System volume information system folders. System Volume Information: what kind of folder is it, how to delete it and is it necessary

Folder System Volume Information is a hidden system folder that is used by the System Restore utility to store its data and restore points. Such a folder is created in each logical hard section computer disk.

But according to the settings, on the system disk WITH System folder Volume Information may be tens of gigabytes in size, while other disks have zero gigabytes. As a rule, this is one of the reasons why the C drive quickly runs out of free place and the operating system cannot continue to function normally. For example, after each update of one of the programs, the OS can create a restore point for the entire system, which takes up 1-2 GB on the disk. Thus, several program updates, automatic creation of several points, and drive C is deprived of ten gigabytes of free space.

How to delete the System Volume Information folder?

Since this is a system folder required for normal operation operating system, it cannot be removed. The only inconvenience that the folder causes is its possible big size. However, this problem is solved not by deleting the folder, but by setting its maximum size, which we will discuss later.

How to open the System Volume Information folder?

By default, only the operating system has access to the folder, so to open System Volume Information, you need to give your account corresponding rights. The screenshots below are from the operating room Windows systems 8, for Windows 10, 7 and XP all steps are the same.

Right-click on the System Volume Information folder and select Properties. Go to the tab Safety and press the button Additionally.

In the window that opens, if necessary, click the button Continue.

As you can see in the next step, only the system has access to the folder. To add your profile, click the button Add.

Choose Add subject and in the dialog that opens, enter your username, then click OK or Check names. If you entered your username correctly, move on: set all permissions for actions with the folder. Buttons OK And Apply close the settings window.

After this, you will be able to open the System Volume Information folder in Windows in XP, 7, 8, 10.

How to adjust the size of the System Volume Information folder?

Open the folder My computer and click right click mouse over the free space, select from the context menu Properties. In the window that opens, follow the link System protection.

In the next window, find the system drive and, having selected it, click Tune.

Here you can enable/disable system protection (automatic creation of system restore points), as well as set maximum size For System folders Volume Information. Button Delete allows you to empty a folder without having to go into it.

If you make all folders and files open to view (I remind you that system folders and files in Windows are hidden by default), you can find a lot of interesting things. Today we will talk about one of these folders, namely System Volume Information.

The System Volume Information folder is hidden, so regular user hardly even knows about its existence. It was created by the system for a reason. The fact is that in the folder there are program files that have undergone changes, as well as information about compression of file arrays, backups of some Windows components and so on. Essentially, the System Volume Information folder is responsible for restoring the system under various circumstances. For example, some option has stopped working and the user can go to an earlier point in time when the function was still working. Or, say, when a virus has entered the system and get rid of it in the usual ways does not work.

Typically, the size of the System Volume Information folder is small, so it does not bother the user in any way. But in some cases, its size can increase, so users who are experiencing problems with hard drive space often ask whether the specified folder can be deleted. Theoretically, this can be done, but in this case, as you understand, it will be impossible to restore the system to an earlier time stamp. Therefore, I strongly do not recommend deleting the folder. If you really want to clear space, just disable system protection.

Here's how you can do it (for Windows 7 and higher). Right-click on the “Computer” icon and select “Properties” from the menu. Then in the window click “System Protection”:

In the system properties window, select the disk and click “Configure”:

Select “Disable system protection” and click OK.

Protection is disabled. I repeat, this is not worth doing.

To get acquainted with the contents of a folder, if it is, of course, interesting to you (although you won’t see anything interesting there anyway), you must first make the folders and files visible. To do this, open Computer, click Organize, then Folder and Search Options.

In the folder options window, select the “View” tab and uncheck the “Do not show” hidden files, folders and drives" and "Hide protected system files" Click OK.

We go to the disk with the installed operating system (usually drive C) and observe our System Volume Information folder. If you have file system NTFS, then you will see an access error when opening the folder:

Go to the folder properties, select the “Security” tab and click “Continue”.

The Security window will open. Click the "Add" button.

Add a name current user, then click the Check Names button. If everything is correct, the system itself will add full name(along with the computer name). Click OK.

Now the system will allow you to enter the System Volume Information folder. Then I strongly recommend that you delete your username in the same way as we just added it, so that there is no access to this folder on your behalf. This is necessary for the security of your PC. And be extremely careful when working with the folder.

Attentive users of the Windows operating system at some point while using the computer may notice one strange folder called System Volume Information. In particular, this can happen if you enable the display of hidden directories. Some may think that the presence of a corresponding directory is the result of the work of a malicious software, However, it is not. Below we will talk about what this System Volume Information folder is, how to open it and whether it is worth deleting.

What is it and what is the System Volume Information folder responsible for?

IN operating systems Oh Windows family There is a function that allows you to restore the OS by rolling it back to a more recent version. early state. It's called System Restore. Many users are familiar with this standard feature.

OS recovery, in turn, is done from files prepared in advance. They, in turn, need to be stored somewhere and, as one might already guess from the context, Windows adds backups important components system to a directory called System Volume Information.

How to open the System Volume Information folder

If you look at it, there is no need to go to the System Volume Information folder at all. However, if you are curious about what is there, and denying access to it only fuels it, then follow these simple steps:

Make sure your account has administrator rights;
Go to file manager, select the folder you are interested in and right-click on it;
In the drop-down menu, click on the “Properties” item;
In the window that opens, select the “Security” tab, select desired name user, and then click on the “Change” button;
Check all the checkboxes in the “Allow” column;
Apply changes.

After this, the selected user will have all rights to any manipulations with the folder, including viewing, editing and deleting it. After we have figured out what System Volume Information is, we will decide whether it needs to be deleted.

How to delete the System Volume Information folder and is it worth it?

Once all rights have been given to the corresponding folder, deleting it will not be difficult. To do this, you just need to right-click on it, select “Delete” and confirm the action (or press Enter).

However, there is no point in doing this. If you do not want to prevent files that take up a lot of space from being written to it, then disable the “System Restore” function. For this:

Press Win and Pause at the same time;
In the window that opens, select “System protection”;
In the window that appears, select the drive (usually “C”) and click on “Configure”;
Select "Turn off system protection" and apply the settings.

How to delete the System Volume Information folder from a flash drive [video]

Yes, with system disk deleting the System Volume Information folder is almost pointless. However, it can and, if possible, should be deleted from the flash drive. To do this, either format the media completely, or give the user rights to change the contents of the System Volume Information directory, and then erase the folder as regular file. See above for how to assign the necessary privileges.

If the next time you connect the flash drive, the folder appears on it again, then disable the “File History” function (there are plenty of instructions on how to do this on the Internet). I hope you understand what this System Volume Information folder is and decided what to do with it.

In contact with

System volume information - Windows folder, which stores OS restore points, information about changed service files, settings and system options. Antiviruses and optimization utilities can also “leave” their data in it. Many viruses, after penetrating a PC, first of all attack it: they infect the files on it, masking their “modules”.

In the standard way, without adding additional settings on Windows, clear/delete this directory It won't work even if you try to open it with administrator rights. By default, it is protected from third-party interference. To clear the system data folder, you need to perform a certain series of operations: open access, enter the current account, etc.

Otherwise, when you try to delete system volume information, the operating system displays an “Access Denied” message (and therefore the directory is not deleted).

Show hidden folders

As a rule, “System volume information”, like many other system files and folders, is hidden from the user’s eyes. In order for it to become visible and, accordingly, so that it can be cleaned, you must do the following:

1. Click “My Computer” or press “Win” + “E” (Latin).
2. Press the “Alt” key.
3. A menu will appear at the top of the window, above the “Arrange, System Properties...” options. Open the "Tools" section, and then - "Folder Options".
4. In the Folder Options settings panel, go to View.
5. Scroll vertical scroll list of options in the “Additional parameters” block.
6. Remove the check mark in the “Hide protected system files...” setting.
7. Turn on “Show hidden files...”.

8. Click the "Apply" and "OK" buttons.

Now the folder will be visible in the directory.

Gaining access

Before you delete “System volume information” or its individual elements, you need to gain access to it. That is, indicate to the system that you (under your username) have the authority to view/delete/clean this folder.

1. Place the cursor over the “System volume information” folder. Click with the right mouse button.
2. From the menu, click Properties.

3. In the “Properties…” window, on the “Security” tab, click “Change”.

4. Click the “Add” option.

5. In the “Select…” panel, enter the user name (under which you logged into the OS).

Advice! If you don't remember the username, open the Start menu: it is displayed in the right column, at the very top, under the “user” icon.

6. Click “Check Names” (Windows will check the received data).
7. Confirm the added add-ons with the “OK” button.
8. Return to the Security tab. In the “Groups and Users” block, highlight your name (your account).

9. In the “Permission” block, check the boxes in the “Allow” column opposite all the options.
10. Click sequentially - “Apply”, “OK”.

Clearing/removing “System volume information”

Once access has been obtained for a specific user, you can seamlessly delete individual System volume information items.

1. Press the “Win” + “PauseBreak” keys (group of buttons according to right side from the F12 key). Or in the “Start” panel, click “Control Panel” and go to the “System and Security” section, and then to the “System” subsection.
2. In the left column of options, select System Protection. On the same tab, click “Customize”.
3. Activate the “Delete” option (restore points will be cleared, including the file/files of previous versions).

Disabling System Restore

After cleaning, this folder will still increase in size unless you disable the mechanism for saving recovery points in the OS options.
If you do not use the recovery function and prefer to see this directory empty (without additional “cleanups”), perform the following operations:

1. Press "Win" + "Break".
2. Select “System Protection” from the menu.
3. In the “Properties...” panel, click “Customize...”.
4. Click on the “Disable system protection” radio button.
5. Click “Apply”, then “OK”.

Cleaning on a flash drive

1. Open Notepad and create a new file.
2. Enter following commands(each on a new line):

del "X:\System Volume Information"
rd "X:\System Volume Information"
pause

Instead of “X”, type the section of the connected USB flash drive (I, F or another letter).
3. Save the file (with the extension .bat) -<имя файла>.bat (specify any name in Latin letters).
4. Launch the created bat file double click mice.
5. In the console command line confirm activation of deletion: enter “Y” (Yes).

After this, the “System Volume Information” on the flash drive will be cleared.

Periodically check the size and contents of the recovery data directory and delete from it as necessary unnecessary files and folders. Maintain OS hygiene. She's collateral maximum performance PC.

When the free space on the computer's disk runs out, users begin searching for extra files and folders that could be deleted.

Among the annoying folders in Wibdows operating systems there is also the System Volume Information system folder.

In this article we will tell you what this System Volume Information folder is, how to enable its display, what files are stored in it and whether it can be deleted.

System Volume Information - what is this folder

The System Volume Information folder is a system folder of Windows operating systems in which service files of system restore points are stored.

By default, the folder is hidden, but if you have the display of hidden files and folders enabled, then it will be displayed in the root of each drive, including on flash drives or memory cards. Read about how to make a folder visible in the next paragraph.

The System Volume Information folder stores:

points Windows recovery(if you enable the creation of recovery points for this disk)
Windows File Indexing Service information
data shadow copying logical drive

Thus, we can summarize that the folder contains service Windows files to restore files on a given logical drive and to restore the system from the last saved point.

How to enable display of the System Volume Information folder

As mentioned above, the folder is hidden. To enable display hidden folders Go to the C drive folder and press F10.

A menu of commands will appear at the top. Click on the “Folder Options” menu.

In the menu that opens, go to the “View” tab and at the very bottom turn on the “Show hidden files and folders” checkbox. Click OK.

Now the System Volume Information folder will be visible in the root of the disk.

Cleaning the System Volume Information folder

When setting automatic creation Windows restore points you configure maximum volume, which the backup copies will occupy.

The more volume you allocate for storing such data, the more disk space will be occupied.

If the System Volume Information folder takes up quite a lot of space, for example, more than 1 gigabyte, then you can clean it up using standard means Windows.

To clean up the System Volume Information folder:

1. Right-click on the “My Computer” icon on the desktop - “Properties” - “System Protection”.

You can also enter this menu by pressing the Win+R key combination on your keyboard, type systempropertiesprotection and click OK.

2. In the “System Protection” window that opens, select the required logical drive, in which the System Volume Information folder is located (for example, drive C) and click “Configure”.

3. Select “Disable system protection” and click “Delete” at the very bottom to delete all restore points on the selected disk. After completing the operations, click OK.

4. Turn off file history recording. To do this, go to the “Control Panel” and in the right top corner Choose to view menu items in Small Icons mode. Click on the “File History” menu.

5. In the window that opens, click the “Disconnect” button. If file history storage is already disabled, then nothing needs to be changed.

After performing these operations, you will disable the creation of Windows system restore points and file history in the System Volume Information folder.

Removing the System Volume Information folder

Deleting the System Volume Information folder is not recommended, since it contains service files necessary for system recovery. Also, this is usually pointless, since after deletion the folder will be created again.

However, removal is possible. Since by default the user rights are set to “read”, we will first have to give ourselves full access, and then delete the folder.

If you try to delete a folder with default permissions, you will encounter an access error like the one in the screenshot below.

To delete the System Volume Information folder, right-click on the folder and go to “properties” - “security” - “advanced”.

In the window that opens, go to the “Owner” tab and click the “Change” button.

In the window that opens, left-click on the user to whom you want to give access rights (in my case, this is the “Administrator” user) and click OK.

Thus, the user you selected became the “owner of the folder” and he had rights to edit access to the folder.

In order to give full access, you must again go to “properties” - “security” - “advanced” - “edit”.

If the list of users already contains the required account, then click the “Change” button.

In the window that opens, give the user full access to the folder and click OK.

If your user (folder owner) is not in the list of user rights, then click the “Add” button.

In the window that opens, you need to select the desired user. To simplify the process, click the "Advanced" and "Search" buttons.

The system will show you a list of all computer users. Select required user and click OK.

In the next window, give full access to the selected user and click OK as done above.

Now that you have made your account the owner and given yourself full access, you can easily delete the System Volume Information folder by simply pressing the Del key or right-clicking “delete”.