Can I Delete Windows Setup Files

Should I Delete Windows Setup Files? (8 Footstep Guide)

Published on: October 22, 2020
by: Alex Stieb

At one indicate or another, anybody has had to update or reinstall Windows. Unfortunately, that procedure isn't always perfect, and you may be left with unnecessary setup files (i.e., the files you used to complete the install and/or upgrade) or even those from an older version of an update.

Hither's why you lot should consider deleting those setup and system files, and why getting rid of them tin can help you increase your estimator'due south operation.

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Why Exercise I Have Extra Windows Setup Files?

Millions of people upgrade their Windows operating systems each year. As Microsoft drops support for previous versions, users are forced to upgrade to receive patches, security updates, and new features.

The upgrade process creates backup files from many of the directories in your previous version of Windows, including things like your Windows folder (which is subconscious), user profiles, documents, and program files. Typically, these files are stored in 2 folders:

Windows.sometime
$Windows.~BT

These folders can help you supersede missing files after you install a newer version of Windows, merely they besides have up processing ability. In fact, Windows admits that, "[these folders] can use up a significant amount of hard drive space on your reckoner" and that, "it is a proficient idea to remove these two folders to reclaim that space for other programs to use."

Can I Delete Windows Setup Files?

Deleting Windows files can be scary. After all, the system files are integral to your figurer and are hidden for a reason: Deleting them tin can crash your PC. Windows setup and old files from a Windows update are perfectly condom to delete, though.

It is safe to remove whatever of the post-obit (and then long as you lot no longer need them):

Windows setup files
Windows.old
$Windows.~BT

Information technology is not condom to delete whatever of the following files:

Whatever Windows arrangement files in AppData, Programme Files, or ProgramData
C:\Windows

How To Delete Windows Setup Files

Most users "delete" files by dragging them to the recycling bin, only Microsoft has a unique tool — Disk Cleanup — to aid you "delete" its setup files. Information technology's important to sympathise a few things:

Deejay Cleanup (like the recycling bin) does not permanently delete these files from your organisation.
It instead removes your difficult drive's ability to find them in the hopes that information technology volition somewhen overwrite them with other data.
The data from these files will still be on your hard bulldoze, and any sensitive information from past Windows installations will still be recoverable.
These redundant — and now hidden — files tin still impact your processing power.

Here is how to delete Windows files via the Disk Cleanup:

Step ane: Click on thesearch bar in the bottom right corner

Step 2: Type Deejay Cleanup into the search bar

Step 3: Select the Run as administrator option

Step iv: Select the drive that contains your Windows operating system on information technology.

Step v: Click the checkboxes for Previous Windows Installation(s) and Temporary Windows Installation Files

Step 6: Uncheck all other options

Step 8: Select Delete Files

Disk Cleanup is a simple way to delete quondam setup or Windows files, but doesn't actually "delete" anything. Instead, it removes markers and pointers your hard drive uses to detect those files. Whatsoever saved documents, pictures, credit carte du jour data, or personal information (PI) all the same be on information technology and can be recovered. Worse yet, that data is taking up space and can cause freezing issues.

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