How to Delete old Windows Update Files?

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Some old files are kept when you update a new Windows version on your PC. With time file size will get bigger and bigger, affecting your PC performance. The best way to fix this issue is to remove old windows files and free up disk space.

Recently Microsoft released an article regarding how Windows users can delete all these unwanted files. Please read this guide until the end here; I mentioned different methods to delete these files.

Why Should You Delete Old Windows Update?

Whenever you update your Windows PC, over the years, all the files stored in your disk drive and taking up a lot of space is one of the primary reasons you should delete these files. It may affect your PC performance.

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Things You Should Consider Before Delete Windows Old Update Files

I know you might have many questions; below, I mentioned a few solutions you can check out.

What do You Mean by an Old Update File?

When you try to install a new Windows version such as 11, 10, 8 and 7, the old version has some files like Windows installation files, Windows system files, Windows user account files, and many more that are not deleted. If you want to restore your windows version, you will need these files; otherwise, you can delete them.

It takes half of your hard drive space. You might notice that your C drive gets full quickly after each Windows update.

Is it Safe to Delete Old Files?

Yes, it is safe; for example, you need your old Windows files if you don’t like your new version. Other than that, you can delete it.

Where will you find the Windows Old Files?

If you need clarification about where to find old Windows files, check the Windows: C drive. There you will find it. Otherwise, you must search Windows system files and other files to check the location.

Methods to Delete old Windows Update Files from windows 11, 10, 8 and 7

1. Delete Windows Old Update Files Manually

2. Delete Windows Old Files by Using Command Prompt

3. Use Disk Cleanup to Remove Windows Old Files

1. Delete Windows Old Update Files Manually

Below I mentioned different methods to delete old files. Each process discussed here in this article is pretty simple, so you can quickly delete it.

It is the easiest way to delete Windows folders. First, look for the This PC icon on the screen and double-click it. Or clicks “Window+E” and tap on “This PC“.

Now, look for the Local Disk: C, then doubles click on it; there, look for Windows.old file; then right-click on it; a menu will appear on the screen; there, tap on the “Delete” option.

Now it will ask your permission to delete this file, so tap on the “Continue” tab to delete it.

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2. Delete Windows Old Files by Using Command Prompt

Before going into further details, let me tell you that this method is complicated, so if you don’t have any technical knowledge, please move on to the following procedure. Keep a backup file so that your data will be safe if anything goes wrong.

On the left side of the screen, you can see a search box; there, type “Command Prompt,” and then a menu will appear. Now, look for the Command Prompt option, then tap on it.
A command prompt window will pop up on the screen; type “cd/” then press the “Enter” button on the keyboard.
Now type “cd windows\system32\” and press the “Enter” button on the keyboard.
Now type “net stop wuauserv,” then press the “Enter” button on the keyboard.
Now type “ren %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old,” then press the “Enter” button on the keyboard.
After completing all the steps mentioned earlier, type “net start wuauserv” and press the “Enter” button.
Again, type “rd /s/q %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution.old,” then press the “Enter” button on the keyboard. Now check if Windows.old files get deleted or not.

3. Use Disk Cleanup to Remove Windows Old Files

If the methods mentioned above are not working, you can use the Windows Cleanup feature to remove all these files.

On the left side of the screen, you can see a search box tap on it and type “Disk Cleanup,” then a menu will appear.

There look for the Disk Cleanup option, then tap on it.
Select “C” Disk and click “OK“

A Disk Cleanup window will pop on the screen; look for the “Clean up system files” tab, then tap on it.

Disk Cleanup settings clean up system files

Now, wait for a while, then look for the “Previous windows installation(s)” option check mark on it.
Select the unnecessary files you want to delete, then tap on the “Ok” option.

Disk Cleanup settings clean up system files previous installed files

Now another window will pop up on the screen; tap on the “Delete files” tab.
Now it will ask for confirmation, so tap on the “Yes” tab.
It will take a while to remove all the old windows files.

If the above mentation methods are complicated, you can use a third-party tool to delete old Windows files. You can use free partition manager software to delete these files.

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Final Words

In this article, we discussed how you could delete old windows files. Above mentioned methods are applicable for all the Windows versions but remember that after deleting these old files, you can’t go back to the old Windows version.

If you are facing any trouble applying these steps or have any questions, then you can ask in the comment box, and we will reply as soon as possible.