Wondering about how many gigabytes does Windows 11 takes up on your device? This article explains the space requirements of Windows 11 along with some reliable methods of reducing space.
There are chances that you could find yourself with insufficient disk space while planning to install Windows 11.
As they say, everything comes with a cost. So, along with the advanced perks of the new operating system, the path to managing the hard drive space is tricky. Therefore, understanding the storage requirements is necessary.
With the increased usage of SSD instead of HHD, users’ concerns further intensify. The space required by Windows 11 PC is not just limited to installation.
The advent of advanced features, constant upgrades, and newly released versions all call for added space.
Your Windows PC may end up slow if several applications are open at once. Similarly, other problems may arise due to low disk space. Keep reading and discover how much space Windows 11 take.
Table of Contents
- How many gigabytes does Windows 11 takes up?
- Steps to perform disk cleanup
- Wrap up
How many gigabytes does Windows 11 takes up?
Space requirements
If you go through the older versions of Windows, you will find out that Windows Vista and Windows XP used to require only 5GB to 10GB of disk space.
That is mainly due to their specific design and limited features. Now it has come a long way in terms of GB requirements.
Generally, users employ two ways to install Windows 11: clean installation and Windows update from previous versions. And both ways have different capacity needs because of some factors.
Clean installation requirements
Windows 11 consumes 27GB during a clean installation. However, according to Microsoft, a partition of 64GB of drive C is ideal to ensure the smooth running of Windows OS.
As clean installation removes all the pre-existing commands, temporary files, and apps hence less storage space is utilized during the process.
Windows upgrade
Some users prefer to upgrade their existing Windows using ISO files to save time. The gigabytes requirement of this process may exceed 64GB due to various factors.
Virtual memory, temporary, and hibernation files of the previous version on disk take up space to run. Similarly, stored data of apps used by the older version results in increasing capacity.
Difference between the storage requirements of different editions of Windows
For the feasibility of users, Windows offer several editions related to different domains. Users may opt for specific versions according to their available capacity. Windows editions vary in terms of space utilization because of their features.
Let’s take a closer look at the storage space requirements of these versions.
Windows 11 in S mode
Tech geeks find the storage requirement of Windows 11 in S mode least among all. However, installing this version of Windows is an uphill task as it requires technical work.
The good news is that market offers readymade Windows in S mode that ensures hassle-free installation. The S mode is the priority of the users where a strict privacy setup is a requirement.
It doesn’t allow any third-party apps and programs installation on hard drives. Users can only download apps from the Microsoft Store and Microsoft edge – hence less disk space consumption. A rough estimation of S mode size is 5-7 GB of drive space.
Windows 11 Pro
Windows 11 pro is a bulky edition of Windows 11. It has all the advanced features and specifications which other editions are deprived of.
However, if you take a deeper look at the GB requirement of this edition, you will find out that the requirement of this Pro edition is more or less similar to the other versions.
Windows 11 Pro takes about 21 GB of space, depending upon your laptop or PC. Similar storage space requirements with advanced features compel the users to go for this edition.
Windows 11 Home
Windows 11 Home is the basic edition of Windows with no advanced features. It takes up 21 GB of hard drive in total.
In the event that OneDrive sync doesn’t take place, the GB consumption of Windows 11 Home will reduce to 17GB approximately.
Windows 11 Education
The storage requirement for the Education edition is 20.5 GB, and it lies between the Home and Professional editions.
The reason why it needs greater storage than the Home edition is that this edition is usually employed in the education sector.
Therefore, due to the nature of work in that area, they need features slightly advanced than the Home edition but less than the Professional version.
Windows 11 Enterprise
This edition follows the track of the Windows 11 Professional edition with slightly more user-friendly and advanced features.
Therefore, the estimation of disk space requirement of Windows 11 Enterprise is more than the Home version of 20.7 GB.
However, several features of this edition need activation by downloading Windows to run properly. This phenomenon increases the disk space requirement of the Enterprise edition.
Microsoft vs real Windows 11 storage requirement: Why the difference?
Up till now, you might have gotten an idea of the GB storage requirements of Windows 11. However, if you are still confused by the contradiction in the Microsoft official need for disk space vs. the total GB utilized in installing all the versions, then here is your answer:
Almost all the versions of Windows 11 consume up to 20 GB of space. Nevertheless, Microsoft Windows asks the users to have at least 64 GB of disk space on hard disk to install Windows.
The contradiction is due to the need for extra space for the apps and features to run smoothly.
Because of the less available storage space, the operating system’s chances of becoming slow rise since the third-party apps and files unknowingly clutter the memory.
Steps to perform disk cleanup
If you are thinking of upgrading your Windows but size is the hindrance, then here is your catch! Following are the several ways in which you can reduce the size of Windows 11 or perform disk clean-up.
Streamlining
Bloatware is the software with a collection of different apps which are no longer in use. Eradicating all bloatware apps and programs before Windows installation is crucial, as they clutter the memory of your disk.
“Streamlining” is the process that ensures the smooth deletion of bloatware from the ISO file of Windows 11, thereby minimizing the file size.
Freeing space during installation
C drive is the system partition and has operating system programs and data. C partition needs to be free to install Windows 11. You may come across several unique Windows experiences while downloading Windows 11.
If you do not opt to sync OneDrive, then the end storage required to consume the hard drive becomes less.
However, the size remains unaltered even if you choose not to configure other components because Windows will still download those components in drive without activating them.
Freeing space after Installation
After the successful installation of Windows 11, if your operating system feels heavy and slow, chances are your hard drive memory is running out.
Some ways are available that let the partition of the system reclaim capacity.
Let go of your old Windows
Your operating system creates a backup of your previous Windows installation if you install it from the older version.
This backup is stored in a “Windows.old” folder. Although this backup is extremely convenient, it takes up decent space by remaining in the folder.
Nonetheless, before bidding farewell to the “Windows.old” folder, you need to cross-check that there is no problem in Windows 11.
After the confirmation, you can delete this folder for disk clean-up. To locate this, you can navigate to a partition where Windows 11 is installed.
Remember, there is no turning back once you delete this folder because, after the deletion of the older version, your only resort will be Windows 11.
Deactivation of hibernation mode
Hibernation mode comes in handy if you are too lazy to save work and shut down your PC. It is located in the primary setting of your system with the file explorer named “hiberfil.sys”.
This mode saves your work by keeping you in the same window as you leave your PC for some time without turning it off.
However, the stumbling block of this feature is that it utilizes unnecessary space. Therefore, if you are a person who always opts for shutting down your PC, then you can delete this feature and save disk space for good.
Uninstallation of irrelevant files
Over time, users lose track of the temporary programs being jumbled up. Not only are they of no use, but they utilize considerable storage space in the recycle bin.
So, it is always a safe bet to find those unnecessary files in the local disk and virtual memory and delete them from time to time to get free space.
Boost C drive space
Your system speed depends upon the free partition of the C drive. The performance of the programs may get affected if there is no space left in a partition. There are two ways through which you can boost C drive space:
- One way to extend the size of the hard drive is through the use of third-party partition applications like Mini-tool Partition Wizard;
- You can also find unallocated space on the C drive by going to My Computer>Manage>Disk Management or by using DiskPart commands Later, they can choose partitions that have space. The next step is to click on the “Shrink Volume” option to shrink the size according to your need.
Wrap up
Although Windows 11 is a user-friendly version, it tends to put users under strain due to the low capacity of the storage.
Low storage results in various struggles in regards to running programs efficiently. Using 64 GB or above hard drive or SSDS should be your priority as it reduces the capacity constraints.
Finally, the above-mentioned methods of deleting temporary files and creating space in the disk will ensure a seamless Windows 11 experience.
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