What is the $Windows.BT Folder and Can You Delete it?

You may have just discovered it $Windows.~BT You may need to remove it from your computer to clear up space. It’s easy to delete but not as straightforward as you may think.

The following article will discuss the $Windows.~BT How to determine what folder you have, whether or not it is safe to delete and when to do this if so.

What is the $Windows.BT Folder and How Does It Work?

Hidden folder $Windows.BT is on your drive, where you have installed Microsoft Windows. This folder is created by Windows alongside the Windows.old and $Windows.WS folders, when Windows 10 upgrades from an earlier version of Windows 10 or whenever Windows 10 becomes updated to a newer build.

If the Windows installation failed, or if you need to revert it, then the $Windows.BT folder will contain all the files from previous Windows installations. In the past, users couldn’t revert back to older builds by deleting $Windows.BT System Recovery Use the tool to find it Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

It’s not possible to upgrade to Windows 7 and 8. These require a complete install. The $Windows.BT folder can take up dozens upon gigabytes of your hard drive. So, can you delete it?

Is it possible to delete the $Windows.BT Folde?

The short answer is yes. It is safe and simple to do Delete the $Windows.BT directory. . You won’t lose any important files in Windows that you have created as part of your operating system.

It is no longer possible for a customer to upgrade to the previous version Version of Windows You can delete the $Windows.BT folder by using its contents save disk space You can also save your HDD.

Note: Windows will automatically remove the $Windows.BT directory ten days following an upgrade to Windows 10/a new build.

How do I find the $Windows.BT Folder

Check first whether $Windows.BT exists on your computer. You will need to have the ability to view hidden files in order to do this. This setting can be enabled by following these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Select the View tab.

3. Select Options.

4. Select the View tab.

5. Scroll down for more information Show hidden files, folders, and drives. Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) checkbox. Select Yes To accept the warning message.

Once you have this option enabled, navigate directly to the drive that contains your $Windows.BT folder (e.g., C:).

How do I delete the $Windows.BT Folder

It is impossible to delete the folder by pressing the delete key if the folder exists. Instead, use the Disk Cleanup Tool . . To do so:

1. Open the Start menu, Disk Cleanup, Run, %windir%\system32\cleanmgr.exe, And pressing Enter.

2. Wait for the utility window to open. Then select your root disk and click OK.

3. Click on it once it is opened Clean up system files. . Click on the root drive once more, and then wait for your system file scan.

4. You will now be able to see several choices in one list. You may find the following options depending on what Windows operating system you have. All of them will erase the $Windows.BT Folder.
5. Windows installations in the past
6. Windows Update Cleanup
7. Windows upgrade log files
8. Temporary Windows Installation Files
9. Temporary files

10. Click OK.

11. Select Delete Files.

12. Double-check your root drive to make sure there are no folders left (including those in the $Windows.BT or $Windows.WS subfolders). Right-click on the folders to select Delete.

Note: If permission is not granted to delete the folders you can open it and enable it Command PromptEnter the following code as administrator. Press “Enter” to confirm Enter. . Make sure you replace C: by the drive that your operating systems is installed on.

Takeown/F C: $Windows.~BT\* /R /A

icacls C:\$Windows.~BT\*. * /T /grant

administrators:F

rmdir/S/Q C:$Windows.~BT\

Try restarting your computer in case this does not work Safe Mode You can always try it again.

Get rid of the pesky notifications about your hard drive

Windows, Mac and Linux have their share of frustrating and good features that are left from earlier versions. Windows allows you to remove many of these annoying features. You can delete the Windows.BT or Windows.WS folders if you get sick of these low disk space warnings. This will free some space, and also save you time.