WinSxS is Windows’ component store, normally found at C:WindowsWinSxS. Windows uses it to install updates, turn features on and off, repair corruption, recover from boot problems and remove faulty updates. It isn’t a junk cache, and you should never delete its contents by hand. If it looks huge in File Explorer, the number is probably misleading.
What WinSxS does
Microsoft Learn’s Manage the Component Store page says Windows keeps the files it needs to maintain and customize the operating system in this folder. Windows Update and DISM both process packages through the component store. The name comes from “side-by-side”: multiple versions of a component can coexist, so Windows can add a new version, keep an older one for rollback, or restore a file that has been damaged.
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In practice, the folder supports:
- installing and uninstalling updates
- enabling or disabling Windows features
- repairing corrupted system files
- recovering from boot failures
- running side-by-side assemblies
Why it looks so big in File Explorer
Windows uses hard links. A hard link lets two file names point to the same data on disk. A file can therefore appear in WinSxS and in another Windows folder such as System32, while only one copy occupies space. Explorer’s folder-size calculation can count both apparent copies, so it overstates the space the folder really uses.
Microsoft’s Determine the Actual Size of the WinSxS Folder page explains how to read the true figure. Component-store overhead is the backups and disabled features size plus cache and temporary data. The report’s “Shared with Windows” figure counts toward actual size, but it isn’t overhead. That data is in use by Windows anyway.
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Microsoft’s page gives a sample report as an illustration, not a typical Windows 11 measurement. It shows an Explorer-reported size of 4.98 GB, an actual size of 4.88 GB, 4.38 GB shared with Windows, and overhead totaling 507.18 MB. Your machine will differ, and Microsoft doesn’t publish a typical size or an expected saving.
How to check the real size
- Right-click Start and open Terminal (Admin), or search for Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
- Run:
Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore - Read the report. It lists the Explorer-reported size, actual component-store size, shared-with-Windows size, backups and disabled features, cache and temporary data, the number of reclaimable packages, and a
Component Store Cleanup Recommendedline.
If the recommendation is “No” or the reclaimable package count is low, cleanup will gain you little.
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Can you delete WinSxS?
No. Microsoft’s Clean Up the WinSxS Folder page (last updated 2025-03-10) states: “Deleting files from the WinSxS folder or deleting the entire WinSxS folder may severely damage your system so that your PC might not boot and make it impossible to update.” Because of the hard links, many files in WinSxS are also the live system files. Avoid third-party tools that offer to delete from the folder directly.
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Automatic maintenance
Windows runs a StartComponentCleanup scheduled task while the system is idle. Run automatically, it waits at least 30 days after an updated component was installed before removing the previous versions. The task has a one-hour timeout, so it may not finish everything in one pass.
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DISM standard cleanup
From an elevated prompt:
Dism.exe /online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanupPer Microsoft, this removes previous component versions immediately, without the 30-day wait, and without the task’s one-hour timeout. Updates can still be uninstalled afterward.
DISM with ResetBase
Dism.exe /online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBaseThis removes all superseded versions of every component. The cost is that you can no longer uninstall existing update packages. Future updates installed after it can still be uninstalled. Use it only if you’re confident you won’t need to roll back a current update, such as when preparing an image or when the system is stable.
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Disk Cleanup
Open Disk Cleanup, choose Clean up system files, and tick the Windows Update cleanup option. This reduces the component store through the supported path.
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Choosing a method
| Method | Started by | 30-day wait | One-hour limit | Existing updates stay uninstallable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled task | Windows (automatic) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DISM /StartComponentCleanup | You | No | No | Yes |
| DISM /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase | You | No | No | No |
Microsoft’s page describes Disk Cleanup’s update option only as a way to reduce the component store, so it isn’t compared in the table.
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