Windows.old folder is generated by the Windows operating system when you upgrade from one version of Windows to another. The Windows.old folder contains all the files and data from your previous Windows installation, including Windows system files, user accounts’ settings, User Profile, User Folder files, etc.
By chance, if your upgrade goes wrong then you can restore Windows to the previous version using this windows.old folder. Now everything went find, now you want to delete this folder then read this article till the end. If you are not getting regular updates that it might be because you are not using the genuine copy of Windows.
Is It Safe to Delete Windows.old Folder?
Yes, if you decide to stay with the new version of the Windows operating system and all your files are safe. Then you can delete it from your Windows 11 PC to free up disk space occupied by Windows.old folder.
Deleting Windows.old folder has no effect on your computer. Windows.old folder will contain all the files and data which were installed in your previous Operating system. As a result, deleting the Windows.old folder will remove all of the files and data from your previous windows installation.
After a Windows upgrade, the Windows.Old directory is automatically deleted after four weeks. You can also manually delete the it from your Windows system if you realize that you no longer need it.
How to Delete Windows.old Folder in Windows 11
Here in this section, we will discuss how you can manually delete the Windows.old folder. For that, follow the following steps:
Step 1: First, open File Explorer and browser the Windows.old folder. For that, open the Local Disk (C:).
Step 2: Here you will find the Windows.old folder inside C Drive along with other standard folders in Windows 11.
Step 3: Now if you want to delete it, then you can use the “Delete” option. For that, right-click the folder in File Explorer and press “Delete” to proceed.
Step 4: Windows will prompt you with a message that “you’ll need an administrator permission to delete the folder“. If you’re logged in as an administrator, simply click “Continue” to delete the Windows.old folder.
This will delete your Windows.old folder from your Windows system. Now, if you’re getting a “Folder Access Denied” error, then you have to use another method.
How to Delete Windows.old Folder using Disk Cleanup Tool
By using the above method if the Windows.old folder is not deleted, then use Disk Cleanup Tool and Storage Sense option to delete the temporary files from the Windows system.
Here are the steps to delete Windows.old folder using the Disk Cleanup Tool:
Step 1: On the taskbar click on the “Search” icon and search for “Disk Cleanup“. Now here select the Disk Cleanup tool and open it.
Step 2: After that, you will find an option to select the drive you want to clean up. Here from the drop-down menu select the “C Drive” and click on “OK“.
Step 3: It will scan the drive. After the scan has been completed, here you will get an option to select the type of temporary files you want to delete. To delete the Windows.old folder, click on the “Clean up system files” option, and it will scan the temporary files again.
Step 4: Now, it will calculate the windows previous installation and other windows temporary files. After the scan is completed, you will see a new window where you can select the file types. Here to delete the Windows.old folder select the “Previous Windows installation(s)” option and click on “OK”.
Step 5: After that simply click on “Delete Files” to delete Windows.old folder and other windows temporary files.
Step 6: If this is the first time deleting Windows.old, you’ll get a second notification message asking if you’re sure. Click “Yes” to verify you want to delete it.
Step 7: Now, allow time for Windows to remove the Windows.old folder and any other items you select. The amount of time it takes will vary based on the size of the folder.
Conclusion
You can also configure Storage Sense to automate this process and clean up old and temporary files in Windows 11. Check out our guide on how to use Storage Sense in Windows 11.
That’s it, this is how you can delete Windows.old folder on Windows 11. I hope this article was helpful to you. If you liked the article then you can share it with your friends.
