• To find the Windows.old folder, launch File Explorer from the Taskbar or the Start menu.
• Most users should find the Windows.old folder in the standard C drive (eg. C:\Windows.old). If your Windows installation uses another drive letter, make sure to check there instead.

If you want to see how much space the folder is currently using, right-click the folder and select Properties from the context menu.

The Windows.old Properties window will give you an indication of the current folder size. This will vary, depending on the size of the previous installation, but expect to see this folder use 15GB or more of storage space.

Deleting the Windows.old Folder Manually

Assuming you’re happy to delete the Windows.old folder, click OK to close the Properties window. Right-click the folder in File Explorer and press Delete to proceed.

Windows is protective of the Windows.old folder, so you may be asked for permission to remove the folder. Press Continue, then follow any additional on-screen instructions to do this.If your user account lacks administrator privileges, you’ll need to sign in (when prompted) to authorize the deletion.

Using Disk Cleanup

You can also use the Disk Cleanup tool to remove the Windows.old folder. To use this, open the Start menu and type disk cleanup. Select the top (best match) result at the top.

• When the Disk Cleanup window opens, press the Clean up System Files button at the bottom.
• It might take a few moments for the tool to scan your PC.
• When it finishes, find and select Previous Windows Installation(s) in the Files to delete section. Disk Cleanup will show the total amount of space you’ll gain by removing this.

1. You can select other unnecessary files found by Disk Cleanup at this point to remove those, too.
2. When you’re ready, click OK, then press Delete Files when the verification message appears.
3. If this is the first time deleting Windows.old, you’ll get a second notification message asking if you’re sure. Click Yes to verify you want to delete it.

Allow time for Windows to remove the Windows.old folder and any other items you select. The amount of time it takes will vary based on the size of the folder.