Software distribution download folder windows 10

This way, if anything goes wrong, you can always bring back your OS to a working state. So, follow the steps below:. Let your system create a restore point. It may take a couple of minutes for the process to complete. After creating a restore point, you can now delete the SoftwareDistribution folder. To do that, you need to follow the instructions below:. Note: You can also use an elevated form of Command Prompt for this method. Right-click Command Prompt from the results, then select Run as Administrator.

When this happens, all you need to do is restart your computer. Some users are worried about removing the SoftwareDistribution folder. After all, it is an essential part of Windows Update. If you share the same sentiment, then we suggest that you can rename the folder. Here are the steps:.

Were you able to rename the SoftwareDistribution folder, using the steps we shared? If it remains the same, we recommend that you boot into Safe mode, then change the name of the folder to SoftwareDistribution. Do not worry about doing anything damaging to your computer.

After all, this process only involves removing the historical information of the folder. If you were to delete the folder itself, it will get automatically re-created and the required WU components downloaded automatically. However, this data store also contains your Windows Update History files. If you delete them you will lose your Update history.

Moreover, the next time you run Windows Update, it will result in a longer detection time. Type the following one after the other and hit Enter:.

Now browse to the C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution folder and delete all the files and folders inside. If the files are in use, and you are unable to delete some files, restart your device. After rebooting, run the above commands again. Now you will be able to delete the files from the mentioned Software Distribution folder. After you have emptied this folder, you may restart your computer or you may type the following commands, one at a time in the CMD, and hit Enter to restart the Windows Update related Services.

If you wish to rename the Software Distribution folder, open an elevated command prompt windows, type the following commands one after the other, and hit Enter:. TIP : Our portable freeware FixWin allows you to reset this and most other Windows settings or functions with a single click.

Note: You can also instead rename the software distribution folder. A guide showing you how you can delete or rename the Windows 10 Software Distribution Folder. The Software Distribution Folder contains all the files associated with Windows updates and can be quite a large folder. If you know why you need to clear this folder but can't figure out how to do it, this guide will show you how.

Generally speaking, it is best to not delete this folder from your system, as it will remove your ability to roll back Windows to an older version.

However, if you know what you are doing and need to delete or rename this folder for a particular reason, you can follow the steps below. If you are just trying to make some space on your computer after a large Windows Update, you can use this guide instead.

You can delete the Software Distribution folder on Windows 10 at any time as it will automatically redownload itself when Windows updates next. You may also need the files within the folder to restore your computer to an older version if something fails.