Removing Windows Old. How to delete the windows old folder (old Windows)

In this article we will talk about the strange folder Windows.old, located at the root of the system Windows disk 8 and occupying a significant place. We will try to figure out what this folder is, where it came from and how to delete it.

Folder Windows.old contains a copy of the folder %Windir%(usually C:\Windows) of the replacement system, designed to be able to roll back to the defective OS. This folder is created in case Windows installations 8 on a computer with an already installed OS (Windows 7), i.e. no formatting. This directory appears if you:

• install the new OS (Windows 8) on the same partition on which the previous one was installed Windows versions without formatting it
• upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 8
• performed a system reset (Win 8)

Basically, if after installing a new OS, you are happy with everything (the flight is normal for at least 1-2 weeks) and you want to free up the space it occupies (usually the size of this folder is at least 8-10 GB) and there are no problems, the Windows folder. old can be deleted. Moreover, most likely you won’t be able to remove it with a simple mouse click (RMB->Delete), and you’ll have to look for an alternative.

How to remove Windows. old? I found three ways.

Removing using Disk Cleanup utility

In my opinion, for a novice user this is the easiest way simply because it is done through a simple GUI. To do this, we need to actually launch the Disk Cleanup utility window.

To do this, in the right panel of the Metro interface, select Search, in the window that appears, type cleanmgr, and in the search results, find and run the program with administrator rights cleanmgr.exe(Disk Cleanup).

In the window that appears, click the button Cleanupsystemfiles

And then in the list of cleaning options, select PreviousWindowsinstallation(s) ( Previous installations Windows)

Click OK, after which the system will delete the folder itself Windows. old along with its contents.

Uninstall using the command line

Delete directory Windows. old You can also use the command line. To do this, run cmd.exe with administrator rights and in the window that appears, type:

Rd /s /q %systemdrive%\Windows.old

If you need to delete a directory Windows.old.000, then indicate it exactly.

Uninstall using an installation or recovery disc

If you delete a folder from under a running system Windows. old If it doesn’t work (it may be blocked by someone), you will have to use a more complex procedure.

Reboot and insert into the drive (CD/DVD/USB) a disk with Windows distribution 8 (Win 7) or disk with environment Windows recovery P.E. Let me remind you that after a window appears asking you to select the language of the installed OS and time format, you need to click Shift+F10 to open a window with a prompt command.

Most likely when loading into Windows environment The PE disk on which the system is installed will change its name (for example, from disk WITH: on D:), so we need to understand where which disk is and which one, in fact, we will clean. To do this, type the command:

Diskpart

And display a list of disks in the system with the command

List volume

We can estimate which disk we are interested in by its size; in my case, the system disk is 126 Gb and it is assigned the letter D:

We complete the diskpart command by typing

All we have to do is type the already familiar command to delete the Windows.old directory with all its contents. The only difference is that we will directly indicate the drive on which the directory is located (in my case D:, yours may be different)

Rd /s /q D:\Windows.old

We reboot and load the normal OS, check that the Windows.old directory has been deleted.

The question of how to remove Windows Old in Windows 10 often arises among users, and read the answer further in our article.

Despite the fact that in the operating room Windows system, regardless of its version and the hardware capabilities of the device, problems often occur, there is always an option to fix them - simply, which will return the computer to its original state. This is a safe operation - it saves everything user files, but removes any installed programs and drivers (or vice versa installs). An absolutely indispensable feature for any PC user, but what to do if problems arose during installation or updating of the operating system. Even in this case, a “Plan B” is provided. It lies in the fact that when installing new system or after Windows updates 10, all old files are saved in special folder Windows Old, and can be used for full . But it’s worth figuring out what kind of Windows Old folder this is, and whether it can be deleted on Windows 10.

Why do you need to delete the Windows Old folder?

This is again an excellent precaution, if not for one “but”. In some cases, the size of this folder can reach 20 GB. And if in the case of full-fledged hard drives it may not a big problem, then, for example, when working with netbooks it can create certain difficulties. It is normal if the Windows Old folder appeared after installing Windows 10. Fortunately, it is recommended, but not required, which means that it can be easily deleted. But if you want to keep it, you can keep it just by knowing.

How to delete the Windows Old folder in Windows 10 using standard means?

Of course, this is done using various programs, like CCleaner, but why resort to third-party software if the system itself copes with this task perfectly. For removing Windows folders Old need to open properties system disk C. In the “General” tab that opens, next to the disk volume histogram, click on “Disk Cleanup”. A short scan will take place and the required tool will open.

By the way, you can get to it using the “Run” dialog box or Win combinations+R and "cleanmgr" phrases. Choose required disk and click "OK".

The tool that opens, as you can see, can also be used for periodic cleaning of the system. IN in this case you need to click on “Clear system files». Then in the list find the item “Previous Windows installations» old. With a high degree of probability, this element will occupy several GB, which can be deleted here. Again, even here in system files, you can freely select any elements without fear that deleting them will lead to some kind of system errors. However, they can significantly free up disk space.

Also, you can either remove this directory using Explorer or using another file manager, however, there is a high probability that there will be problems with access rights certain files, and some of them will not be deleted. It is better not to use this method.

Using the Command Line

To delete the Windows Old folder, you can use the command line. To open it, use the system search or in the Run dialog box (Win + R), enter “cmd” and click OK.

In the console that opens, you need to enter “rd /s /q c:\windows.old” without quotes. It will take a little time, but all files will be 100% deleted.

As a result, it is worth noting that it is better not to delete the Vidnovs Old folder immediately after reinstalling the new system. There is a high probability that problems will arise, and it is better to leave escape routes. And if with internal storage there are no problems in principle, then it is better to leave it in order to be sure that you will not be left without a computer with a normally working operating system at the most crucial moment. It can be used to recover data from the Windows Old folder in Windows 10.

The Windows.old folder is automatically created in root directory disk with the operating system installed after updating it to the latest version. It stores copies of files from the previous OS, which are used when “rolling back” the system.

Important! If you have previously updated your OS to new version, or did a reinstallation in update mode, there will be several such folders. They are called Windows.old.000.

If the computer has a small volume internal storage, deleting a folder will save space because it takes up 20 GB of memory.

Deleting folders

You need to delete old files only when the computer is working stably, you have updated the OS to the latest version and do not intend to return to the “seven” or “eight” in the future.

Using the Disk Cleanup utility

IN latest versions operating system now has the ability to remove this file through settings. Let's consider the option for a new one Windows builds 10, and for earlier ones.

Build 1803 April Update and newer

Starting with build 1803, which was released in the spring of 2018, you can delete files from the previous OS from the system settings:

1. Go to “Settings” through the “Start” menu (or with the Win+I key combination).
2. Item “System” → “Device memory”.
   
3. “Memory control” → “Free up space now.”
   
   

   Note! The scanning process may take more than a few minutes.

4. Check the box next to “Previous Windows installations”.
5. At the top of the window, click “Delete Files.”

After the process is completed, the Windows.old folder will disappear on the system disk and will not take up space on the drive.

Previous builds of Windows 10

Note! This instruction relevant for OS builds lower than 1803.

1. Go to " My computer» (under the Administrator entry) and on the disk with the installed operating system by clicking right click mouse, select the section " Properties».
   
   
2. “System Disk Properties” → “Disk Cleanup”
   
   

   Healthy! The utility can be opened with the “cleanmgr” command:
   Win+R → Run → cleanmgr → select the volume with the operating system

   
3. Click " Clean system files».
   
4. After re-analysis, select “” in the window and click “OK”.
   

   Important! For additional cleaning free space also select the following:

   • temporary OS installation files;
   • OS update log files.
   
5. Confirm deleting files.
   

You can watch the video for more details on the process of deleting this folder:

Via Command Line

1. → Search → Command Line(under the Administrator account).
2. Type: rd /s /q c:\windows.old

Through the Command Line when restarting the computer

Conclusion

Delete folders from previous version operating system in one of three ways. The editors recommend using removal using the Disk Cleanup utility. This method is safer and more reliable.

Hello, dear friends, in today’s article we will talk about getting rid of old and unnecessary files that remain after Windows reinstallation. More specifically, we will talk about how to delete the Windows.old folder in Windows 7 (for example) from your computer or laptop.

For those who don’t know, I’ll briefly describe what kind of animal this is. The fact is that if, when installing Windows 7, no matter what other version, you did not format the disk where you installed the system, then absolutely all old files are saved in a special folder called Windows.old. Naturally, it is necessary to get rid of it, because free place on the hard drive should be valued, and not littered with all sorts of rubbish. Of course, many will say: “Business!” Now I’ll go, find it, right-click, select “Delete”, confirm my actions and everything is fine!” Nothing like this!

This, of course, can work, by the way, if you succeed, then you don’t even have to read further, but this rarely happens. Typically, there is an issue with access rights to perform this action. That’s why I decided to tell you how the Windows.old folder is deleted.

Now we will look at several ways to delete the Windows.old folder.

Removing via Disk Cleanup

Go to “Start” - “All Programs” - “Accessories” - “System Tools” - “Disk Cleanup”. You can also get here a little faster, namely: press the hot keys “Win” + “R” and enter Cleanmgr, then press Enter.

A dialog message will appear in front of you in which you must select local disk, on which you need to perform disk cleanup. For our procedure, you need to specify the drive on which the Windows.old folder is currently located. Then you need to wait a little while the data is analyzed.

In the next window, in the “Disk Cleanup” tab, click “Clean up system files.” If you are asked again which drive Windows is located on, then click OK again. Check the box “Previous Windows installations” and select Extra options, if you need to clean something from your computer. Click “OK” and select “Delete files.”

Live CD and assign deletion rights

So standard using Windows we just deleted the Windows.old folder. In principle, this article can be completed here, but there is another option for how to remove Windows.old - Live CD. If you are solving some issues through a Live CD, you can perform the removal procedure directly from under it. You don’t need to go into any settings; you delete it like regular files.

There is also another way to delete it - assign rights to the Windows.old folder and all the data that is in it. To do this, right-click on the folder and select “Properties”. Next, go to the “Security” tab, click on the “Advanced” button and go to the “Owner” tab, click “Change”. Next, select the desired account, below check the box “Replace owner of containers and objects”, then click “Apply”. To specify permissions, click on the “Permissions” tab, click on the “Change” button. Next, indicate the owner, who was made as the owner of this folder, I talked about this a little higher. Click "Edit" and set permissions for it. After this, click “OK”.

• add permissions inherited from parent objects;
• Replace all inheritable permissions for all descendants with new inheritable permissions from this object.

A couple of clicks left 😉. Click OK, a dialog message will appear, click “Yes”. I didn't do it the latter ways screenshots as I hope the first method will help you in this situation.

And that’s all for today, I hope that you have successfully removed Windows.old and now you can download something really useful to your computer. See you soon!

Have you upgraded your computer to Windows 10? If yes, then you must have noticed the Windows.old folder on your computer, and it occupies great amount space on your C drive. You may have even tried to delete it, but to no avail, as a window appears: “The folder cannot be accessed. To delete a folder, you must have administrator rights." Consequently, users have questions.

So, how to remove Windows.old and free up some disk space? Not difficult - but not like you would delete a regular folder.

I'll show you three methods that work, and they're all pretty simple, so choose the method that works best for you.

Windows.old - what is it and can it be deleted?

This folder contains the files necessary for Thus, if you delete the folder, you will not be able to then return to your previous OS, without the process clean install. So if you don't intend to restore old system and we are absolutely sure of this, then the Windows.old folder can be deleted and even necessary.

Well, if you are sticking with Windows 10, then read on. If you are thinking about returning to Windows 8.1 or 7, then let the folder sit until you make a final decision. However, remember that the decision you have exactly 30 days from the date of the system update. When the line expires, Windows will automatically remove Windows.old.

How to remove Windows.old: option 1 (wait)

You could just wait and do nothing - 30 days from upgrading to Windows 10. A built-in utility called Disk Cleanup will check your HDD and will automatically delete the folder. This is by far the simplest option.

Option 2 (disk cleanup)

If waiting is not an option for you, you can manually run the program Disk Cleanup to clear the disk of the Windows.old folder.

To do this, follow these steps:

Disk Cleanup will now remove Windows.old from your drive. This may take a few minutes, so be patient. Once completed, restarting the computer is not required.

Option 3 (command line)

If for some reason Disk Cleanup did not help, you can try deleting the Windows.old folder using Command Prompt.

Here's how to do it:

That's all. You should free up some disk space by deleting the Windows.old folder (I freed up 22GB). But remember, after this, you will not be able to roll back to Windows 8.1 or 7.