But what is the Windows.old folder, why you have it, will delete it affect the functioning of Windows, and what are the ways to delete Windows.old folder. These are some of the questions users often ask. Let’s find out the answer to each.

What is the Windows.old folder?

When you install a new version of Windows, such as Windows 10, for example, your system automatically moves your older installation to Windows.old folder. This way, you can quickly roll back to the previous iteration if the new one doesn’t work well. In addition, this folder works as a backup, so even if the installation process fails for some reason, your PC can use Windows.old folder to restore the previous version of Windows. The size of the Windows.old folder ranges anywhere between 6 to 30 GB depending on the previous installation.

Can I safely remove Windows.old?

Yes, you can safely and, in all likelihood, easily remove the Windows.old folder from your PC. Windows, anyway, will delete it after 10 days. That’s the maximum period you can revert to the previous iteration without having to do a complete reinstall. Remember, once you remove the Windows.old folder, you will have to reinstall the OS using the Media Creation Tool or a bootable USB if you plan to downgrade the OS. So, make sure to verify this beforehand.

How to delete Windows.old folder from Windows 10?

1. Use Disk Cleanup

That’s it! This should remove and delete the Windows.old folder on your PC and clear up storage right away.

2. Via Settings

All you have to do now is wait for the OS to remove the Windows.old folder. It shouldn’t take much time.

3. Use Command Prompt

  1. Click Yes in the UAC prompt that appears. SPONSORED
  2. Now, paste the following commands individually and press Enter after each one: takeown /F C:Windows.old /A /R icacls C:Windows.old /Grant Administrators:F /inheritance:e /T attrib -r -a -s -h C:Windows.old /S /D RD /S /Q %SystemDrive%windows.old
  3. After the commands are executed, close Command Prompt and check if the Windows.old folder is deleted.  

An easy and quick method to delete the Windows.old folder on your device is to do this through Command Prompt. All you need to do is run a few deletion commands, then the tool will remove the folder for good.

4. Use CCleaner

CCleaner is one of the best tools to clear storage on the hard drive, and it can be used to delete a range of files. Besides, the app is capable of running deep scans and identifying files stored deep down.

5. Manually delete the Windows.old folder

That’s it! If the other methods to remove Windows.old folder didn’t work, you could always delete it manually. It would require reconfiguring the permissions and taking control of the folder. If the sole objective of deleting the folder was to clear storage, do not forget to check the other ways to free up disk space. Tell us which method you choose to delete the Windows.old folder in the comments section below.

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