How to Reduce the Size of the C:\Windows\WinSxS\ Folder?

Hi all

I am using Windows 10 Home (currently, ver 1909).

When checking the size of folders in my C: partition,
I see that the C:\Windows\WinSxS\ folder is 6.84GB.

After searching in Google, I found that I can run:

Code:

dism.exe /online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

in Command Prompt (Admin), to clean this folder up.

I did that, and 6.84GB is the size after this clean up..


Why is this folder so big, and what can I do to reduce its size much more than this wasteful almost 7GB size?


Thank you

Everything I've read says to leave SXS alone.

Why do you think 6.84 GB is "wasteful"?

Wasteful means carelessly, extravagantly, or unnecessarily.

Mine is 6.61 GB.

dalchina said:

Try reading the relevant tutorials carefully.
Clean Up Component Store (WinSxS folder) in Windows 10
Analyze Component Store (WinSxS folder) in Windows 10

Thank you very much for these 2 links.
Look good, and with more (and different) command-line options than what I have tried.
I will try them.

dalchina said:

But if you are considering doing this, I hope you're already taking appropriate precautions - routinely using disk imaging e.g. Macrium Reflect (free)

Of course.
I always create a system Image before playing with my OS..

I use AOMEI Backupper
AOMEI Backupper | Best Backup Software for Windows PC and Server

I like it better than Macrium.

The WinSXS Folder is at best confusing and should be left alone. There are links and such within that folder. So, I can pretty much guarantee that if you were to actually add up the disk space that is used on your system and then include the space from WInSXS that "appears" to be of X size....the math won't add up.

In other words, C:\windows\WinSXS is not actually consuming the 8.6GB that TreeSizeFree is reporting that it is using.

Here is an old post I made way back in the olden days (2009) about how WinSXS is not using as much space as you might think.
WinSXS Folder not actually consuming lots of space Solved - Windows 7 Help Forums

Berton said:

I just checked my Pro and that folder is larger than that in the original post. The first 9,961 file names start with amd64 which is normal for a 64-bit version of Windows.

You can't use ordinary means to determine the size of the WinSxS-Folder because it contains a ton of hard links to files elsewhere in %windir%:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/tro...used-by-winsxs

The component store will show a large directory size because of how the Windows Explorer shell accounts for hard links. The Windows shell will count each reference to a hard link as a single instance of the file for each directory in which the file resides. For example, if a file that is named advapi32.dll is 700 KB and is contained in the component store and in the \Windows\system32 directory, Windows Explorer would inaccurately report that the file consumes 1,400 KB of hard disk space.

Windows 10: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...-winsxs-folder

To find the real size run in PowerShell:

cd c:\windows\winsxs
ls -Recurse -File -force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | ? LinkType -ne HardLink | Measure-Object -Property Length -Sum


Swordfishx86,
maybe the screenshot that Berton gave (Rightclicking on the Folder, and then chhoosing Properties) is another awy to know the actual size?

Size displays 8.45GB,
but Size on Disk is actually less (usually it is more) - 5.12GB.

spaceman5 said:

[...]

No.