    [System.Windows.Forms.MessageBoxButtons]::YesNo,
    [System.Windows.Forms.MessageBoxIcon]::Information
)

if ($result -eq [System.Windows.Forms.DialogResult]::Yes) {
    try {
        # Empty Recycle Bin
        $shell = New-Object -ComObject Shell.Application
        $recycleBin = $shell.Namespace(0xA)
        $recycleBin.Items() | ForEach-Object { Remove-Item $_.Path -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue }
        
        # Clean Downloads folder (files older than 30 days)
        $downloadsPath = "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads"
        $cutoffDate = (Get-Date).AddDays(-30)
        Get-ChildItem $downloadsPath -Recurse | Where-Object { $_.LastWriteTime -lt $cutoffDate } | Remove-Item -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
        
        # Calculate space freed
        $newFreeSpaceGB = [math]::Round((Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_LogicalDisk | Where-Object {$_.DeviceID -eq 'C:'}).FreeSpace / 1GB, 2)
        $spaceFreed = $newFreeSpaceGB - $FreeSpaceGB
        
        Write-Output "Cleanup completed successfully. Freed $spaceFreed GB. New free space: $newFreeSpaceGB GB"
        
        # Show completion message
        [System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox]::Show(
            "Cleanup completed!\n\nSpace freed: $spaceFreed GB\nTotal free space: $newFreeSpaceGB GB",
            "Cleanup Complete",
            [System.Windows.Forms.MessageBoxButtons]::OK,
            [System.Windows.Forms.MessageBoxIcon]::Information
        )
    }
    catch {
        Write-Output "Error during cleanup: $($_.Exception.Message)"
        exit 1
    }
} else {
    Write-Output "User declined cleanup. Manual intervention may be required."
    exit 1
}

Set Run this script using the logged-on credentials to Yes (runs as user for popup interaction and file access).

Configure the execution settings to ensure your remediation runs at optimal intervals without overwhelming users or system resources.

In the Settings section, configure these options:

• Run frequency: Daily
• Run remediation script if detection script fails: Yes
• Enforce script signature check: No (for testing; enable in production if you sign scripts)

For advanced scheduling, you can set specific times:

{
  "schedule": {
    "frequency": "daily",
    "time": "09:00",
    "timezone": "UTC"
  }
}

Configure notification settings:

• Show notifications to users: No (our script handles user communication)
• Remediation script timeout: 30 minutes
• Detection script timeout: 5 minutes

Target your remediation to specific device groups, typically those scheduled for Windows 11 upgrades or experiencing storage issues.

Click on the Assignments tab. Here you'll configure which devices receive this remediation:

Add target groups by clicking Add group:

• Include: Windows 11 Upgrade Pilot Group
• Include: All Windows 10 Devices (if planning organization-wide upgrade)
• Exclude: IT Admin Devices (to prevent interruption during critical work)

For testing, start with a small pilot group:

# PowerShell to create test group (run in Azure AD PowerShell)
New-AzureADGroup -DisplayName "Win11-Upgrade-Pilot" -MailEnabled $false -SecurityEnabled $true -MailNickName "Win11Pilot"

Configure assignment filters if needed:

• Device filter: Operating system version contains "Windows 10"
• Storage filter: Available storage less than 100 GB

Deploy your remediation to the pilot group and verify it works correctly before rolling out organization-wide.

Click Create to save and deploy your remediation. The system will begin distributing it to assigned devices within the next sync cycle (typically 8 hours, or immediately if you force sync).

To force immediate sync for testing, navigate to a test device in Devices > All devices, select the device, and click Sync.

Monitor initial deployment:

# Check Intune Management Extension logs on target device
Get-WinEvent -LogName "Microsoft-Windows-DeviceManagement-Enterprise-Diagnostics-Provider/Admin" | Where-Object {$_.Message -like "*Proactive*"} | Select-Object TimeCreated, LevelDisplayName, Message

Test the user experience by manually triggering low disk space on a test device:

# Create temporary large file to simulate low space (run as admin)
$testFile = "C:\temp_space_test.tmp"
fsutil file createnew $testFile 50000000000  # 50GB file
# Remember to delete: Remove-Item $testFile -Force

Use Intune's built-in reporting to track how well your disk cleanup remediation is performing across your device fleet.

Navigate to Devices > Endpoint analytics > Proactive remediations and click on your "Disk Cleanup for Win11 Upgrade" remediation.

Review the key metrics:

• Detection rate: Percentage of devices where low space was detected
• Remediation success rate: Percentage where cleanup completed successfully
• User compliance: How many users accepted vs. declined cleanup

Export detailed reports for analysis:

# PowerShell to export remediation data via Graph API
$headers = @{
    'Authorization' = "Bearer $accessToken"
    'Content-Type' = 'application/json'
}

$uri = "https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/deviceManagement/deviceHealthScripts/{scriptId}/deviceRunStates"
$response = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $uri -Headers $headers -Method Get
$response.value | Export-Csv -Path "remediation-results.csv" -NoTypeInformation

Set up automated alerting for failures:

• Success threshold: Alert if success rate drops below 80%
• Detection threshold: Alert if more than 30% of devices show low space

Based on pilot results, refine your remediation script and expand deployment to your entire organization preparing for Windows 11 upgrades.

Analyze common patterns from your pilot data:

• Average space freed: Adjust thresholds if cleanup isn't freeing enough space
• User decline rate: If high, consider making cleanup more automated or improving messaging
• Failure patterns: Identify devices where remediation consistently fails

Enhanced version with additional cleanup targets:

# Enhanced remediation script with more cleanup options
# Add to existing remediation script before the cleanup section

# Additional cleanup targets
$tempFolders = @(
    "$env:TEMP",
    "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Temp",
    "C:\Windows\Temp"
)

# Clean temporary files older than 7 days
foreach ($folder in $tempFolders) {
    if (Test-Path $folder) {
        Get-ChildItem $folder -Recurse -File | Where-Object {
            $_.LastWriteTime -lt (Get-Date).AddDays(-7)
        } | Remove-Item -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
}

# Clean Windows Update cache if safe
$updateCache = "C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download"
if ((Get-Service wuauserv).Status -eq 'Stopped') {
    Remove-Item "$updateCache\*" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}

Scale to production by updating assignments:

• Remove pilot restrictions
• Add "All Windows Devices" group
• Implement staged rollout (10% per week)