AOMEI Partition Assistant
Windows 11 Update Size| How Much Space Does It Take?
If you want to know the Windows 11 update size, don’t miss this post, we’ll talk about how much space will Windows 11 take up. Moreover, we will also share methods for you to extend the system drive.
By Tina / Updated on May 12, 2023
About Windows 11
Windows 11 is an operating system launched by Microsoft in 2021. Compared with Windows 10, it's a little different, including the new start menu, new layout, new system requirements, etc. You can enjoy bigger icons and a prettier user interface in Windows 11.
With a redesign, it's easier to find and start programs on your PC in Windows 11. In addition, it supports a virtual desktop function, so users can create multiple desktops to complete different tasks. Therefore, many Windows users want to install and use Windows 11.
However, since they don’t know the Windows 11 update size, they are still considering whether to replace the current Windows version with Windows 11.
How much space will Windows 11 update size take up?
What is the new Windows 11 update size? There's a rumor on the Internet that 64 GB of space is required, but this is not true. "64 GB" free space just be prepared for the smooth performance of the system. It is not a fixed number.
Next, with two Windows installing methods, we'll show you the needed Windows 11 size on disk more intuitively.
★ Case 1. Windows 11 clean installation
The first method is clean installing Windows 11. This method will delete all data from the PC, including current Windows OS, system-related files, other Apps, etc. It will only install Windows 11 on your PC, so after the clean installation, the space usage on your PC is almost equal to the Windows 11 update size.
For example, when you want to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, you clean installed Windows 11. The storage usage of your C drive can be as follows.
Open Windows Setting, then click "Storage" and "Show more categories" to see the C drive space usage.
As you can see, "System & reserved" occupies 18.0 GB, Apps & features-2.78 GB, Temporary files-326 MB, Other-6.44 MB and OneDrive-4.00 KB. So the total occupied space is about 21.1 GB.
If you want to see more space, you can turn to "System & reserved", then you can see The system files-8.18 GB, reserved storage-7.48 GB, virtual memory-1.93 GB, hibernation file-409 MB.
★ Case 2. Upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11
When you upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, things are different. We also check the PC space usage in the settings.
In the Setting, you can see the System & reserved-36.0 GB, Apps & features-22.5 GB, Temporary files-4.11 GB, Other- 2.63 GB, Desktop-1.02 GB, Videos-173 MB, Maps-1.83 MB. The total Windows 10 to 11 update size up to 69.7 GB.
Besides, you can see the data in "System & reserved" is also strange. System files-32.7 GB, Virtual memory- 258 MB, Hibernation file-2.77 GB, System restore- 2.94 GB.
Therefore, Windows 11 update size is not immutable. If you upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, there are many hidden factors, including:
✐ Previously installed Windows 10 and system-related files.
✐ Applications installed on your PC.
✐ Generated hibernation files and temporary files.
It can be seen that the rumors about "64 GB" are traceable. After upgrading to Windows 11, many files, such as temporary files and system restore files take up a lot of PC space.
You need to reserve some space on your computer, especially the C drive. Because once the C drive becomes full, it will cause a series of problems, such as computer crash, blue screen, etc.
How to get more free space on Windows 11
Since Windows 11 will take up much C drive space, it is important to notice the free space on this drive. In order to get more free C drive space after installing Windows 11, you can use an excellent disk management expert - AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional.
In the user-friendly interface, just click a few options, Allocate Free Space allow you to move the free space in other drive to the C drive. The "App Mover" function can safely move installed programs to another drive without reinstalling.
In addition, it has advanced functions such as Disk Clone Wizard, Migrate OS to SSD, Delete Large Files, etc.
✿ Method 1. Extend the PC space
When the current C drive is full, you can use "Allocate Free Space" to extend C drive. Details are as follows:
Step 1. Download and run AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, then right-click the partition with free space (here we choose the D drive) and click "Allocate Free Space".
Step 2. Set the space and destination drive.
Step 3. Click "Apply" to start moving space to C drive.
✿ Method 2. Move Applications from C to D
Usually, many programs are downloaded and installed on the C drive by default. Therefore, when the free space on the C drive is insufficient, you can migrate some programs to another drive, releasing the C drive.
Step 1. Open this tool, click "Free up" and "App Mover" at the top interface.
Step 2. There're two options: "App Mover" or "Move Folders", click "App Mover".
Tip: If you want to migrate folders to another drive, please operate on Windows 7 PC.
Step 3. In the small window, choose the C drive and click "Next".
Step 4. Choose the target program and choose the destination drive, then click "Move".
Step 5. Click "OK" to move the target programs.
Note: This tool support Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP, and if you’re the Windows Server users, you can turn to the special Server Version.
Last line
In this post, we have analyzed the Windows 11 update size, and provided some methods to have more PC space when you have updated to Windows 11. If you want to enjoy a better PC performance, please try these methods.
