Where is the WinSxS folder located?

Where is the WinSxS folder located?

C:\Windows\winsxs

The Windows component store (C:\Windows\winsxs) directory is used during servicing operations within Windows installations. Servicing operations include, but are not limited to, Windows Update, service pack, and hotfix installations.

Is it OK to delete WinSxS files?

Deleting files from the WinSxS folder or deleting the entire WinSxS folder may severely damage your system so that your PC might not boot and make it impossible to update.

What files are in the WinSxS folder?

The WinSXS folder contains every operating system file. When Windows installs updates, it drops the new Windows component in the WinSXS folder and keeps the old component in the WinSXS folder. This means that every Windows Update you install increases the size of your WinSXS folder.

Do I need the WinSxS folder?

Windows uses a system folder called WinSxS to store files that are needed for your Windows installation, as well as backups or updates to those files. It’s a space hog, however, taking up several gigabytes of space and growing with each Windows Update you perform.

How do I clean up WinSxS?

Cleaning up WinSxS folder
Open Start. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option. Type the following command to determine the size of the WinSxS folder and press Enter: dism /online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup.

Can you move WinSxS to another drive?

Moving the WinSxS is not advisable because doing so can severely break your system. In short, Winsxs, which stands for ‘Windows Side By Side’, is Windows native assembly cache. Libraries which are being by multiple applications are stored there.

What is the purpose of the WinSxS folder?

WinSxS is a Windows system folder that stores files necessary to recover your system. System updates can be downloaded onto your system then stored in your WinSxS folder. Your WinSxS folder is valuable, and it must be evaluated and cleaned up regularly.

Can WinSxS be moved to another drive?

What size should WinSxS be?

That’s where you might stumble upon the WinSxS folder. It has a size of almost 5–10GB, and for many users, it’s like a black box in the Windows world.

How do I reduce the size of WinSxS?

How to Reduce the Size of WinSxS in Windows Client and Windows…

  1. Method 1: Run Disk Cleanup.
  2. Method 2: Reduce the Disk Size of the WinSxS by using DISM.
  3. Method 3: Delete Old Files from WinSxS. Use with Caution!