If you installed Windows 10 version 1803 "Spring Creators Update" over a previous Windows version, you might have noticed that free disk space on your disk drive was considerably reduced. You can get back up to 40 Gigabytes.
When you do an in-place upgrade from a previous version of Windows, Windows 10 saves a lot of files from the earlier installed OS during the upgrade and fills your hard drive with files that you might never need again if your upgrade is successful. The reason setup saves these files is so that if something goes wrong during setup, it can safely rollback to the earlier version of Windows. However, if your upgrade was successful and you've got everything working perfectly, then there's no need to keep these files. You can reclaim all the wasted disk space by following these simple instructions.
Before you proceed: Keep in mind that deleting these files will remove the ability to uninstall Windows 10 Spring Creators Update. You won't be able to rollback to the earlier version of Windows.
To free up space after you have upgraded to Windows 10 Spring Creators Update, do the following:
- Open Settings.
- Go to System - Storage.
- Click on the link Free up space now on the right under Storage Sense.
- On the next page, find and check the Previous Windows installation(s) item.
- Click on the Remove files button.
That's it! This will remove all the files you checked in the list.
For reference, see the following article:
How to Free Up Drive Space in Windows 10
Alternatively, you can use the classic Disk Cleanup tool. Do the following.
Free Up Disk Space After Installing Windows 10 Spring Creators Update with Cleanmgr
- Press Win + R shortcut keys together on the keyboard to open the Run dialog.
Tip: See the ultimate list of all Windows keyboard shortcuts with Win keys. - Type the following in the Run box:
cleanmgr
- Select your system drive:
- Click the Clean up system files button to switch the Disk Cleanup tool to extended mode.
- Find and check the Previous Windows installation(s) item.
- Click OK and you are done.
Tip: You might be interested in learning more about the cleanmgr app's features and options. Refer to the following articles:
- Start Disk Cleanup With All Items Checked
- Clear Temp Directory on Startup with Disk Cleanup
- Add Cleanup Drive Context Menu in Windows 10
- Disk Cleanup Cleanmgr Command Line Arguments in Windows 10
- Create a Preset for Cleanmgr (Disk Cleanup)
That's it. You can see how easy it is to reclaim disk space which was unnecessarily being consumed after the upgrade to Windows 10 Spring Creators Update.
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Thanks Sergey! Quite useful and I do it after every upgrade. Frees up 20+GB.
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