What Happens When Deleting the Windows.old Folder in Windows 11

Introduction:
In this article we will test what happens when the Windows.old folder is deleted in windows 11. We will examine specifically in Windows 11 could boot up normally without any issue after deleting this folder.

1. Let’s go to where the Windows installation resides. In 99% of cases it’s the C: drive.

2. We will go to Windows explorer then to This PC and then to C:\.

3. Normally , Windows.old is not visible right out of the box. We will have to make it visible by allowing Windows to show hidden files and folders as can be seen here:

4. Since Windows.old cannot be fully deleted from within Windows 11 itself, we will have to do it through a different operating system. We will use Hiren’s BOOT CD (HBCD) to boot up into Windows PE and delete it from there.

5. Once it’s deleted, we will boot back into Windows 11.

6. As you can see, Windows 11 boots normally without any issue.