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After updating Windows from the old operating system version, your computer doesn't actually delete the old resources. Instead, it transfers them all to the Windows.old folder before proceeding with the installation and initializing the directories for the new Windows version. Hence, many users often wonder whether to delete Windows.old after updating Windows or not. This article from Mytour will address that query for you.
Should you delete Windows.old after updating Windows?
Windows.old is the directory that stores all files and installation data of the old Windows version during the user's upgrade process. You can use the Windows.old folder to restore the system to the previous Windows version in case you don't prefer the new version. Additionally, Windows.old contains all the personal data you saved when using the old version. Therefore, you can also directly copy user data and other settings from the Windows.old folder to your new setup.
Depending on user directories and installed programs, the Windows.old folder can occupy a significant amount of hard drive space, typically not less than 10 GB. However, if you have no issues with Windows.old taking up space on the system drive, you don't need to do anything because the system will automatically delete this folder one month after your upgrade. In case you need storage space, you can follow the steps below to delete Windows.old without waiting for a month. Refer to How to Delete Windows.old on Windows 10 here.
Step 1: From the user interface, press the Windows + R key combination to open the Run dialog and type the command cleanmgr, then press Enter or OK.
Step 2: In the Disk Cleanup interface that opens, select the system drive partition and press OK.
Step 3: Wait for a moment as the system scans unused files.
Step 4: Next, in the Disk Cleanup tool window for the system drive, click on the Clean up system files button.
Step 5: The Disk Cleanup tool will now rescan the system and display information about Windows.old, labeled as Previous Windows installation(s). Check the box next to Previous Windows installation(s) and click OK.
Step 6: A small dialog box will appear asking for your confirmation to delete files. Press Delete Files to proceed.
Immediately, the system will initiate the process of deleting Windows.old and cleaning up system files at the selected checkboxes.
So, here is the complete answer to your reader's question about whether to delete Windows.old after updating Windows and the simplest way to remove the Windows.old folder.
