Instructions to delete Windows.old folder on Windows 7/8 / 8.1?

Usually after you reinstall Windows without deleting the old partition, Windows 7/8 / 8.1 will appear a new folder in drive C with the name Windows.old. What is that? That is the folder containing all the system files of the old Windows version, when not deleted, the system will automatically collect all in one folder and name it Windows.old. So how to delete this folder, because the capacity of this folder is quite large (it must be above 10GB)?

How to fix computer screen errors, laptop 180 degrees backwards?
Google Chrome is not connected to the network?
How to split compressed files with WinRAR?

Instructions to delete Windows.old folder on Windows 7/8 / 8.1? Picture 1

1. Delete the Windows.old folder with the available Disk Cleanup tool:

This is the simplest and easiest way to do it, without having to use the Command or external support software. First, open My Computer , right-click on drive C (the partition containing the Windows.old folder)> Properties :

Instructions to delete Windows.old folder on Windows 7/8 / 8.1? Picture 2

Here, you will see the Disk Cleanup tool just below the drive capacity parameter. Click Disk Cleanup, the system will calculate to delete unnecessary Windows files, select Next Clean system system as shown below:

Instructions to delete Windows.old folder on Windows 7/8 / 8.1? Picture 3

The next options panel displays, and you will see a line of Previous Windows Installations appear. Check the box (preferably check all) and click OK:

Instructions to delete Windows.old folder on Windows 7/8 / 8.1? Picture 4

Wait a while for Windows to delete the file, then open the drive C and the Windows.old folder are gone!

2. Delete the Windows.old directory with the command - Command:

This is the second option if you do not want to use Windows Disk Cleanup (or simply want to "like a pro"). Open Command as Administrator (select Run > type cmd > right click cmd.exe and select Run as Adminstrator ):

Instructions to delete Windows.old folder on Windows 7/8 / 8.1? Picture 5

The Command window displays, we type the command:

RD / S / Q% SystemDrive% windows.old

Instructions to delete Windows.old folder on Windows 7/8 / 8.1? Picture 6

Or if you don't want to type, you copy the above command, at the command window> right click> select Paste (because you cannot press Ctrl + V in the command line window):

Instructions to delete Windows.old folder on Windows 7/8 / 8.1? Picture 7

Press Enter, open the C drive and check that the Windows.old folder has been completely deleted.Good luck!

Isabella Humphrey

Update 26 May 2019

You should read it

May be interested

What is the directory $ WINDOWS. ~ BT, can delete $ WINDOWS. ~ BT or not?
folders such as $ windows. ~ bt and $ windows. ~ ws are directories related to the windows 10 upgrade process. these folders may appear on windows 7, 8 and 10 and more. , these folders are hidden folders, so to see these directories you have to perform some additional operations to display the directory.
What is the $WINDOWS.~BT directory? Is it possible to delete this folder?
what is the $windows~bt directory? is it possible to delete this folder? is a question that many people are interested in when they see the $windows.~bt folder on the computer. all will be answered in the article below.
Delete these temporary Windows folders to reclaim precious storage space
windows creates temporary files in the background to keep things running smoothly. but over time, these hidden files silently accumulate in system folders, slowly taking up all the space you have.
How to Restore 'inetpub' Folder on Windows 11, Windows 10
if you have deleted the 'inetpub' folder, you need to restore it immediately, otherwise your system will remain vulnerable to potential security threats.
How to assign permissions to delete any folder or file on Windows?
in some cases when you delete a folder or file on a windows computer but cannot delete it and on the screen that displays an error message you need permission to perform this action. in order to be able to delete folders and files, you must assign permission permissions to delete them.
How to delete the Ansel folder on the computer
how to delete the ansel folder. the ansel folder only appears on computers with discrete nvidia cards with the main purpose of saving high-quality screenshots and hdr images while playing games. what's special is when you delete this folder and it can reappear
Set to automatically delete files in the Download folder on Windows 10
instructions to install and set up automatic deletion of files in the download folder on windows 10 quickly and effectively. to improve your computer's performance
Is it safe to delete files from the WindowsInstaller folder in Windows 10?
if you're reading this article, most likely, you want to delete the huge windowsinstaller folder, but aren't sure if it's safe to delete it.
How to delete the $ Windows. ~ WS folder in Windows 10
what is the $ windows ~ bt directory? is it possible to delete this directory? is the question that many people are interested in when the $ windows. ~ bt folder appears on the computer. all will be answered in the article below.
Use CMD to create an 'undeleted' folder on Windows
have you ever thought that you could create an inviolable folder, no one can delete that folder or not? don't think not because of this you can completely do it. just use cmd without the support of any 3rd party software or applications.