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

**URL:** https://www.compsmag.com/blogs/how-to-delete-windows-old-folder-in-windows-11-pc/
**Author:** Ayushi Chauhan
**Published:** 2022-05-03
**Updated:** 2022-05-03
**Categories:** Blogs
**Tags:** Best of Best, Blogs Daily, Computer Guides, Computers Tips and Tutorials, guiderobert, Guides and Tutorials, guiding12, How To Guide, How To Guides, Tips, Tricks, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Tips
**Reading Time:** 4 min

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This tip is about the how to Delete Windows.old Folder in Windows 11 PC. So read this free guide, How to Delete 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 Windows.old Folder in Windows 11 PC - Guide

Every time you switch to a new version of Windows - be it one of the Windows 10 versions feature updates or a new operating system – Microsoft saves a record of the previous version.  This includes data about all installed programs and settings, which are stored in a folder called “Windows.old”.  You can find this folder in File Explorer, but you cannot delete it like a regular folder.  Microsoft blocks the usual methods like right-clicking or drag-and-dropping, presumably to prevent it from being accidentally deleted.

Windows.old can take up many gigabytes of system space, especially if you've upgraded to a brand new version of Windows.  If you have no intention of reverting to the previous version, you can remove the Windows.old folder without hesitation.  This will not affect your current Windows 11 or future updates.  This is part of the security mechanism in case the update process goes wrong.

If the installation fails for some reason, the system can use the “Windows.old” folder to undo the changes.  Even if the upgrade completes successfully, the backup copy of the previous version is kept so that you can perform a rollback in case the new installation causes problems.

## How to    Delete Windows.old folder on Windows 11 PC

### Find and delete Windows.old folder on Windows 11 PC

To locate the Windows.old folder, launch File Explorer from the Taskbar or Start menu.

Most users should find the Windows.old folder on their default C drive (eg C:Windows.old).  If your Windows installation uses another drive letter, check it.

If you want to see how much space the folder is currently using, right-click on the folder and select Properties from the context menu.

The Windows.old Properties window will give you an indication of the size of the current folder.  This varies depending on the size of the previous installation, but expect to see this folder use 15GB or more of storage space.

### Deleting the Windows.old folder manually

Assuming you want to delete the Windows.old folder, click OK to close the Properties window.  Right-click the folder in File Explorer and press Delete to continue.

Windows protects the Windows.old folder, so you may be asked for permission to remove the folder.  Press Continue and follow the additional onscreen instructions to do so.

If your user account does not have administrator privileges, you will need to sign in (when prompted) to authorize the deletion.

### Using Disk Cleanup

You can also use the Disk Cleanup tool to remove the Windows.old folder.  To use this, open the start menu and type disk cleanup.  Select the top result (best match) at the top.

When the Disk Cleanup window opens, press the Clean button up system files button in the background

It may take a few moments for the tool to scan your PC.

When finished, locate and select Previous Windows Installation(s) in the Files to Delete section.  Disk Cleanup will show you the total amount of space you will gain by removing this.

You can select other unnecessary files found by Disk Cleanup at this point to remove them as well.

When ready, click OK and press Delete files when the verification message appears.

If this is your first time deleting Windows.old, you will get a second notification message asking if you are sure.  Click Yes to verify that you want to delete it.

Allow time for Windows to remove the Windows.old folder and any other items you select.  The time required varies depending on the size of the folder.

## Final note

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