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Windows users are never satisfied with their storage space. If you clean up your PC by January, the storage space on your computer will be at its maximum before spring. You’ll likely find the WinSxS folder in your Windows computer as you search deeper for what is consuming this disk space.
Windows Side by Side, also known as WinSxS is a folder located at C:WindowsWinSxS. This is where Windows keeps files necessary for Windows installation and You can make backups of the files or create versions.
If you are in need of System files can be recovered This is the place where Windows searches for files to execute an action, such as adding or removing Windows features. It’s sometimes also known as the component store.
WinSxS can also store files that are required for installing quality updates or previous versions of Windows components. In case of an update that causes problems, these files can be used to restore the original state.
WinSxS’s size continues to grow over time as more version of components are stored.
File Explorer is often inaccurate in calculating the size of WinSxS’s folder.
WinSxS files may be found in multiple places on the operating system. There is usually one file in the WinSxS folder, and the other files can be found elsewhere hard links .
File Explorer does not consider this when it calculates the folder size. This can cause the folder size to appear larger than what is actually there.
You can use the DISM utility to find out the exact size of your WinSxS Folder. You can find its true size by opening an elevated Command Prompt, and running the following command:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore
After the process is completed, both the reported file size and actual size will be displayed in the Command Prompt window:
You can save valuable space on your hard disk by cleaning out the components store.
The WinSxS directory cannot be deleted manually. Note that you can’t roll back updates once the WinSxS folder is deleted.
If a file is deleted or a prior version of it becomes unavailable, you might have issues with some apps.
You have several options to clear out WinSxS’s folder, which is illustrated in the following.
DISM (Services and Management of Deployment Images The command-line utility DISM has a built in option to clean up your component store. DISM can be used to clean up the WinSxS directory. This will not disrupt your system’s operation.
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup
It will delete all WinSxS files that are not required after the process is complete.
If you need to clear a certain group of files, there are other WinSxS cleanup commands that you can use. To clean older Windows versions, use the following command:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase
You can remove service pack backups from Windows 8, 10 and 11 if you are running an older Windows version like Windows 7:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /SPSuperseded
Windows has an integrated Disk Cleanup Tool that allows you to clean up your hard drive System files should be cleaned up Other types of files that are not needed, such as those in the WinSxS directory.
If you wish to clear out junk files, all the boxes can be checked. However, make sure that Windows Update Cleanup is selected to remove any update files in the WinSxS directory. Click OK Once selected.
Over time the files can build up again in the WinSxS directory. Disk Cleanup should be used every now and again to maintain the WinSxS directory clean. You can also schedule cleanup of components using Task Scheduler.
You can The Task Scheduler is a useful tool. You can use a “set-it, forget it” strategy to maintain a clean WinSxS folder.
Clearing out your WinSxS folder can help you free up some hard disk space. Another way to increase space is by uninstalling apps You don’t need to move large files or personal documents to an external drive.
We have several tutorials that will help you make more space for your Windows computer There are several ways you can free up space on your hard disk This might be a good idea.