The software distribution folder in the windows operating system is a folder in the windows directory. Also i stuffed up wu on 800 pcs at work and the easiest solution was to delete the entire software distribution folder via a simple script. Software distribution folders are those containing the windows update installation files. Here 2 different ways to delete or rename software distribution folder windows 10, 8. Solved wsus software distribution folder wont delete spiceworks. Deleted softwaredistribution folder and now i dont have. When services window opens, locate background intelligent transfer service, right click it and choose stop from the menu. I have no had issues doing so either, however, i am now wondering, if we have wsus set up for servers to pull. Software distribution folder resetrenameempty like a boss. Whenever you decide to make changes to your system, it is essential that you create a restore point. The software distribution folder contains all the files associated with windows updates and can be quite a large folder. How to delete softwaredistribution folder from a windows. Script wsus reset and delete softwaredistribution folder.
It stores temporary files and data that requires to update your pc. One commonly asked question is, can i delete the winsxs folder to regain some disk space. Side effects of deletionrenaming software distribution folder. Even if you delete files in other ways, they will download automatically.
To delete the contents of windows softwaredistribution folder, you can follow the steps. How to delete softwaredistribution folder from a windows 10 pc. Deleting the software distribution folders will not affect your computers functionality. Im thinking if its safe to delete these sub folders under software distributions to free up my harddisk. Hi, i need to regain disk space on the c drive of an sbs2003 server the client needs to buy a new server really but thats another issue there is about 2gb in the softwaredistribution\download folder. Wondering where to locate softwaredistribution and is it safe to delete or rename softwaredistribution folder. Ive had a lot of problems installing the 1803 and 1809 updates, when they try to update. On windows 10, the softwaredistribution folder is an essential. Generally, once all the files it needs have been used to install windows update, you can delete the contents of the software distribution folder. If you know why you need to clear this folder but cant figure out how to do it, this guide will show you how. Cleanup of software distribution folder alt it consulting. It is generally speaking safe to delete the contents of the software distribution folder, once all files required by it have been used for installing. Rename or delete the software distribution folder in windows 1087. While you do not want to touch this folder under normal conditions, you may need to empty its contents should you find that your systems datastore and the download folder have got desynchronized, resulting in your windows updates not working pro.
These folders, along with the folder contents, may be deleted using windows explorer. First, new technologies are emerging, as a result, the equipment is being improved and that, in turn, requires software changes. Renaming software distribution folder access denied. This entry was posted in windows 10 and tagged windows 10 clear downloads folder automatically, windows 10 downloads folder on may 18, 2017 by sergey tkachenko. So, in order to perform any operation on this folder, you need to stop these services. Stop the windows update service and background intelligent transfer services. Fix windows updates error related to software distribution. Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. First of all you should stop windows update service. We recently had to change the name of our wsus server, actually rebuilt it and used a different naming convention. Delete softwaredistribution folderfix windows update. Search for command prompt, rightclick the result, and select run as. How to delete the software distribution folder on windows.
Search for command prompt, rightclick the result, and select run as administrator. How to clear downloads folder automatically in windows 10. How to clear the softwaredistribution folder to delete the content inside the softwaredistribution folder, do the following. Backup or rename the software distribution folder if you wanted to make a backup, and thats a good idea, we can rename the software distribution folder so it can be deleted or restored later. How to rename or delete software distribution folder on windows. This will force windows to create a new software distribution folder and redownload all the necessary components for windows update to function normally.
Managed by windows update agent wuagent, the softwaredistribution folder can be found in the windows directory. Every update comes with security improvements and bug fixes or even with new features. If you delete this folder, it will automatically be recreated next time windows updates check for updates. Delete the software distribution folder on windows 10 easy. Is it safe to delete files under microsoft community. The symantec connect community allows customers and users of symantec to network and learn more about creative and innovative ways to. Solved wsus software distribution folder wont delete. Wsus reset and delete softwaredistrib ution folder this script has been tested however, use at your own risk. You already may have heard about the software distribution folder.
How to clear the softwaredistribution folder on windows 10 and. Id love to clear this space, as its a lot when im running a 128 ssd as my windows drive. If your os doesnt allow you to perform the operation, try to use unlocker utility or other thirdparty tools. Rename or delete the software distribution folder in windows 1087 1. But do not delete the folder itself, if you do clean out that folder then also navigate to. What is software distribution folder and how to delete or. When its finished, you can rename softwaredistribution folder or simply delete it. Hi, been trying to run disk cleanup on c drive of our windows 2008 server so as to remove files in c.
How to delete the software distribution folder on windows 10. New versions of the software should be released several times a quarter and even several times a month. What is software distribution folder and how to delete or rename it. You can consider deleting the software distribution folder on windows 1087 if your windows update is not working properly or not working at all or if you find that the size of this folder has really grown large. And so i did but i forgot to go in to the downloads folder and i deleted everything from the softwaredistribution. We are presenting today two methods how to delete windows update files. How to rename or delete software distribution folder on. Script or command to delete contents of software distribution folder. How to delete or rename software distribution folder on. There is a negative side when you delete your software distribution folder, though. However, these files may be saved to a flash or external drive and used to update another system.
How to clear the softwaredistribution folder on windows. To delete the content inside the softwaredistribution folder, do the following. To get regular windows update, both the catroot2 and catroot folders are important. How to delete software distribution folder on windows 10 youtube. How to delete software distribution folders techwalla.
Be sure to set windows explorer folder options to view system folders and files. How to delete softwaredistribution folder in windows 10. Type the following command to stop the windows update service and press enter. You should be able to delete the folder by booting into safe mode and simply renaming the folder. Disk cleanup of software distribution downloads folder. Make sure to restart these services after performing an operation on this folder. Typically i have no issues renaming the softwaredistribution folder once the windows update service is off, but i have a few boxes that cant be renamed even after rebooting the. You may want to know how to delete, modify or rename software distribution folder on windows 10. Softwaredistribution folder delete in windows tek eye. In addition, another reason is because if you delete the folder it will get automatically be recreated.
Looking for answers about the purpose of softwaredistribution folder in windows 10. Open the command prompt as administrator, then run the following commands to restart the. Choose all file in softwaredistribution folder, right click on it and press delete. Thanks, im aware of the significance or lack of of this folder, and i realize i could just drill down to it and manually dump the contents. Actually, its safe to delete files found in the software distribution folder, so long as it has already done its job with windows update. A guide showing you how you can delete or rename the windows 10 software distribution folder. The software distribution folder is a folder that is used to store temporary files, which the files are usually from windows updates. I routinely empty that folder before creating an image. If yes, just go through this detailed article on windows softwaredistribution folder. Rename or delete software distribution folder in windows 10. How to delete the software distribution folder doing that will stop the windows update and background intelligent transfer service. Delete or rename software distribution folder on windows. Open your windows command prompt in admin mode run as admin and there enter the following commands one by one which will eventually stop the windows update. Folder windows\softwaredistribution\download january.
You should know that the software distribution folder is an essential component for windows. The software distribution folder in drive cwindows is consuming huge space in my harddisk and i noticed that it only includes already installed updates for my applications or softwares. Scroll down and look for softwaredistribution folder then rightclick it and then select delete. Verify that the new software distribution folder created when you restart the update service is approxiamtely 1. If you delete the whole folder, it will automatically be downloaded again, along with the files needed for windows update. If you want to delete the software distribution folder, first stop the windows update service, delete the files in the folder, and then restart the. Saving space deleting windows\\softwaredistribution. This topic is about the different ways to reduce the size of the winsxs folder on a running version of windows 10. Alt it consulting cleanup of software distribution folder. I was told that i could delete these files manually by stopping the wsaupdate service then removing. Often times in our environment, c drives run into space issues and the c. When new windows updates are ready for download, a new software distribution folder will be created.
About sergey tkachenko sergey tkachenko is a software developer from russia who started winaero back in 2011. How to delete software distribution folder on windows 10. The size of the folder where update files are stored is becoming a concern. Ive had a lot of problems installing the 1803 and 1809 updates, when they try to update they always gets reverted back to previous versions of windows.
Just like softwaredistribution folder these folders contain many important windows update components. Delete software distribution folder to delete the contents of the software distribution folder, in windows 10, from the winx menu, open command prompt admin. This article will explain what it is, can you delete, rename or modify this folder or not and how. Like said above, under no circumstances should you delete anything from this folder just for the sake of freeing up space. Software distribution folder is managed by windows update agent wuagent and background intelligent transfer service bits. Software distribution folder is an essential component for windows update on windows 10. Symantec helps consumers and organizations secure and manage their informationdriven world.
Learn how to remove, delete, rename or empty the contents of software distribution folder in windows 1087. This applies to current versions of microsoft windows, i. Microsoft windows operating system use softwaredistribution folder to download and manage the updates applicable to your os and applications. This way, if anything goes wrong, you can always bring back your os to a working state. This article explains how windows uses the softwaredistribution folder and covers cleaning the folder to help free up disk space. Rename or delete the software distribution folder in. What if i accidentally delete software distribution folder. When deep cleaning windows to recover disk space, performing a softwaredistribution folder cleanup is one task that may help. And well people said the the downloads folder in the software distribution folder is safe to delete and i will gain like 5gb from deleting it. How to delete windows update files windows 7 10 get. Restart the computer and del the folder if you have no issues. Ive had a lot of problems installing the 1803 and 1809 updates, when they try to.
366 193 222 117 609 464 433 1217 204 274 1101 693 650 874 920 618 646 1052 686 923 1359 1373 746 1253 1015 1363 744 16 126 885 602 638 756 385 544