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Every time you switch to a new version of Windows, be it one of the Windows 10 feature updates or a new operating system, Microsoft registers the previous version. This includes information about all installed programs and settings, stored in a folder known simply as Windows.old. This can be found in File Explorer, but you can’t delete it like any normal folder. Microsoft blocks the usual right-click or drag-and-drop methods, presumably to prevent users from being accidentally deleted.
Unless you intend to revert to the previous version, it is perfectly safe to delete the Windows.old folder. This will not affect your current Windows 10 experience or any future updates.
What is the Windows.old folder?
The Windows.old folder is a folder on the system partition (usually drive C ? to store the old version of Windows system when you upgrade your Windows to a new one without formatting your hard drive or doing a clean install. The Windows.old folder contains older Windows files, program files, and all user data. It was first introduced by Windows Vista, it also applies to Windows 7/8 / 8.1 / 10.
What can the Windows.old folder do for you? First, it allows you to go back to previous Windows. For example: You have upgraded your Windows 7 to Windows 10 and then you can also go back to Windows 7 with the Windows.old folder if you don’t like this version of Windows. Second, it gives you the opportunity to restore some individual files and programs from the Windows.old folder.
How to delete Windows.old folder using Storage sense settings
The easiest method to delete the Windows.old folder from your device is to use the storage sense with these steps:
- Open configuration.
- Click on System.
- Click Storage.
- In the “Storage direction” section, click the Change how we automatically free up space option.
- In the “Free up space now” section, check the Remove the previous version of Windows option.
- Click the Clean Now button.
How to delete Windows.old folder using temporary files settings
Alternatively, using the Settings app, you can delete the Windows.old folder using the Temporary Files settings with these steps:
- Open configuration.
- Click on System.
- Click Storage.
- In the “Storage direction” section, click the Free up space now option.
- Check the Previous Windows Installation (s) option.
- (Optional) Clear the options selected by default if you only want to delete the Windows.old folder to free up space.
- Click the Delete Files button.
How to delete the Windows.old folder using Disk Cleanup
You can also delete the Windows.old folder with the Legacy Disk Cleanup tool by following these steps:
- Open File Explorer.
- Click This PC in the left pane.
- In the “Devices and Drives” section, right-click the drive with the Windows 10 installation (usually the C drive) and select the Properties option.
- On the “General” tab, click the Disk Cleanup button.
- Click the Clean System Files button.
- Check the Previous Windows Installation (s) option.
- (Optional) Clear the options selected by default if you only want to delete the Windows.old folder to free up space.
- Click on the OK button.
- Click the Delete Files button to confirm the deletion.
- Click the Yes button to confirm the warning.
Final words: How to remove the Windows.old Folder in Windows 10 PC
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