How To Delete Your Old Windows Installation Folder In Windows 10 (Folder Named - Windows.old)

 When you upgrade to Windows 10, Microsoft tries to make things as painless as possible for you. It's the reason why your old Windows installation is kept nice and safe in its own folder when you upgrade to Windows 10. That's great if you want access to your old stuff, and even better if you want to downgrade.


If you're limited for space however, you're going to want to get rid of it. If you are sure you want to keep Windows 10 and you have no intention of rolling back, then you can delete your old Windows installation in order to make room on your storage drive. This unused Windows file can be upwards of 15GB, which can take up a significant chunk on a Solid State Drive.

Warning: If you have any files you wish to keep in Windows.old folder, be sure to back them up before doing this.

If all the files you need from Windows.old are backed up, it’s time to delete your Windows.old folder. In Windows 10 the easiest way to do this is to use Disk Cleanup.

1. Head down to the Windows search box in the taskbar at the bottom left. In here begin typing “Free up disk space by deleting unnecessary files.” When you’ve typed enough a link to a shortcut will appear. Click on it.

Disk Cleanup will now scan for a short while and calculate how much space can be freed up. In the new window that eventually opens, select the storage drive (if applicable) where the old Windows.old folder is. Click 'OK'.

2. Disk Cleanup will now open again. Click 'Clean up system files' at the bottom.

3. Click OK once more after you have selected the correct drive where the Windows.old Folder is located.

4. In the new window that pops up, check the box called 'Previous Windows installation(s)', in the 'Files to Delete' section.

Ensure no other boxes are ticked and then click 'OK'.

A final window will pop up that asks 'Are you sure you want to permanently delete these files?' Click 'Delete Files' and the removal process will begin. This can take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes, depending on the size of your old Windows installing and the speed of your PC.

Once it has finished, your PC is now completely rid of your old Windows installation.