‘WS’ stands for Windows Setup that stores mostly configuration files and not the setup files. $Windows~WS is a hidden folder in which you can find the files of your extreme importance of the previous system version. It stores the most important data and provides you with backup in case you want to downgrade the system back to other old versions like -Windows 7 or Windows 8.
This folder is only visible to the users that upgraded to Windows 10 on Windows 7 or 8, rather than performing the clean installation.
It can be found in the system partition, once you enable the Hidden items. You can perform the task by checking the Hidden items box under the View section.
Another similar folder is $Windows~BT which, on the other hand, stores major updates and installation files, so it’s also worth keeping.
Check If You Can Delete $Windows.~WS?
$Windows.~BT and $Windows.~WS are temporary folders and can be safely deleted.
On the other hand, these folders combined can take dozens of gigabytes of storage space. And if you’re satisfied with what Windows 10, you can delete their content right away.
It may not work for the first time, you may need to reboot your computer and perform the task once again. If you get the message, ” The system cannot find the file specified” it means the folder is already deleted.
You can perform the task manually , that is, by deleting the folder. Follow the instructions below to clean them and free some storage space:
Step 1:In the Windows Search bar, type Disk and open Disk Cleanup.
Step 2: Navigate and Select the system partition (C: for most of the time).
Step 3: Click on the ”Clean Up System Files” button.
Step 4: Check all the boxes.
Step 5: Finally, OK to confirm start the cleanup procedure.
After that, navigate to C:$Windows~WS and DELETE its content completely. And, don’t worry, you can delete this folder without any further consequences.
Bottom Line
So, I think by this time you have understood that if you’re rethinking switching back to Windows 7 or 8, it’s quite important to keep this file and not delete it.
I hope this article has provided you the basic concept of what is windows WS or if you can delete $Windows.~WS?
In case you have related questions regarding this or other folders, make sure to post them in the comments section below. We look forward to hearing back from you.
