Solutions to Try | Step-by-Step Troubleshooting |
---|---|
1. Run Disk Cleanup | Step 1. Press Windows + E, and click on "This PC"...\strong>Full Steps |
2. Temp File Settings | Step 1. Type Settings in the search box, then click on it...\strong>Full Steps |
3. Storage Sense Settings | Step 1. Right-click the Windows icon, and select "Settings"...\strong>Full Steps |
Before we proceed with removing the Windows.Old folder from your computer, we'd like to give you some background information about it.
When you upgrade from one version of Windows to another, the operating system creates the Windows.old folder. The Windows.old folder isn't a new feature of Windows 10 – it's been around since Windows Vista.
The Windows.old folder contains all the files and data from your previous version of Windows, including system files, user account settings, user profiles, and user folders.
If you don't like the upgrade, you can use it to roll back to your previous version of Windows. You can also delve into the Windows.Old folder to find a specific file that didn't copy over properly to the new Windows installation.
So, you may wonder where the Windows.old folder is located on your PC and how to delete it, right? Generally, after upgrading the Windows system, the Windows.old folder will be saved in the Windows folder on the C drive, as shown below:
It's about as big as your C: drive was before you upgraded, which is why so many people find their C: drive filling up after a Windows update.
Can I safely delete the Windows.old folder? Yes. If you've decided to keep the new Windows installation, and all your files are safe on the new operating system, you can remove it from your PC to free up disk space.
According to Microsoft's Windows forums and various tech forums, users are complaining that they cannot delete the Windows.Old folder because Windows reports that it can't find the file or that the target is not a valid file or directory.
Why is that? Here are two main reasons why you can't simply delete the Windows.Old folder from the C drive:
1. The Windows.old folder was removed by the Windows operating system.
To save disk space, Windows is designed to automatically delete the Windows.old folder after an upgrade.
2. Deleting Windows.old requires administrator privileges.
While you can access the Windows.Old folder to check and view the saved files, you need administrative permissions to make any changes to this folder. Therefore, if you don't have the permission, you cannot directly delete Windows.Old from the C: drive.
Applicability: This article provides three effective methods to resolve the issue of inability to delete the Windows.old folder without losing data.
#1. Create a backup of the Windows.Old folder
Before you delete the Windows.old folder, create a backup of Windows.old in case you need to perform a system restore or retrieve individual files from the folder.
You can copy the Windows.old folder to an external hard drive, or use a free backup software tool and these three simple steps to back up the Windows.old folder:
#2. Obtain root access
Another important thing to make sure you can successfully delete the Windows.old folder is to check that you're signed in to Windows with an administrator account.
If you have multiple user accounts on your computer, log in with an Administrator account instead.
Step 1. Click the Windows logo, then click your username at the top.
Step 2: Select “Admin” from the list, then click to switch to that account.
Third, enter the password for the administrator account to log in.
You can't directly remove the Windows.old folder by pressing the DELETE key. However, you can try using the Disk Cleanup tool in Windows to delete it from your computer:
Delete Windows.old via Disk Cleanup
Another method you can try is to use the Windows temporary files settings to delete the Windows.old folder from your computer. Here's how:
1. Type Settings in the search bar, then click on it to open Settings.
Step 2. Go to Settings > System > Storage > This PC, and then scroll down the list and select Temporary files.
Step 3: Under the “Temporary files” section, check the box next to “Previous Windows installation(s),” and then click “Delete Files.”
Then, the Windows.old folder will be deleted hassle-free in Windows 10.
The Storage Sense setting in Windows 10 can also help you remove the Windows.old folder from your PC. Here's how to do it right away:
Step 1: Right-click the Windows icon and select “Settings.”
Step 2: Go to the System page, click on Storage, and then under Storage Sense, click on Change how we free up space automatically.
Step 3: Check “Remove previous versions of Windows,” and click “Clean now.”
Delete Windows.old with Storage Sense:
After you complete these steps, the Windows.old folder will no longer be available.
Here's a quick fix for the 'Can't delete Windows.old' error in Windows 10. Scroll down for the full solution with detailed instructions.
This is an HTML code for embedding a YouTube video. When displayed on a webpage, it will show an iframe with a height of 450 pixels and a width of 700 pixels containing the video ID "2GwOaevzDT0". The video supports accelerometer, autoplay, encrypted media, gyroscope, and picture-in-picture features, and is set to play in full screen.
Video source: YouTube; created by Sele Training.
Aside from the three methods above to remove the Windows.Old folder, you can also try other ways to free up space on your System C drive. If you want to do so, try these two quick tips to instantly free up space and expand your C drive:
With the help of free partition manager software, you can effectively extend system C drive with its Resize/Move feature.
Here are the steps:
Step 1: Free up unallocated space on Drive C.
If there is no unallocated space on the system disk, you need to enter the Disk Management, right-click on the partition next to C drive, and select "Resize/Move Volume".
Drag the left boundary of the partition to shrink it and leave unallocated space behind the system C drive. Then click "OK".
Step 2: Increase the size of the C drive.
1. Right-click on the C drive and select "Resize/Move".
2. Drag the end of the system partition to the unallocated space to add space to the C drive, and then click “OK”.
Step 3: Click Apply to save all changes and extend the C: drive.
Click “Run the Task” and then “Apply” to save all changes and extend your system C drive.
Step 1: Download and install the Partition Master Suite tool.
Step 2: Click on "PC Cleanup" to install the CleanGenius tool. Then, click "Clean" and select "Scan" to begin the system cleanup and restore your PC to its original condition.
Step 3: The software will scan your computer for idle data files that are taking up a lot of disk space. Select the unnecessary big files, system junk files, and invalid Windows entries you want to get rid of, then click “Clean” to start the cleaning process.
4. After the scan is finished, click “Finish” to get rid of the system junk files.
If this article has helped you resolve the issue with deleting the Windows.old folder in Windows 11/10, please feel free to share it to assist more people in need!
On this page, we explain what the Windows.old folder is, what you can do with the Windows.old folder, its default location, and provide three practical methods to help you fix the "Can't Delete Windows.old Folder" issue on Windows 10.
These methods also apply to deleting this folder on other older versions of Windows, such as Windows 8.1/8/7, and so on. Here, we've also gathered some frequently asked questions with brief answers to help you solve your problems. If you have the same queries, check them out and find your answers:
1. How can I manually delete the Windows.old folder?
According to the method outlined on this page, you need to log in to your computer as an administrator first.
Then, you can manually delete the Windows.old folder from your computer using the Windows Temporary Files settings, the Windows Disk Cleanup utility, or the Windows Storage Sense settings. For detailed guides, follow the steps in Methods 1, 2, and 3.
2. How do I revert from Windows.old?
To restore from the Windows.old folder, go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery. Then click Get started under Go back to Windows 7 or Go back to Windows 8.1, depending on your previous OS.
Please note that this option will only be available for 10 days or 1 month after you upgrade.
3. How do I recover files from Windows.old?
There are three ways to get back the Windows.old folder. You can manually or automatically restore the Windows.old folder. Or, use a three-step file recovery software to retrieve files from the Windows.old folder.
For a detailed guide, follow How to recover files from the Windows.Old folder.
4. Will deleting Windows.old cause problems?
In most cases, removing the Windows.old folder or files from your computer won't cause any damage.
But if a Windows update didn't keep all your files, or you lost files after updating Windows, you might be able to get them back by rolling back to a previous version of Windows.