How to Delete the Windows.old Folder in Windows 11 PC

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This tip is about the how to Delete the Windows.old Folder in Windows 11 PC. So read this free guide, How to Delete the Windows.old Folder in Windows 11 PC step by step. If you have query related to same article you may contact us.

How to Delete the Windows.old Folder in Windows 11 PC – Guide

This Windows.old folder contains all the old Windows installation files and other data from the previous operating system. Windows uses this folder to easily undo the upgrade and go back to the previous version you upgraded from. If you’re comfortable with Windows 11 and don’t think you’re coming back, deleting the Windows.old folder should be safe. The Drive Optimization task, also built into Windows 11, will eventually delete the Windows.old folder, but you can manually delete it to see the immediate benefits without waiting for Storage Sense to clean up the folder.

The Windows.old folder is created for certain reasons, basically to protect your computer from system update errors and allow users to revert back to their previous system. The Windows.old folder is one of the security mechanisms developed by Microsoft in case the update process suddenly goes wrong.

The system uses the Windows.old folder to roll back changes to your PC if the new system installation fails. Once the Windows update has successfully completed, the Windows.old folder gives users the option to easily revert back to their previous system if they encounter any issues or are not satisfied with the new system.

How to Delete Windows.old folder on Windows 11 PC

Deleting the Windows.old folder manually

In this method, we will use Windows 11 File Explorer to delete the Windows.old folder. Here’s what you need to do.

First of all, open File Explorer on your Windows 11 operating system.

In file explorer, open the system installation drive. You will find the Windows.old folder here.

Right-click on the file and select the delete option.

in the pop-up confirmation, click the Continue button button.

Delete Windows.old folder via Disk Cleanup

If you cannot delete the Windows.old folder from File Explorer, you will need to use the Disk Cleanup utility. Here’s what you need to do.

First, open Windows 11 search and type Disk Cleanup.

In the Disk Cleanup utility, select the drive you want to scan.

Then click on the ‘Clear up system files option.

In Disk Cleanup window, select ‘Previous Windows Installations’ and click ‘Ok’ button button.

At the confirmation prompt, click on the Delete files option.

Final note

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