Make sure you run the Command prompt with Administrator privileges.Ĭool Tip: Bypass the Command Prompt by Using the Windows Explorer Address Bar You can also bypass some of the restrictions on cleaning up the WinSXS with the following elevated Command Prompt commands. Pay particular attention to the Windows Update Cleaner option and make sure that is checked before running the tool. The first step to reducing the WinSXS folder size in Windows 8.1 is to run the built-in Windows clean-up tool. In this article we’ll be working with Windows 8.1. These steps will work in Windows 8 as well as Windows 8.1. Reduce WinSXS Folder Size in Windows 8/8.1 In this guide we’ll show you how to reduce its size and reduce wasted space. This increases the size of the WinSXS folder rather quickly, and it’s a good idea to remove the unnecessary files to get more space on your hard drive. Once installed, you don’t need the update anymore, but it still stays there. The problem lies that when you perform a Windows Update, those updates are stored within the WinSXS folder. This is an important folder, but it’s also a bloated one.

Links to component files are often just that, they link to where the components are stored within the WinSXS folder. It’s where Windows system components are stored. Most Windows users don’t even know the WinSXS folder exists. Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 both utilize a lot of space on your PC before, during and after the upgrade and installation process.

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