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Question
Sunday, October 13, 2019 5:36 PM
Hi,
Look at this image, I am suffering low capacity on my drive C.
There is a folder named "Windows.old" on my C. Can I delete this folder? Does it damage my computer if I delete that?
It has a lot of capacity.
All replies (6)
Sunday, October 13, 2019 6:02 PM ✅Answered
Hi,
The Windows.old folder only contains the old files before you upgraded to the new system.
If you are sure that your system is running well Delete the Windows.old folder using the Disk Cleanup.
I have Provided Steps with writing below with the steps.
1. First navigate to This PC using the Windows Explorer
2. Right Click on the C:\ Drive then select Properties then select Disk Clean-up.
3. Once clicked on Disk Clean-up wait until this screen comes up.
4. Click on Clean up System Files then this will bring you to a new screen to Remove Old Versions of Windows.
5. Click on Previous Windows Installations. Then click Ok to Start the Removal Process.
Many Thanks
Luke A'Court
Sunday, October 13, 2019 6:05 PM
Windows.old is typically automatically deleted in 10 days with the latest versions of Windows.
It used to be 30 days with older windows versions.
This is the method using command line:
takeown /F "C:\Windows.old" /A /R /D Y
icacls "C:\Windows.old" /grant *S-1-5-32-544:F /T /C /Q
RD /S /Q "C:\Windows.old"
There are multiple methods to delete windows.old with text and images in this link:
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2066-delete-windows-old-folder-windows-10-a.html
Disk cleanup is typically the method with the most familiarity.
So you can manually delete now or wait 10 days for automatic deletion.
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Please remember to vote and to mark the replies as answers if they help.
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Sunday, October 13, 2019 6:08 PM | 1 vote
Hi Amin2234.
You can delete that folder, but you have to remember that you will no longer be able to use the recovery options to rollback to a previous Windows 10 version.
If you want to delete that folder, run the Windows Disk Cleanup tool and select the "Previous Windows installations(s)" check box.
Bye.
Luigi Bruno
MCP, MOS, MTA, MCTS, MCSA, MCSE
Sunday, October 13, 2019 7:39 PM
Hello Amin,
As the others have posted, you get the Windows.old folder when you perform a refresh or upgrade of Windows 10.
The Windows.old folder contains a copy of your previous installation. If you delete the Windows.old folder, you will not be able to use the "Go back to previous version of Windows" feature if needed.
The Windows.old folder will automatically be emptied or deleted in 10 days after the refresh or upgrade by default.
The tutorial below will show you some options on how to delete the Windows.old folder.
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2066-delete-windows-old-folder-windows-10-a.html
If you like, the tutorial below can show you some options to help free up hard drive space.
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/83441-free-up-drive-space-windows-10-a.html
Monday, October 14, 2019 1:47 AM
Hi,
Yes, you can. Deleting Windows.old folder will not affect your PC. The Windows.old folder contains all the files and data from your previous Windows installation. You can use it to restore your system to the old version of Windows if you don’t like the new version. If you find that you no longer have any use for it you can also remove/delete the Windows.old folder manually.
You can use the Windows Disk Cleanup tool to delete the folder.
Just follow the steps provided by Webmasterroot.
You can also use this tool to delete other unnecessary files taking up space on your system drive.
Best regards.
Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help.
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Monday, October 14, 2019 6:20 AM
Hello, Amin2234
Yes you could delete the file windows.old it will not damage your Computer but before you delete that file you should have check the old programs which you could have needed. Once the the file windows.old have been deleted you could not access the old program files or your previous work files. One More Thing that you would not able to use recovery option to rollback your old data.
HOW TO DELETE.
Here is the step wise guide to delete.
1. Press Windows Key + S and enter disk. Please Select Disk Cleanup from the menu.
2.When Disk Cleanup tool Application opens up you’ll need to select which drive you want to clean. Select the drive where Windows 10 is installed and click OK.
3. Disk Cleanup tool will now scan your PC for old and temporary files. This process might take a minute or two depending on the size of your partition.
4. Check if Previous Windows installation(s) option is available. If it is, check it and click OK. You should see a confirmation message available. Select Delete Files and wait until the previous version of Windows is removed.
5. Optional: If Previous Windows installation(s) option isn’t available for you, click Clean up system files button and wait for the scan to complete. After that, select Previous Windows installation(s) and follow the instructions from previous step.
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Chetan Narayana | Rojgar Government