If you want to install Windows 11, there should be enough disk space on your computer. Well then, how much space does Windows 11 take on your disk? This MiniTool article gives a general explanation of Windows 11 size. If your disk space is not enough, you can try the methods here to reclaim more space.
Windows 11 Official Release Date
Microsoft has announced the official release date of Windows 11: October 5, 2021. Windows 11 is upcoming. Do you expect it? While looking forward to it, you need to note whether your computer is eligible for Windows 11.
How Much Space Does Windows 11 Take on Your Disk?
If you want to install this new version of Windows, your device should meet the basic system and hardware requirements for Windows 11. Among these requirements, you may have noticed this one – Storage: 64 GB or larger storage device.
How big is Windows 11? Does this mean the Windows 11 size is 64 GB? Of course, not. So far, no Windows operating system has taken up such a large space. This minimum disk space requirement is to better ensure the operation of Windows 11.
How many GB is Windows 11? It is not a fixed number.
How much space does Windows 11 take? Now, let’s see two cases.
Case 1: Clean Install Windows 11
Cleaning install Windows 11 will remove all files, settings, and apps on your computer. It only installs Windows 11 on your device. So, the storage usage of drive C after Windows 11 clean install is the closest to the Windows 11 size.
Recently, I have upgraded Windows 7 to Windows 11 Home via a clean install. Now, let’s have a look at the storage usage of drive C.
Go to Start > Settings > Storage > Show more categories to see the disk usage. Details are as follows:
- System & reserved: 18.0 GB
- Apps & features: 2.78 GB
- Temporary files: 326 MB
- Other: 6.44 MB
- OneDrive: 4.00 KB
The total size is about 21.1 GB.
However, this doesn’t mean that the Windows 11 install size is 21.1 GB. It is just one case. If you clean install Windows 11 Pro or Windows 11 Education on your computer, the situation will be different.
Now, let’s dig more:
System & reserved
You can click System & reserved to see the specific occupancy situations.
- The system files: 8.18 GB
- The reserved storage: 7.48 GB
- The virtual memory: 1.93 GB
- The hibernation file: 409 MB
Apps & features
You can click Apps & features to see which apps and features are pre-installed on your computer and their sizes.
Of course, you can also click on other options to see the details.
How many GB is Windows 11 (clean install)?
Although it is not sure of the exact GB of Windows 11, there is a general statement: a fresh installation of Windows 11 will take up about 27 GB of space on drive C. Most of the files are system files and system reserved files. Besides, Windows pre-installed apps take up about 3 GB of space.
Case 2: Upgrade to Windows 11
I upgrade my other computer to Windows 11 via Windows Update. Now, let’s use the same way to check the space usage of the C drive.
Under Storage usage:
- 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.
- OneDrive: 1.19 MB.
- And more….
The total size is 69.7 GB.
System & reserved
- System files: 32.7 GB
- Virtual memory: 258 MB
- Hibernation file: 2.77 GB
- System restore: 2.94 GB
Apps & features
After clicking Apps & features, you can see all installed apps and features including Windows built-in ones and third-party software installed by yourself.
How many GB is Windows 11 (upgrade to Windows 11 from Windows 10)?
You see the value of this situation is not indicative. The total size is even bigger than 64 GB. Many factors can impact the amount of free space on C drive for upgrading to Windows 11:
- The Windows versions that were previously installed on your computer.
- The free space available from Windows files to reuse, such as the virtual memory page files and hibernation file.
- The apps that are installed on your machine.
- How installed apps store data.
Sum up
The Windows 11 install size is not fixed. In general, a fresh Windows 11 install can take up about 27 GB of space on your disk. But why Microsoft requires more for Windows 11 upgrade?
The Windows 11 requirement on disk space of 64 GB is to ensure a successful upgrade. After upgrading, temporary files, regular Windows update files, system restore files, and more will eat up more space. So, there should be enough space on the system drive.
How much space does Windows 11 take up on your computer? This article shows you the details.Click to Tweet
Free up More Space on C Drive before Upgrading to Windows 11
During the Windows 11 upgrade, Windows can automatically or guide you to free up enough space. However, you can also manually free up disk space if the C drive receives a low disk space warning.
You can refer to these two articles to release disk space on your Windows computer:
- What Can You Do When the C Drive Running out of Space?
- 10 Ways to Free up Disk Space in Windows 10
Free up Disk Space after Upgrading to Windows 11
After upgrading to Windows 11, you can also do something to release disk space for new data. Well then, how to free up disk space on Windows 11?
In addition to the disk cleanup methods mentioned in the above section, you can also try these operations:
Delete Previous Windows Installation(s)
After you upgrade your computer to Windows 11, the previous Windows system files will be kept for 10 days. Within these 10 days, you can downgrade to your previous Windows version if you want to. However, if you don’t plan to do this and you want to free up disk space by deleting these files, you can:
- Open Win+E to open File Explorer.
- Right-click C drive and select Properties.
- Click Disk Cleanup.
- Click Clean up system files.
- Find Previous Windows Installation(s) and select it.
- Click OK.
Delete Windows Update Cleanup
These files are the old Windows versions you have installed on your device. In general, these files are usually very large, which can reach up to several GB. If you are not planning to uninstall the Windows update, you can delete them using Disk Cleanup like deleting previous Windows Installation(s).
Disable Hibernation
When you see the storage usage in Settings > System > Storage, you can discover that the hibernation file occupies a large amount of space. What is it?
The hibernation file is the file created by your operating system when your device enters the Hibernation Mode. It let your computer sleep while maintaining your user state. If it takes up so much space, you can choose to delete it from your computer.
Uninstall Unnecessary Apps
Over time, you may install more and more programs on your computer. You can check whether these programs are all necessary for you and uninstall the unnecessary ones.
Remove Duplicate Files
You may don’t know that there are numerous duplicate files on your computer. You can use a professional tool to find and remove these duplicate files from your computer.
Extend C: Drive
If your C: partition still doesn’t have enough space after you take measures to free up disk space, you can use MiniTool Partition Wizard, a partition manager, to extend its space by taking free space from another partition on the same disk. You can also set Storage Sense to automatically free up space on C: drive.
If your C drive is full after upgrading to Windows 11, you can use the methods mentioned in this article to release more disk space.Click to Tweet
How to Recover Your Lost and Deleted Files on Windows 11?
If some of your important files get lost unexpectedly in the process of cleaning up your computer or for some other reason, is it possible to get them back?
As long as these files are not overwritten by new data, you can use professional data recovery software to get them back. You can try MiniTool Power Data Recovery, a free file recovery tool.
This software is specially designed to restore lost and deleted files from data storage devices like internal hard drives, external hard drives, memory cards, SD cards, pen drives, thumb drives, etc. It can run on Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7.
With the trial edition of this software, you can scan the drive you want to recover data from and check if your needed files are in the scan results. If you want to recover files with this software, you can update it to a full edition and directly recover all your needed files without limits.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
1. Download and install this software on your Windows 11 computer.
2. Open the software to enter its main interface.
3. This software shows you all the connected drives it can detect. You need to find out the target drive, hover it over, and click Scan to start scanning it.
4. When the scanning end, you can see the scan results are list by path by default. You can open each path to find your needed files. Or you can switch to Type to show them by type. If you can remember the name of the file you want to rescue, you can use the Find feature to locate it by name.
5. You can also preview files for confirmation. This software allows you to preview 70 types of files. You can double-click the file to preview it, or select the file and click Preview to preview it. But if it is the first time for you to use the Preview function in the Trial edition, you need to download the file previewer before previewing files.
6. You can’t use the trial edition to recover files. If you want to restore your files, you can go to the MiniTool official site to get a full edition and use the license key to register the software. After that, you can select your needed files and click the Save button to choose a proper location to save them. Remember: you should not select the original location as the destination to prevent data from being overwritten.
Wrapping Things up
How much space does Windows 11 take on your hard disk? After reading this article, you should have a general understanding of it. Before upgrading to Windows 11, you can clean up your computer hard disk to release more space. After the upgrade, you can also check if any files need to be removed to regain more space. Good computer cleaning-up habits can keep your computer performing better.
Should you have any other good suggestions or issues that need to be fixed, you can let us know in the comments or contact us via [email protected].
Cortana
Cortana in Windows as a standalone app is removed.
Desktop wallpaper
cannot be roamed to or from device when signed in with a Microsoft account.
Internet Explorer
Microsoft Edge with IE mode replaces the Internet Explorer 11 desktop application in Windows 11. For more information, see Internet Explorer 11 desktop app retirement FAQ.
Mail, Calendar, and People
Support for Windows Mail, Calendar, and People ended on December 31, 2024. Any local emails, calendar events, and contacts stored in Mail, Calendar, and People will remain exportable following the steps in Export emails and contacts from Windows Mail or People and import to new Outlook.
Management capabilities
for organizations to deliver customized Start and Taskbar experiences are limited:
- Start supports the ability for organizations to override the Start layout, but does not support locking down the layout from user modification.
- Taskbar pins and ordering can be controlled by organizations.
Math Input Panel
is removed. Math Recognizer will install on demand and includes the math input control and recognizer. Math inking in apps like OneNote are not impacted by this change.
News & Interests
has evolved. New functionality has been added which can be found by clicking the Widgets icon on the Taskbar.
Paint 3D
is removed. Existing installations of Paint 3D will continue to work, but the app is no longer available for download from the Microsoft Store.
Quick Status
from the Lockscreen and associated settings are removed.
S Mode
is only available now for Windows 11 Home edition.
Search Results from the Internet
Windows 11 does not support disabling the return of internet Search results via Registry Key. The related Group Policy setting is not impacted by this change.
Snipping Tool and Snip and Sketch
have been merged into a single experience keeping the familiar Snipping Tool name.
Start
is significantly changed in Windows 11 including the following key deprecations and removals:
- Named groups and folders of apps are no longer supported and the layout is not currently resizable.
- Pinned apps and sites will not migrate when upgrading from Windows 10.
- Live Tiles are no longer available. For glanceable, dynamic content, see the new Widgets feature.
Tablet Mode
is removed and new functionality and capability is included for keyboard attach and detach postures.
Taskbar
is changed including:
- People is no longer present on the Taskbar.
- Some icons may no longer appear in the System Tray (systray) for upgraded devices including previous customizations.
- Alignment to the bottom of the screen is the only location allowed.
- Apps can no longer customize areas of the Taskbar.
Timeline
is removed. Some similar functionality is available in Microsoft Edge.
Touch Keyboard
will no longer dock and undock keyboard layouts on screen sizes 18 inches and larger.
Universal Windows Platform (UWP) Applications for 32-bit Arm
This change is applicable only to devices with an Arm processor, for example Snapdragon processors from Qualcomm. If you have a PC built with a processor from Intel or AMD, this content is not applicable. If you are not sure which type of processor you have, check Settings > System > About.
Wallet
is removed.
Windows Deployment Services
is being partially deprecated. Please see this article for detailed information.
Windows Mixed Reality
was removed in Windows 11, version 24H2. This includes the Mixed Reality Portal app, Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR, and Steam VR Beta. Existing Windows Mixed Reality devices will continue to work with Steam through November 2026, if users remain on their current released version of Windows 11, version 23H2. After November 2026, Windows Mixed Reality will no longer receive security updates, nonsecurity updates, bug fixes, technical support, or online technical content updates. This deprecation doesn’t affect HoloLens.
Windows Store for Business and Windows Store for Education
no longer include the Private Store tab. Please see this blog post for information on app deployment options.
Word Pad
will be removed from all editions of Windows starting in Windows 11, version 24H2. We recommend Microsoft Word for rich text documents like .doc and .rtf and Windows Notepad for plain text documents like .txt.
Системные требования Windows 11 возросли по сравнению с Windows 10, и речь не только о вопросах безопасности (злополучный чипсет TPM 2.0, который, как оказалось, можно эмулировать), но и об обычных компонентах. Так, новая операционная система требует вдвое больше оперативной памяти (2 ➝ 4 ГБ) и вдвое большее хранилище (32 ➝ 64 ГБ). Если с другими характеристиками всё понятно (в системе новые анимации и технологии), то возросшее требование к накопителю оставалось необъяснимым, ведь Windows 11 занимает примерно столько же места, сколько предшественница. Но теперь всё стало на свои места.
На официальном сайте Microsoft объяснила, что хоть система весит приблизительно как Windows 10, сам процесс обновления требует дополнительного свободного пространства на диске. Спустя некоторое время после апдейта (примерно через 10 дней) система освободит это зарезервированное место в хранилище.
Судя по всему, именно из-за этой особенности системные требования Windows 11 к объёму диска выросли — вероятно, подобный механизм резервирования дополнительного пространства на накопителе будет использоваться и в будущих крупных обновлениях системы.
Также не исключено, что разработчики попросту пришли к выводу: для комфортного использования системы в 2021 году накопителя на 32 ГБ уже недостаточно.
Several Windows users have reported problems upgrading to Windows 11 and it seems to be due to its space requirements.
Windows 11 was introduced in October 2021 and it came with a slew of new features for gamers and other elements like a redesigned Start menu or the ability to create a group of windows that can be minimized and restored from the taskbar.
Before installing this OS, you should be aware of its pace requirements, since they will almost certainly be more than your prior operating system due to the added functionalities.
However, it should be noted that the computer space is not the only requisite for the installation of Windows 11.
The Windows 11 system requirements include a processor of 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with 2 or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC), 4GB RAM, and so on.
In this article, we’ll be discussing Windows 11’s space requirements and a few other reasons why your PC might not be compatible with this OS. Follow along!
What are some of Windows 11’s new features?
Windows 11 comes with a bound of new features which make its storage size larger than that of the subsequent Windows OS. The features on Windows 11 include:
- Newly designed Start menu and taskbar
The most obvious difference between Windows 10 and Windows 11 is the Start menu. On the former, the Start menu is anchored to the left-hand bottom of the screen but this has been changed with the latter.
Moreover, the Start menu has been moved to the center of the screen, just above the taskbar, which has also been redesigned to be at the center of the screen. However, Windows 11 only lets you pin the taskbar at the bottom of your screen.
- Multitasking features for developers and gamers mostly
Multitasking was added to Windows 11 to allow users to run many applications at the same time to increase productivity.
Also, do not hesitate to check out some gaming settings that you need to enable in order to ensure top graphics performance.
- Widgets that can be easily customized
As mentioned earlier, Windows 11 was created to better explore Windows OS on your PC. Most of the changes made are just an upgrade of what was on Windows 10.
On the Windows 11 taskbar, there is an option for Widget which shows a large panel of updates on weather, news, sport, and a lot more. Each of the widgets can be easily customized or even removed depending on the user’s discretion.
However, since the feature takes up a lot of space on the screen, you may choose to disable widgets in Windows 11.
What are Windows 11’s space requirements?
Knowing the Windows 11 disk space requirements beforehand is quite necessary to have a problem-free installation of the operating system.
Among other requirements, the OS needs an ample amount of space from your PC for it to be launched.
Windows 11’s minimum space requirements listed by Microsoft is 64GB. However, the installation actually takes something around 27GB depending on the edition you are installing.
Microsoft recommends 64GB mainly because installing an operating system requires a lot of space to move around, so it’s better to keep up with this requirement to get a better experience.
But the Windows 11 installation requirements page also says: Additional storage space might be required to download updates and enable specific features.
To see the Windows 10 vs Windows 11 space requirements check out the article linked. Note that it also includes a comparison between the system requirements as well.
How much space does Windows 11 take on SSD?
An average new Windows 11 installation will take up approximately 27 GB of disk space on your hard drive.
How come Microsoft, on the other hand, requires more for Windows 11 upgrade? The 64 GB of disk space needed for Windows 11 is necessary in order to assure a successful update.
How much space does Windows 11 take in C drive?
Although it is not known how many gigabytes of space Windows 11 will consume on drive C, a general generalization may be made: a fresh installation of Windows 11 will take up around 27 GB of space on drive C.
The vast majority of the files are system files or system reserved files in some way. Furthermore, the pre-installed applications on Windows take up approximately 3 GB of disk space.
How much RAM does Windows 11 take?
Microsoft is most likely correct in stating that 4 GB of RAM is required in the minimum specifications for Windows 11. Because, yes, it is the bare minimum requirement to be able to operate it.
Initial performance is excellent, but when you have 4 GB on your PC, you really can’t expect much more from it than that. You can only truly conduct light work on it before it becomes unable to even do the most basic system activities without crashing.
In order to have a truly enjoyable experience, 16 GB is definitely the optimal setting. While it enables you to open Chrome and a number of other programs at the same time.
You’ll likely find it difficult to achieve significant levels of utilization, at least at first. Check out the five best RAM cleaners and optimizers for Windows 11 before you buy an additional one.
How much space does Windows 11 Pro take?
Windows 11 Pro will also take around 30 GB of space. But it is recommended to have a minimum of 64 GB in order to be sure there is enough for additional updates and features added.
- 5 best Windows 11 business laptops [Portability & Storage]
- Best Windows 11-ready laptops you can buy right now
- 5+ best Windows 11 budget laptops to pick from
- The best Windows 11 gaming laptops available now
How much space does Windows 11 Home take up?
The size of the Windows 11 Home installation is not fixed. An average new Windows 11 Home installation will take up approximately 27 GB of disk space on your hard drive.
But, as before, 64 GB of disk space is necessary for Windows 11 Home, in order to ensure a successful update.
Why is my PC not compatible with Windows 11?
If you are trying to install Windows 11 on your computer but you keep on getting error messages saying This PC can’t run Windows 11, you might consider checking these things out:
- Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0
- UEFI, Secure Boot capable
Making sure these specifications are enabled can help or fix your Windows 11 not working.
There are several other reasons why the latest Windows OS is not compatible with your machine which include your PC not meeting up with Microsoft requirements for Windows 11.
As a result, it’s a good idea to check the official Microsoft website for Windows 11 prerequisites before attempting to install it on your computer. As long as the requirements are met, the procedure should be a breeze.
Can 4GB of RAM be enough for Windows 11?
The most technical answer to this question is yes. According to Microsoft’s requirements, 4GB RAM is the minimum needed to run Windows 11.
So, if you are using 2GB RAM, you can consider upgrading it to 4GB to be able to install this operating system on your PC.
Discover Windows 11’s PC Health Check app
PC Health Check can be used to know if your computer has all it takes to install Windows 11. To confirm if your device is compatible with the OS or figure out what’s causing the incompatibility of the computer with it, download the PC Health Check app and run it on your device.
If your computer isn’t compatible with the OS, you’ll get a pop-up message that says: This PC doesn’t currently meet Windows 11 system requirements.
Also, you will get a detailed report on the reasons why your PC can’t install Windows 11 and hopefully how to fix it. With this, you can be sure of why your PC isn’t running the operating system.
You’ll almost certainly run into issues if you try to install Windows 11 on an outdated computer because modern PCs are the ones that come equipped with the necessary characteristics to install Windows 11.
However, if the problem is fixable, you can easily go around it using the guidelines provided above. Let us know how the procedure went for you in the comments area below. Thanks for reading!
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Создана отдельная модификация Windows 11, которая «весит» всего 100 МБ. За ней стоят авторы известной сборки Tiny11, в которой удалось ужать размер ОС до пары ГБ, сохранив при этом 99% ее функций. В своем обычном виде Windows 11 занимает минимум 16 ГБ после чистой установки, а в подавляющем большинстве случаев – и вовсе около 21 ГБ.
Суперэффективная «диета»
Команда разработчиков NTDEV разработала сборку ОС Windows 11, объем которой составляет около 100 МБ. Даже вышедшая 29 лет назад Windows 95 занимала после установки в разы больше места на системном диске.
Для сравнения, если установить Windows 11 на ПК, то она займет от 16 до 21 ГБ дискового пространства в зависимости от версии системы, и это еще без стороннего программного обеспечения, то есть минимум в 160 раз больше, чем сборка NTDEV. В дальнейшем можно ужать размер системы до 8 ГБ, не потеряв при этом в функциональности, но это все равно намного больше, чем занимает новая сборка.
Секрет команды NTDEV очень прост – они вырезали из системы почти все составляющие, фактически превратив ее в современный аналог DOS. DOS – это система, предшествующая Windows и начисто лишенная встроенной графической оболочки.
Привычный миллионам оконный интерфейс — непозволительная роскошь для 100-мегабайтной ОС
Нет визуального интерфейса и у 100-мегабайтной версии Windows 11. Однако кое-что, напоминающее современную настольную ОС, она все же сохранила.
Экстремальное архивирование
Ультралегкая версия Windows 11 работает исключительно в режиме командной строки, но, как пишет портал TechSpot, по-прежнему поддерживает многозадачность, чего у оригинальной DOS не было, и из-за чего Windows 95 регулярно зависала. Также в ней частично сохранена поддержка пакетных команд.
Но, с точки зрения удобства использования, 100-мегабайтная Windows 11 проигрывает полноценной версии этой ОС с графическим интерфейсом, которая не требует держать в голове или записной книжке наборы команд. Она даже не требует прикасаться к клавиатуре, позволяя выполнять любые действия, даже набор текста, при помощи мыши.
И NT, и DOS
Свое новое творение, вдохновленное Microsoft, команда NTDEV нарекла NT-DOS. Это отсылка сразу к двум операционным системам Microsoft – к упомянутой DOS, а также к Windows NT, на основе которой в дальнейшем были созданы все широко известные пользовательские версии Windows – от Windows XP 2001 года выпуска и вплоть до Windows 11, которая вышла в октябре 2021 г. NT-DOS пока отсутствует в свободном доступе. Вместо нее авторы предлагают скачать Tiny11 или же Tiny10 – облеченные версии Windows 10 и Windows 11. В NTDEV заверяют, что они гораздо более дружелюбны к пользователям.
Все новое – это хорошо забытое старое
Идея по созданию DOS-подобной модификации современной версии Windows принадлежит, как оказалось, вовсе не команде NTDEV, хотя до них этого с Windows 11 и даже с Windows 10 не проделывал. В мире существует проект под названием MinWin, а стоит за ним, как это ни странно, сама Microsoft.
Как все работает
MinWin – это суперминималистичная версия Windows Vista. Полноценная Vista вышла в 2007 г. и очень не понравилась пользователям – видимо, поэтому Microsoft не стеснялась ставить на ней эксперименты. Позже MinWin-версия вышла и для гораздо более успешной Windows 7. По сути, MinWin представляет собой минимальный набор компонентов Windows, достаточных для запуска системы и работы ее основных функций.
Когда опыт есть
Участники NTDEV создавали NT-DOS, имея за плечами опыт по разработке сборок Tiny10 и Tiny11. Последняя, как сообщал CNews, увидела свет в начале 2023 г., и авторы до сих пор совершенствую ее, делая более стабильной и сохраняя главное – ее незначительный «вес» и минимальные системные требования.
Tiny11 можно установить на компьютер с 2 ГБ оперативной памяти, тогда как для полноценной работы обычной Windows 11 нужно минимум 4 ГБ, а лучше сразу 8 ГБ. Также Tiny 11 нужно хотя бы 4 ГБ свободного дискового пространства, а минимальный требуемый объем накопителя в Windows 11 – 32 ГБ.
Святослав Кульгавый, «Колан»: Псевдороссийские технологии растут как грибы после дождя
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