Users who have been using Windows 10 for years are aware that the available disk space of the operating system drive decreases over time for no apparent reason. It gets worse if you use your computer longer without any maintenance. The culprit you are looking for is the WinSxS folder located inside the operating system drive. Microsoft calls it “Windows Side by Side” or loosely the component store. The folder contains all kinds of system files used to troubleshoot various problems on your Windows PC. However, the folder size continues to eat up a lot of space, and that’s the pain point for most users. In this post, I will share an easy way to delete WinSxS folder without affecting the stability of your computer. Now, having said that, let’s get started.
What Exactly Is the WinSxS Folder?
Before we move forward, let’s go through some key points. First of all, you cannot completely delete the WinSxS Folder, but you can definitely reduce its size. This is because, The WinSxS folder contains many important libraries and components of the operating system. It is necessary to fix problems with the operating system. So, in a way, the WinSxS folder should not be touched as it is there to keep our PC safe and sound.
However, the point is that the WinSxS folder continues to grow over time, and if you’ve been using a machine for years, the folder takes up about 40% of your OS drive, and that’s totally insane. So what exactly is going on in that folder? In fact, besides the operating system components, Windows also keeps the update files in the WinSxS folder. So, whenever you get a new update, files are downloaded and stored in case you run into problems in the future and I want to revert to an earlier build. Basically, every time you get an update, the files pile up in that folder, causing the operating system driver to grow to an incredibly large size.
It would be wrong to say that Microsoft did not try to fix the problem. At the moment, Windows 10 comes with an automatic maintenance service this will clear the modified files after one month. However, users are reporting that this isn’t working as intended, so it’s there. Anyway, now that we understand the problem at hand, we will take steps to reduce the size of the folder so that it does not hinder the stability of your system.
Steps to Clean WinSxS Folder
we will pass a two-step process to complete this task. We will first use an inbuilt tool and then move on to the manual cleaning method. Now, having said that, let’s get started.
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Reduce Folder Size Using DISM Tool
We are going Use the DISM Tool (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) to clean the folder. The DISM tool is used to keep the Windows image intact and prepare for recovery environments.
1. Press the Windows key once and type “cmd” in the search box. After that, click on “Run as Administrator” in the submenu.
2. When the Command Prompt window opens, execute the following command. check if the folder contains unnecessary files. If it says cleaning recommended at the bottom, continue to the next step.
dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore
3. Now, finally execute the second command. start the cleaning process. Once the process is complete, you’re done. The WinSxS folder should be significantly freed.
Note: The process may take some time, so be patient.
dism /online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup
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Deleting Update Files Using Disk Cleanup
1. Right-click on the operating system drive (usually C drive) and Open “Properties”. Here, click on “Disk Cleanup”.
2. Then, “Clean up system filesClick the ” button.
3. Now uncheck all the boxes and Select “Windows Update Cleanup” at the top. After that, click the “OK” button. Voila, large amount of update files in WinSxS folder will be deleted instantly. Now restart your computer and you will see that the operating system drive is taking up less space.
This should free up enough of the storage on your Windows machine and make it faster. One thing to note here is that sometimes if the computer is very old, it’s better to reset Windows 10 for a clean start. Don’t forget to backup your Windows 10 PC before going through the reset process.
Delete WinSxS Folder and Regain Space
This was our guide on how to delete the WinSxS folder and free the OS driver. The reason Windows slows down after years of use is because these files are clogging up important memory space. So, if you want to speed up your computer, shrinking the WinSxS folder will also make a big difference in performance. Anyway, that’s it for us. If you want to know more about Windows 10, comment below and let us know.