> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.portainer.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.portainer.io/sts/admin/environments/policies/docker-policies/cleanup-policy.md).
# Create a Docker, Swarm or Podman image cleanup policy
Define a policy that automatically reclaims disk space by removing old and unused Docker images on a defined schedule.
To create a image cleanup policy, in the menu, under **Environment-related**, select **Policies** then select **Create policy**. From the policy type list, navigate to the **Docker, Podman and Swarm** > **Image cleanup** section, select either a [predefined template](#policy-templates) or the **Custom** policy, then select **Continue** to start configuring the policy.
| | |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Name | Define a name for this policy. |
| Environment groups |
Select one or more environment groups from the dropdown menu. If the selected group is already included in an existing policy, a warning icon will appear next to the group name.
|
| Cleanup interval | Define how often the cleanup runs. This value must be greater than 5 minutes. |
Once the initial policy setup is complete, select how you would like automatic image cleanup to be triggered. At least one cleanup mode must be selected to save your policy.
| | |
| ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Enable age-based cleanup | Toggle on to automatically remove images older than a specified age. |
| Max image age | Specify the age at which images are automatically removed. |
| | |
| --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Enable storage-limit cleanup | Toggle on to automatically remove images once disk usage exceeds a specified threshold. |
| High threshold | Specify the disk usage percentage that must be reached before the policy begins removing images. |
| Low threshold | Specify the disk usage percentage at which the policy stops removing images. |
| Clear Docker build cache | Toggle on to prune the Docker build cache when disk usage exceeds the high threshold. |
| Minimum image age | Specify a minimum age below which images are never removed by storage-limit cleanup. |
| Limit images removed per interval | Specify the maximum number of images that can be removed per cleanup cycle. Select **No limit** to remove images without a cap. |
Finally, specify any images that should never be removed. To exclude images from custom repositories, ensure you use the full repository path.
When you have completed the form, click **Create policy.** A confirmation screen displays the changes being made and any existing policy that will be replaced. Click **Confirm** to acknowledge the changes and create the policy.
### Policy templates
Policy templates come with a pre-configured setup that you can adjust before creating the policy. The following Docker, Swarm or Podman image cleanup templates are currently available:
| Policy template | Default setup description |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Disk space cleanup | Cleans up images at a sensible threshold with the following behavior: removes images older than 30 days; when disk usage exceeds 80%, clears the Docker build cache and removes images older than 1 week with no removal limit until disk usage drops to 60%. |