This guide will show you how to delete the $ Windows. ~ WS folder in the root directory of your Windows 10 drive to free up hard drive space if needed.
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What is the $ Windows. ~ WS directory?
The $ Windows. ~ WS folder is a hidden folder created in the root directory of the Windows “C:” drive during the upgrade to Windows 10. The WS folder name in $ Windows. ~ WS stands for Windows Setup .
The $ Windows. ~ WS directory contains the essential files of previous system versions, which are used to allow you to roll back to previous versions of Windows.
Note:
You must be logged in as an admin to delete the $ Windows. ~ WS directory.
If you delete the Windows.old, $ Windows. ~ BT and / or $ Windows. ~ WS folders, you will no longer be able to revert to an earlier version of Windows.
If you delete the $ Windows. ~ WS folder, you should also delete the Windows.old and $ Windows. ~ BT folders to free up more hard drive space.
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How to delete the $ Windows. ~ WS folder in Windows 10
Here’s how to do it:
1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Copy and paste the commands below into the newly opened Command Prompt and press Enter after each one.
takeown /F "C:$Windows.~WS*" /A /R /DY icacls "C:$Windows.~WS*.*" /grant *S-1-5-32-544:F /T /C /Q RD /S /Q "C:$Windows.~WS"
3. When done, you can close the Command Prompt if you want.
As you can see, the way to delete the $ Windows. ~ WS folder in Windows 10 is very simple, right?
Hope you are succesful.