Table of contents: 1. Windows.old - what is this folder, does it need to be on a computer? 2. How to remove windows.old in windows 10? - Removing windows.old folder through the built-in cleanup program - Removing windows.old folder via command line
Windows.old – what is this folder, does it need to be on a computer?
As we noted above, the Windows.old folder is created when the operating system is updated so that the user will be able to return to the previous version of Windows if it is needed for one or another reason. Finding this folder on a computer is very easy – it is located on the system hard drive. This folder contains information about the previous Windows version that was installed on this computer. It should be removed only if you are sure that the new version of the operating system is working without any complaints, that is, it is fully compatible with hardware, drivers and applications that you need.
The main reason to delete the Windows.old folder from your computer is the need to free up some space on your hard disk. If we are talking about a standard HDD of a large capacity, the release of 10-12 GB (the Windows.old folder is usually taking up that much) is not making a significant difference. However, when the system is installed on expensive SSD memory, you should take care of every gigabyte, and removing Windows.old looks justified.
How to remove windows.old in windows 10?
It is quite easy to remove Windows.old from the computer according to the instructions, and any user will be able to cope with this task. Before you begin to remove the old version of Windows, make sure that you have administrator’s rights on the computer, because without those, the system will not allow you to delete the Windows.old folder.
Removing windows.old folder through the built-in cleanup program
Windows operating system provides the ability to clean one’s computer from the Windows.old folder through built-in tools. This is what you need to do in order to delete a folder with the previous version of Windows:
- Press the Windows + R combination on the keyboard, and in the opened Run line enter the cleanmgr If you have several hard drives on your computer, the command will display a dialog box where you should select the drive that contains the folder with the old system.
- Then, in the “Disk Cleanup” menu that opens, select “Clean up system files”.
- If you have a Windows.old folder on your computer, among the system files suggested for deletion there will be “Previous Windows Installations”. Check it and click “OK” to start deleting the folder and all files in it.
The procedure may take some time – it depends on the size of the Windows.oId folder.
Removing windows.old folder via command line
Command line in Windows duplicates many system functions. In particular it helps you to delete the Windows.old folder, and this is what you need to do:
- Run the command line as administrator. This can be done in various ways. For example, click on the search icon in the lower left corner, then write down CMD and right-click on the command line. Select run as administrator.
- Write the following line in the opened “Command line”:
RD / S / Q "% SystemDrive% \ Windows.old"
Pay attention to all spaces and punctuation. After the command is written, press Enter to perform the action. After a few minutes the specified folder and all its contents will be completely removed from your computer.
You can also delete the Windows.old folder in Windows 10 with the help of third-party programs, but it is quite impractical. System means are more than enough to get rid of the old Windows version.