Introduction:
In this article we will explore what happens to Windows 11 when deleting the WinSxS folder.
Why delete WinSxS in the first place?
WinSxS is a really big folder and the question of deleting has been raised quite often by Windows users worldwide. In addition, the IT PROs HUB team was very interested to know as well.
1. Since it is unable to delete WINSxS from within Windows, we will resort to using an external OS. We will use HBCD (Hirem’s Boot CD Win PE).




2. WinSxS folder resides right under the Windows folder

3. We will delete WINSxS from within HBCD’s Win PE’s environment.







4. Restart the computer and boot back into Windows 11


5. As you can see below, Windows 11 was NOT able to load after deleting the WinSxS folder and we were not able to fix Windows through the usual means.













