Learn how to remove, delete, rename or empty the contents of software distribution folder in windows 1087. Often times in our environment, c drives run into space issues and the c. And so i did but i forgot to go in to the downloads folder and i deleted everything from the softwaredistribution. I noticed that every day files get added to the cdrive under c.
Therefore, a full softwaredistribution folder delete is not done, just the download folder in that directory. Hello, after fresh installation of vista i have more than 5g of files in windows\ softwaredistribution\download folder. Rename or delete the software distribution folder in windows 108. What is software distribution folder and how to delete or. All the files in the softwaredistribution should be deleted. Drag the mouse over all files in the software distribution folder. Just wondering if it is necessary to stop the windows update service and the background intelligent transfer service before deleting the contents in the download folder as i have seen this in another article, where the writer stops these services before deletion, then starts them up again all via command prompt. Before you can do that, you need to disable the windows delivery optimization feature. How to delete software distribution folder on windows 10 youtube.
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. Software distribution download folder what is the software distribution folder you should know that the software distribution folder is an essential component for windows. Since these were setup or update files, i assume they were zipped, and that upon installation, the electronic carapace for lack of a better word became discardable. Hi there, does anyone know if it safe to delete the contents of the c. Softwaredistribution folder i just found where all my updates were located. How to delete windows update files windows 7 10 get it. Can i safely delete them as they take up lots of space. My c drive is full and i have gone through the cleanup process several times. How to delete windows update files windows 7 10 get. Mar 07, 2017 usually we have some solutions on how to fix it. Can safely delete these, always do so number of days after installing updates. 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. Can i delete the contents of the softwaredistribution.
Even if you delete files in other ways, they will download automatically. Softwaredistribution folder solved windows 10 forums. Restart your device and do the steps again in order to delete all files. Can i delete the softwaredistribution download folder. Rename or delete software distribution folder in windows 10.
If ever you are not able to delete some files, it may be in use. To do that, search for check for updates in the start menu and open it. Here this post guide you with more details on the software distribution folder. Choose all file in softwaredistribution folder, right click on it and press delete. How to restore the downloads folder view in windows 10. I have this folder on an xp sp2 desktop here at work and the subfolders of that. When you run into issues though with updates, you may spend hours or even days figuring out what is going wrong.
Aug 23, 2017 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. The downloads directory continues to store old files you may not need any more and fills your disk drive with junk. You should know that the software distribution folder is an essential component for windows. To delete the content inside the softwaredistribution folder, do the following. 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. What if i accidentally delete software distribution folder. Windows 10 will always redownload all the necessary files. How to delete rename software distribution folder on windows 10, 8. I meant i didnt want to delete the download folder itself. How to clear the softwaredistribution folder on windows 10. Reboot or restart services rebooting will start the two services we stopped, but if you dont want to reboot, open up the command prompt again and type in the. 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 windows update. Eventually, the softwaredistribution folder will accumulate a lot of junk files that may affect your computers performance. Software distribution download folder rename or delete.
Rename or delete the software distribution folder in windows. Delete or rename software distribution folder on windows. Now we can proceed with the deleting the contents of the software distribution folder. What if i accidentally delete software distribution folder in. 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. Note that removing the software distribution folder will delete your windows updates history. Can i delete the contents of the softwaredistribution download folder without it harming my. This article will explain what it is, can you delete, rename or modify this folder or not and how. Discus and support can i delete the contents of the softwaredistribution download folder without it harming my. Step 4 rightclick on the highlighted files and select delete from the context menu, or press the del key on the keyboard. First of, never ever delete the softwaredistribution folder. How to clear the softwaredistribution folder on windows 10 and.
Open file explorer and browse to software distribution. Feb 01, 2018 how to delete software distribution folder on windows 10. Every update comes with security improvements and bug fixes or even with new features. Folder windows\softwaredistribution\download january 2009. Saving space deleting windows\\softwaredistribution\\download. If you choose to delete files, you can take a closer look on softwaredistribution folder in this article we will explain whats the purposes of this folder and show you how to delete it to free some. I have no had issues doing so either, however, i am now wondering, if we have wsus set up for servers to pull. For both options select download content from distribution point and run. Mar, 2012 c windows softwaredistribution datastore. Saving space deleting windows\\softwaredistribution. It stores temporary files and data that requires to update your pc. Here is how to delete the downloaded windows update files that windows 10 doesnt delete itself. Alternatively, you can also run a disc cleanup to delete the temporary files from your computer. The softwaredistribution \ download folder delete may fix problems that stop the disk cleanup utility from finishing.
You will have to shut down windows updates then restart the computer, so you can delete everything. The softwaredistribution folder contains files related to updates obtained via windows update, it is present on all versions of windows. Apr 03, 2020 well before the update applied to the pc, these files download to a temporary folder softwaredistribution on the pc. Repairrestore missing windows os files damaged by malware with a few clicks. 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. There is the regular softwaredistribution folder under c. Oct 04, 2005 hi there, does anyone know if it safe to delete the contents of the c.
How to rename or delete software distribution folder on windows. Since the win10 anniversary update, i have a duplicate softwaredistribution folder on my b drive which is where i store all my files. Jun 26, scroll down and look for softwaredistribution folder then rightclick it and then select delete. Rename or delete the software distribution folder in. If you are running into issues with updates, you can try to delete downloaded windows update files. Enter net stop wuauserv into an elevated command prompt. Cleanup of software distribution folder alt it consulting.
When an update package is damaged or fails to install, windows 10 may keep the corrupted file on the drive, so it will further cause issues with updates. Well before the update applied to the pc, these files download to a temporary folder softwaredistribution on the pc. Tuesday, 10 may the source files, the package definition, the program and the distribution points. Can you safely delete setup files of programs or updates that you have downloaded from the internet.
If you want to delete system files, such as the windows. Apr 22, 2016 if you want to gain some more space, you can also delete the files inside the deliveryoptimization folder. If you only want to remove cached updates, do not delete it, and utilize one of the methods below. How to delete softwaredistribution folder from a windows 10 pc. Windows 10 will always redownload all the necessary files, or recreate the folder and redownload all the components, if removed. My download folder is 85mb, my w7 pro x64 sp1 install is. How to delete or rename software distribution folder on. The temporary update files go to the softwaredistribution folder, in the download folder, sometimes this folder needs a cleanup. Files stored in the downloads folder for more than 30 days will be deleted for example as part of this cleanup. So how do we cleanup clean windows update and delete or reset windows update files and history. When its finished, you can rename softwaredistribution folder or simply delete it. Their location in windows 7 and windows 10 can be found on the following path. Where is the location for windows 7 and windows 10 update files. Select the drive you want to clean up and hit ok, then wait while disk cleanup calculates how much space you can free up.
How to delete software distribution folders techwalla. How to clear downloads folder automatically in windows 10. After you have installed all the pending updates, it is safe to delete all the files and folder under c. Even if you delete files otherwise, they will get automatically downloaded. How to clear the softwaredistribution folder on windows. Emptying windowssoftwaredistributiondownload folder. Delete downloaded windows update files in windows 10. Solved wsus software distribution folder wont delete. Clean up the softwaredistribution folder in windows to free up disk space. Softwaredistribution folder delete in windows tek eye. Jan 02, 2015 can you safely delete setup files of programs or updates that you have downloaded from the internet. If you were to delete the folder itself, it will get automatically. 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.
How to delete software distribution folder on windows 10. If your os doesnt allow you to perform the operation, try to use unlocker utility or other thirdparty tools. Folder windows\softwaredistribution\download january. In such case, you can try to delete downloaded windows update files to start over. You can safely delete these files off from that folder. The disk cleanup utility can take quite a while to finish, and if still not finished after a few hours it may be. If you decide to delete the contents of your windows\ softwaredistribution \ download folder, then i suggest you at least back up that folder by copying it to another partitionfolder or to cd to be on the safe side. Is it safe to delete files under microsoft community. It sounds to me like future updates are going to be looking for that. If you decide to delete the contents of your windows\softwaredistribution\download folder, then i suggest you at least back up that folder by copying it to another partitionfolder or to cd to be on the safe side. I prefer download the update from windows update catalog. Solved wsus software distribution folder wont delete spiceworks.
258 359 1516 995 892 1157 754 638 757 1015 181 1324 316 671 1425 786 1499 1542 1385 1522 585 1584 1250 201 981 935 970 959 1394 1240 1478 1024 802 762 430 1193 497 1132 849