The new year is a great time to refresh and manage your digital space differently. Clearing out the old to make room for the new will help your devices run more smoothly and make it easier to find your crucial files and programs.

Use these suggestions to clean up your devices to empower you — and your devices — to work more effectively in the new year.

NOTE: Never click on a pop-up reminder to update your browser. You should always go to the built-in tools in the upper right of your screen to update your internet browser.

1. Fix website issues by clearing your cache

Clearing your cache regularly is a great way to give your browser and device a clean slate when processing and loading website data, often resolving many commonly encountered site issues and performance slowdowns.

2. Keeping your browser updated

Keeping your browser updated is essential for it to run smoothly and keep your computer safe and secure. 

3. Declutter your digital desktop

We’ve all been there. You get into a flow state while working and don’t want to interrupt your pace by sorting through folders to find the exact right place to save your file. Over time, though, your desktop can become cluttered with dozens of files, documents and shortcuts, making navigation and access harder to manage. Follow these steps to clean up your desktop and easily organize your device’s most visible landscape.

4. Improve laptop performance by deleting temporary files

Too many temporary files can consume valuable storage space. If you’re running low on storage space, consider deleting your temporary files to free up space and memory. You can choose to delete some or all the temporary files, but the process is different depending on the make of your device.

5. Archiving emails in Outlook

Outlook’s archiving feature is an easy way to save important emails from being deleted, while also clearing out your primary inbox.

6. Ensure that your work is backed up to OneDrive

Automating backing up your files and documents to OneDrive ensures your work is saved in the event of data loss or hardware failure.