On the disk there is a folder windows old. Windows Old: what is this folder and can it be deleted

Not all users can see the Windows.old folder. It appears only for those who recently reinstalled the operating system, but did not format the system disk during the installation process, as a result, one operating system was superimposed on another. The same folder may appear when the user expressed a desire to update his Windows 7 to Windows versions 10.

Perhaps there would be no problems with this folder if it did not take up too much space. Even if you have a large enough hard drive, you are unlikely to agree to just give up several tens of gigabytes of free space.

And for those users whose HDD can't "show off" large sizes, the desire to get rid of everything unnecessary will be incredibly high, since it will be difficult to work on a computer with an almost full system disk.

It is for this reason that many people ask whether it is possible to delete the Windows.old folder, and also how to do this directly, especially if there are no practical skills.

Before deleting the Windows.old folder in Windows 10, it is important to understand what role it plays in the operating system and what benefits it could bring to the user.

Due to the fact that Windows.old appears on the system drive only after reinstalling the operating system or upgrading to Windows 10, it is easy to guess that this folder contains “greetings from the past,” or, more precisely, files and settings corresponding to the previous operating system .

If for some reason you are no longer satisfied with the version of Windows 10, you can roll back your system, returning everything previous settings, as well as successfully restoring all previously saved documents, music, videos, photos.

Because it is in this folder that documents that were previously saved on the desktop or in “My Documents” can be saved. This is what explains why the Windows.old folder is accompanied by such a large size.

So, if you are finally convinced that with Windows versions 10 you are not going to leave, you did not save any important documentation on the system drive, you can safely delete the annoying folder.

Disk Cleanup

Most users are already familiar with the Disk Cleanup tool, as it allows you to get rid of unnecessary garbage. This is the tool that will solve your problem.

To launch this interesting tool in Windows 10, you just need to simultaneously hold down two keys: “Win” and “R”. You can also use the “cleanmgr” command.

Now the “Disk Cleanup” window will open, at the bottom of it there will be a “Clean up” button. system files", click on it. A second window will open in which it is important for you to find the line “ Previous installations Windows", in the checkbox next to this parameter, be sure to check the box.

All that remains is to traditionally press the “Ok” button, the system will again ask you to confirm again that you really want to perform such actions. If you haven't changed your mind, click on "Delete files".

The system will warn you that the folder being deleted contains important files, allowing you to roll back the system back to previous version. Again, if you haven’t changed your mind, click the “Yes” button, after which the system will meekly begin the removal process. In a few minutes the system disk will please you big amount free space.

Command line

If you have already repeatedly resolved issues with uninstallation software products, then you know for sure that there are several alternative options conducting uninstallation processes. Similarly, you can delete the Windows.old folder in several ways.

Another uninstall option is the command line. To launch it, click right key mouse on the Start icon. After this it will open extra menu, in which you need to find the “Command Line” parameter, click on it.

Write the command in it: “RD /S /Q C:\windows.old”. If the folder is not located on drive C, then in the command, instead of this letter, write the one that indicates the drive where the unnecessary folder is saved.

All you have to do is press “Enter”, the process will automatically start, and in a few minutes you will be happy with the result achieved.

Uninstall using CCleaner

Now download boot file, install CCleaner on your PC and then run it. In the window that opens, on the “Windows” tab, find the line “ Old installation Windows", check the box next to it, then press the "Cleanup" button.

The program will ask if it is possible to delete “Event Logs”, agree with this too and continue the cleaning process.

In a few minutes CCleaner program will introduce you detailed report indicating what she was able to remove. In addition, she will indicate how much space she managed to free up. Believe me, this figure will impress everyone.

So, the process of deleting unnecessary documents, including folders with saved files previous systems, will be easy if you follow the recommendations of experienced users.

Windows folder.old 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 a combination Win keys+I).
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. "Properties system disk» → “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 items:

   • 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. Start Menu → Search → Command Prompt(under the Administrator account).
2. Type: rd /s /q c:\windows.old

Through the Command Line when restarting the computer

Conclusion

You can delete folders with a previous version of the operating system in one of three ways. The editors recommend using removal using the Disk Cleanup utility. This method is safer and more reliable.

Removal method	Reliability	Speed	Complexity	Editor's rating
	Average	High	Low	1
	High	Average	Average	2
Command line on reboot	High	low	High	3

The methods described below work with everyone, and we will study minor differences in the process in detail and take them into account.

Important: make sure that there is nothing valuable left inside this folder, because... it stores all the documents you used on previous version. Check folders such as "Downloads", "Documents", etc.

Uninstall via Windows

Method 1. System tools.

To do this, we will use the Disk Cleanup function.

1. Open My Computer.
2. Select the system drive (the one on which Windows is currently installed). If you don’t know, Windows will tell you:

3. Right-click on it and select “Properties”.
4. Click the Disk Cleanup button. The system will scan all files available for cleaning. This may take from a few seconds to 10 minutes or more.
5. Now click on “Clean up system files”. The scan will be re-scanned.

6. In the list, find the item “Previous Windows installations”.

7. Mark it and click OK. The system will ask you to confirm the action, answer with consent.
8. Once completed, restart your computer if necessary.

Method 2. Folder permissions.

If you simply try to delete a folder, you will most likely receive a message that says “You need to request permission...”. To prevent this from happening and you can safely delete Windows.old like any other file on your computer, do the following:

For Windows 7:

1. Right-click on the folder, select “Properties” → “Security” → “Advanced”.

2. In “Advanced Settings” go to the “Owner” tab and click “Change”.

3. Now you can specify a new owner for the folder. Select your account from the list. If you don’t know what it’s called, open the Start menu and look under the profile icon.
4. Having selected the account, check the box next to “Replace owner of subctontainers” and click OK.

5. Wait until the end of the procedure, at the end of which the system will notify you about the successful change of rights:

6. Now all that remains is to return to Extra options, but already on the “Permissions” → “Change” tab.

7. In the new window, click “Add”. In the tab that opens, enter the name of your account, then click on “Name Check”. If successful, the profile name in the search window may change slightly and will be underlined. The latter means that the record was found. Click OK.

8. Now you have a window in front of you in which you indicate what rights are available to this account. Check the box next to “Full access”, then OK.

9. You will see the window from step 7, but now there will be one more entry in the list - your login. Select it and check the “Add permissions” and “Replace all permissions” checkboxes. OK.

10. If one or two windows appear asking you to confirm the continuation of the operation, answer “Yes”, after which the system will quickly issue the necessary permissions.

11. Is it possible to now delete the entire folder “ Windows old"? Yes, this time the system will warn that everything will be deleted permanently. This indicates the presence the necessary rights. We confirm, and the job is done.

For Windows 8 and Windows 10:

1. Everything is the same here, only in step 2, instead of the “Owner” tab, there is a line of the same name, next to which you need to click on “Change”.
2. Then a window will open in which you will not need to select from the list, but enter your user name yourself, as in step 7.

3. After that, look at the Permissions tab, click “Add”.
4. In the “Subject” field, click “Select” and enter the user name again. OK.
5. Below we set “ Full access", and click OK.

The option to remove Windows.old appears only if this folder exists on the computer. The screenshots show the same version of the program, but in one case there was Windows installed on top of another, in the second there was only one Windows 7 on the computer.

Conclusion

The method of setting folder permissions may seem the most confusing, but it is still the most correct, because... allows you to delete old folder with Windows even if something goes wrong. For example, if the system installation fails or if a manual removal attempt fails.

Windows was performed using a custom installation, and the disk partition was not formatted; files used in the previous version of Windows will be moved to the Windows.old directory.

Essentially a directory Windows old is not needed and can be deleted, which will increase the amount of usable space on the computer’s hard drive.

Read about how to do this correctly in our article.

What is Windows.old?

We wait a few minutes while the Disk Cleanup Manager evaluates the amount of space that can be freed on the system disk.

Check the box next to “Previous Windows installations”; you can also select other items from the list.

Pay attention to the size of the Windows Old catalog, it is 11.6 GB. Click on the “Clean up system files” button.

The window will disappear and preparations for deleting the selected files will begin.

At this step, you have the option to cancel the deletion by clicking the “Cancel” button.

It is also possible to view the files that will be deleted by clicking the “View Files” button. To delete, click the “Delete files” button.

Files are being deleted. This operation will also take a few minutes.

Removing the Windows.old directory in Windows 8

Deleting the Windows.old directory in Windows 8 is no different from a similar operation in the previous version of this operating system.

As alternative way We will offer a different approach to the Disk Cleanup Manager, but the remaining points will remain unchanged.

In order to enter the Disk Cleanup Manager, use the key combination Win + R, and in the window that appears, enter the command:

The next step is to select the “Previous Windows installations” item and click the “Clean up system files” button, confirm your choice and wait for the time it takes to delete the folder.

Why do you need the Windows.old folder and how to delete it

If you find a folder on your disk called Windows.old and several tens of gigabytes in size, you should not immediately suspect viruses and other unwanted software. The Windows.old folder is quite harmless; it is created in the following situations:

When upgrading the operating system version (Inplace Upgrade), for example from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10;
When reinstalling the operating system in update mode;
When using the Refresh function.

Typically, Windows.old is located at the root of the system drive. If at the time of updating there is already a folder with the same name (for example, when re-updating), then folders are created with the name Windows.old.000, Windows.old.001, etc.

The Windows.old folder is intended to be able to restore if necessary separate files and even completely roll back to earlier installed system. She represents herself archival copy, in which the system saves the files from the previous installation. When installed, almost the entire contents of the system disk are saved into it - system files, installed programs and user files.

Note. The procedure for rolling back to a previous installation from the Windows.old folder is described. I’ll say right away that the procedure is quite complicated and requires some experience, in addition, when using it there is a chance of getting an inoperable system with no chance of recovery.

If after the update your system is stable and all files are in place, then the Windows.old folder can be deleted. However, this is not entirely easy to do, because the system installs on it special rights and when you try to delete it you will be denied access.

But not everything is so scary, and there are still several ways to delete the Windows.old folder, which we'll talk further. So, method one...

Uninstall using Disk Cleanup

Go to the directory C:\Windows\System32, find the file cleanmgr.exe and run it as administrator.

In the list of components, check “Previous Windows installations” and click OK. We confirm the deletion of the selected files and in a couple of minutes the Windows.old folder with all its contents will be permanently deleted.

Manual removal

In some cases, it is not possible to use the disk cleanup utility; for example, in server operating systems it is simply not available. Here you will have to change permissions to delete file system to the folder. Open the folder properties, go to the “Security” tab and click the “Advanced” button to go to advanced security settings.

As you can see, the owner of the folder is the system, and the first thing you need to do to successfully delete it is to change the owner. Click “Change” and in the window that opens, select yourself (the current user under whom you logged in).

Then check the “Replace owner of subcontainers and objects” checkbox and click the “Apply” button.

After changing the user, you will need to reopen the security properties window. The next step is to give yourself permission to the folder. Click the “Add” button

We choose our own as the subject account, in the “Type” field select “Allow”, in the “Applies to” field - “For this folder, its subfolders and files.” Set the permission to “Full Control”.

Now check the “Replace all permission records of the child object with those inherited from this object” checkbox and click on “Disable inheritance”.

In the dialog box, select “Remove all inherited permissions from this object.”

As a result, we become the owner and the only user with rights to the folder. And now nothing will stop you from removing it :)

Uninstall from the command line

The same thing can be done from the command line. To do this you need to run command line with administrator rights and change the owner of the folder:

Takeown /F C:\Windows.old /R /D y

Then get permissions on the folder and disable inheritance:

icacls C:\Windows.old\*.* /T /grant WKS1\Kirill:F /inheritance:r

And delete the folder:

rmdir C:\Windows.old /S /Q

Uninstall using the scheduler

And one more way that in theory can be used to delete the Windows.old folder.

According to information from Microsoft folder Windows.old should be automatically removed after 28 days of updating using a scheduled task. And indeed, in the planner, in the folder \Microsoft\Windows\Setup you can find a task with the name SetupCleanupTask, which should perform the necessary actions.

Note. The SetupCleanupTask task can only be found in client operating systems. On server OSes, there is no Setup folder in the scheduler at all.

And now about the strange :)

If you look closely, you can see that for some reason the task is scheduled for 6 a.m. on January 2, 2004, so it has no chance of running automatically. Since testing was carried out on Windows 10, I thought about the shortcomings new system, but just in case I decided to double-check on another OS. To check, I made a test Windows update 8 to 8.1, but even there the SetupCleanupTask task was present in the scheduler and exactly the same schedule was specified for it.

Because the automatic start If it doesn't work, we'll try to run it manually. However, not everything is smooth here either. If you run this task on Windows 8.1, it deletes the Windows.old folder and is then removed from the scheduler. When launched in Windows 10, the task runs quite successfully, but nothing happens to the folder. And since a custom handler is specified as the executable action, it is not possible to find out the reason for this behavior.

Such are the things. However, the first two methods are quite enough to delete the Windows.old folder; I described this method only for general development.