You may have found this article because you have several questions about it. Delete softwaredistribution folderfix windows update error. Please remember to be considerate of other members. Id love to clear this space, as its a lot when im running a 128 ssd as my windows drive. Here this post guide you with more details on the software distribution folder. How to clear downloads folder automatically in windows 10. But first switch off the automatic updates and then delete them. If you only want to remove cached updates, do not delete it, and utilize one of the methods below. If you delete this folder, it will automatically be recreated next time windows updates check for updates. This is where windows will store any future update downloads. Rename or delete the software distribution folder in windows 1087. Software distribution download folder rename or delete. This is the folder where windows stores all the files related to windows updates. Apr 29, 2020 well before the update applied to the pc, these files download to a temporary folder softwaredistribution on the pc.
Yes, it is safe to delete, but the next time when windows checks for updates, it will. Theres never a good reason to manipulate or delete files andor folders in there, unless you really have an issue with windows update. If files are in use and you cannot delete some files, then you should restart your device. I meant i didnt want to delete the download folder itself. How to rename or delete software distribution folder on. Items 2a, if deleted, will prevent you from uninstalling a given update. First of, never ever delete the softwaredistribution folder. 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.
Solved wsus software distribution folder wont delete. Clean up the softwaredistribution folder in windows to free up disk space. Oct 12, 2011 delete softwaredistribution folder, now asking for updates again hello, i have a question regarding windows updates and the folder softwaredistribution in windows folder. Type the following one after the other and press enter. How to delete or rename software distribution folder on. For example if it was renamed download old then delete download old. There is a negative side when you delete your software distribution folder, though. Delete or rename software distribution folder on windows. Folder windows\softwaredistribution\download january 2009. Im thinking if its safe to delete these sub folders under software distributions to free up my harddisk. You can delete the softwaredistribution folder, the contents of the eventcache folder, and the. Go back to services window, then rightclick windows update and then select start. I am not familiar with how windows uses stuff from this directory. This folder normally stores automatic windows update files.
Oct 12, 2015 it is safe to delete everything in that folder. Can i delete the softwaredistribution download folder. Do not post advertisements, offensive materials, profanity, or personal attacks. Open the command prompt as administrator, then run the following commands to restart the. Rename or delete the software distribution folder in. How to delete software distribution folder on windows 10. Mar 05, 2005 this folder is safe to delete its only used to store windows updates occasionally this becomes full and ppl have problems with windows update therefore its perfectly safe to delete. Type the following command to stop the windows update service and press enter. There are no application or services which will need it again after installing the patches. Do so with a click on file change folder and search options.
Deleted softwaredistribution folder and now i dont have. To delete the content inside the softwaredistribution folder, do the. Restart your device and do the steps again in order to delete all files. Try downloading the iso, then manually upgrading without accepting updates. The software distribution folder is in the following location in file explorer. 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. This applies to current versions of microsoft windows, i. What if i accidentally delete software distribution folder in. Delete it, and at best youll just have to watch and wait while the same data is sucked back down the next time you update your pc. Actually, its safe to delete files found in the software distribution folder, so long as it has already done its job with windows update. If anyone could give me some help in determining whether its safe or not to delete these folders, and if theres a proper way of doing it, would be awesome. You might be prompted for administrator permissions.
If you want to gain some more space, you can also delete the. How to delete softwaredistribution folder from a windows 10 pc. I have no had issues doing so either, however, i am now wondering, if we have wsus set up for servers to pull. How to clear the softwaredistribution folder on windows 10 and. Sep 19, 2019 go to the software distribution folder c. However often times after windows has already installed the downloaded updates, these temporary files still remain in the download folder. In conclusion, you can know how to delete software distribution folder and how to rename it. 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 these boxes. That folder contains stuff that makes windows update go. Safe to delete downloads in softwaredistribution folder. Is it safe to delete the sub folders in software distribution.
Oct 04, 2005 hi there, does anyone know if it safe to delete the contents of the c. 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. On the machine on which i type this the entire thing accounts for 83mb of hdd space, which is roughly, oooh, 0. The first thing youll do is to create a new folder for the downloads on a different drive. Type in net stop wuauserv without the quotes and press enter. Item 1 contents, not the folder are safe to delete. How to clear the softwaredistribution folder to delete the content inside the softwaredistribution folder, do the following. It sounds to me like future updates are going to be. Delete the software distribution folder on windows 10 easy. There are mixed views across the board about deleting this folder, but my view is that if you stop automatic updates, delete the folder then restart automatic updates that works and has worked many time before for me. Starting with build 16199, a new option appeared in settings. Note that removing the software distribution folder will delete your windows. Learn how to remove, delete, rename or empty the contents of software distribution folder in windows 1087. How to clear the softwaredistribution folder on windows.
This article explains how windows uses the softwaredistribution folder and covers cleaning the folder to help free up disk space. The windows update temporary download folder, under the softwaredistribution folder, delete procedure has been completed. 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. When deep cleaning windows to recover disk space, performing a softwaredistribution folder cleanup is one task that may help. The temporary update files go to the softwaredistribution folder, in the download folder, sometimes this folder needs a cleanup. How to clear all cache in windows 10 easytechs tutorials. If indeed it is safe to delete them, is there a prescribed safe way for such files, or can you just use the delete command in windows explorer to send them to the recycle bin. How to delete downloaded windows update files ghacks.
Dec 15, 2016 there are a few locations that you can delete filesfolders from. In this tutorial, learn how to delete software distribution folder on windows 10. Delete the registry entry from hklm\software\microsoft\windowsnt\currentversion\profilelist. You should be able to delete the folder by booting into safe mode and simply renaming the folder. Sometimes, you may get a cant delete because the file is in use message, but you can just skip those files. Microsoft windows operating system use softwaredistribution folder to download and manage the updates applicable to your os and applications. How to change the windows 10 update download folder location. Scroll down and look for softwaredistribution folder then rightclick it and then select delete. To delete these temporary files, you will need to be logged in with an admin account. Windows 10 got the ability to clear the downloads folder automatically in a recent build.
Delete softwaredistribution folderfix windows update. Rename or delete software distribution folder in windows 10. If ever you are not able to delete some files, it may be in use. Jan 28, 2008 if indeed it is safe to delete them, is there a prescribed safe way for such files, or can you just use the delete command in windows explorer to send them to the recycle bin. Cleanup of software distribution folder alt it consulting. Rebooting will start the two services we stopped, but if you dont want.
Windowssoftwaredistributiondownloads is it safe to. Click start, click run, and type cmd without the quotes and press enter. Search for command prompt, rightclick the result, and select run as administrator. After you have installed all the pending updates, it is safe to delete all the files and folder under c. It contained the folder download taking almost 2 gb of space. Or if you in a position now that you dont know whos right and whos wrong then burn the contents of that folder to disk and then delete it delete the folder from. Legacy and new windows xp versions and windows software. Is it safe to delete files under microsoft community. 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. The short answer is yes, its safe to delete files found in the software distribution folder, so long as it has already done its job with windows update.
Nov 04, 2016 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. If you delete the whole folder, it will automatically be downloaded again, along with the files needed for windows update. Rename or delete the software distribution folder in windows. C drive full system running slow unable to work on the server unable to delete files or do a disk cleanup. Saving space deleting windows\\softwaredistribution. Can i safely delete the \windows\softwaredistribution folder. In windows explorer delete the renamed download folder. 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. If you only want to remove cached updates, do not delete it. Windows update stuck downloading updates, we couldnt complete the updates, windows 10.
Delete softwaredistribution folder, now asking for updates again hello, i have a question regarding windows updates and the folder softwaredistribution in windows folder. To delete the content inside the softwaredistribution folder, do the following. Apr 08, 2007 if you are talking abou the softwaredistribution folder that is in c. The softwaredistribution folder is where automatic updates are stored. I noticed that every day files get added to the cdrive under c. Saving space deleting windows\\softwaredistribution\\download. 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. The software distribution folder in windows 1087 is situated in the following location in file explorer. Open and delete all files in the following location. If you navigate to the folder manually, you may need to enable the showing of hidden files first. So while looking at the purpose of softwaredistribution you might be interested in knowing whether is it safe to delete this folder or can we rename softwaredistribution folder in. This concerns me the files are needed and 1, i wont be able to delete and 2, if they are in use will they be recreated, if so this is more than 1.
Keep in touch and stay productive with teams and officeeven when youre working remotely. Hope that makes sense but thanks for the correct getservice cmdlets i shall use them going forward. What if i accidentally delete software distribution folder. In file explorer, find the location you want to use, rightclick anywhere, point to the new submenu, and then click the folder command. How to delete the software distribution folder on windows 10. I would say that in 98% procents of the cases there is safe to remove that directory except the case in which you have a wsus installed on that server also. Folder windows\softwaredistribution\download please note. Mar 17, 2009 that folder contains stuff that makes windows update go. In fact, i was just working with a client that had this exact issue. Jun 26, 2018 scroll down and look for softwaredistribution folder then rightclick it and then select delete. On my computer is size is around 1 mb, but its size. Have you ever wondered what the softwaredistribution folder s purpose is. Rightclick on the service windows update and select stop from the menu.
Ive had a lot of problems installing the 1803 and 1809 updates, when they try to update. Have you ever wondered why your server hard drive fills up so fast. In general, its safe to delete anything in the temp folder. Often times in our environment, c drives run into space issues and the c. To clear temporary files automatically in windows 10, you need to enable the new option.
Permission may need to be given to do this, if so click continue on the message box that appears. Mar 05, 2018 for the first part of question, as said above the primary purpose of having softwaredistribution folder is to assist in microsoft windows update functionality. How to clear the softwaredistribution folder on windows 10. Hello, after fresh installation of vista i have more than 5g of files in windows\ softwaredistribution\download folder.
Softwaredistribution folder delete in windows tek eye. Alternatively, you can also try to boot windows 10 into safe mode, and rename softwaredistribution to softwaredistribution. Telling 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. Discus and support safe to delete softwaredistribution folders. Once you are in this folder, open the download folder, select all the files in it and just press the delete key on your keyboard to delete all the files. How to delete softwaredistribution folder from a windows. For the first part of question, as said above the primary purpose of having softwaredistribution folder is to assist in microsoft windows update functionality. But do not delete the folder itself, if you do clean out that folder then also navigate to. How to restore the downloads folder view in windows 10. Aug 23, 2017 occasionally wuauserv will start on its own right away before i can remove softwaredistribution. How to delete rename software distribution folder on windows 10, 8. Click on software distribution folder icon to play the game. And so i did but i forgot to go in to the downloads folder and i deleted everything from the softwaredistribution.