C:\Windows\WinSxS\Temp\InFlight\ Deleting Empty Folders

Tester · 2025-02-14T07:31:23-0500

Hi,

I am testing and making a powershell script to delete empty folders in C:\Windows\WinSxS\Temp\InFlight\
To my understanding when updates or other windows operations occur, files in use might be placed there, and upon a restart they will be cleared.
On a lot of systems, i have thousands (some 10k, some over 100k) of empty folders in C:\Windows\WinSxS\Temp\InFlight\
While only 1 or a few folders actually has files inside it. The one folder with the most current date.
All the other folders are from dates when windows update did install updates, but after the reboot after the windows update the folder itself was not deleted.

I want do this, because during backup/sync/virus/malware scan operations on different systems i see a few min delay in processing all those empty folders. So i tought i am going to test this on a few systems, if it gives any problems to delete those empty folders.

I will be doing these operations on some virtual machines i use daily, with an snapshot to revert back to. Will be testing this for about one month, before pushing this to live machines.

Most search records i find online is, do not touch the WinSxS folder...

Anyone who has experience with this, or has been testing around with this? Any toughts about doing this?

FreeBooter · 2025-02-14T07:44:42-0500

Why are you not using Dism /online /cleanup-image /StartComponentCleanupcommand i would not mess with those files in that folder?

Clean Up the WinSxS Folder

learn.microsoft.com

Tester · 2025-02-14T07:59:25-0500

I do use that command every few months on systems, but that does not clear the empty folder issue in /Temp/InFlight/ for me. Does it for you?
And not going to do things with files in that folder, only empty folders in the /Temp/InFlight/ folder.

FreeBooter · 2025-02-14T08:02:37-0500

Temporary files will be deleted by Storage Sense.

Manage drive space with Storage Sense - Microsoft Support

How to use Storage Sense to free up hard drive space on your Windows device.

support.microsoft.com

Tester · 2025-02-14T08:07:35-0500

Storage Sense, also does not delete those empty folder for me. It does delete it for User Temp folder, and Windows Temp folder for me. But not the \WinSxS\Temp\ folder. Does this work for you?

FreeBooter · 2025-02-14T08:08:32-0500

I never have checked as i have plenty of disk space to worry about few MB of temp files.

Tester · 2025-02-14T08:16:04-0500

For me it is not about the diskspace it takes up. But processing time it takes.
If you have for example 300systems, and backup needs to process those folders for a few minutes on all those systems, it takes over a hour of processing time all combined. So if you backup 300systems, x lets say 50k empty folder for \WinSXS\Temp\InFlight\ per system, you end up processing 15.000.000 empty folders. While if it was possible to delete them every month or so, it would not have to process them...

krism · 2025-02-14T08:28:18-0500

I just use
to reduce SxS and System32, run in admin prompt:

Code:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /resetbase

My backups (granted for only 1 system) are lightning fast.
24H2 is/has been much better with SxS than older versions.

FreeBooter · 2025-02-14T08:33:09-0500

You can delete the C:\Windows\WinSxS\Temp\InFlight folder by executing the following commands.

Batch:

takeown /F C:\Windows\WinSxS\Temp\InFlight /r

icacls C:\Windows\WinSxS\Temp\InFlight /grant Administrators:F /T

rd /s /q C:\Windows\WinSxS\Temp\InFlight

Tester · 2025-02-14T08:41:00-0500

FreeBooter said:
You can delete the C:\Windows\WinSxS\Temp\InFlight folder by executing the following commands.

Batch:

takeown /F C:\Windows\WinSxS\Temp\InFlight /r icacls C:\Windows\WinSxS\Temp\InFlight /grant Administrators:F /T rd /s /q C:\Windows\WinSxS\Temp\InFlight

I do it about the same now in powershell, but in the temp\InFlight\ folder are also files located, and those files i don't want to delete for obvious reason. And want to leave the normal permission on folders with files in side it, so i am only resetting the rights with empty folders. Slower.. but i guess safer.

A part of my code, will post full code, when i am done.

Powershell:

        foreach ($folder in $emptyFolders) {
            # Take ownership and grant permissions
            try {
                takeown /f "$($folder.FullName)" /r /d y
                icacls "$($folder.FullName)" /grant administrators:F /t
            }
            catch {
                Write-Warning "Failed to take ownership or grant permissions for $($folder.FullName).  Error: $($_.Exception.Message)"
                continue
            }
            try {
                Remove-Item -Path "$($folder.FullName)" -Recurse -Force -Confirm:$false
                $deletedFolderCount++
            }
            catch {
                Write-Warning "Failed to delete folder $($folder.FullName). Error: $($_.Exception.Message)"
            }
        }

Tester · 2025-02-14T08:42:50-0500

krism said:
My backups (granted for only 1 system) are lightning fast.
24H2 is/has been much better with SxS than older versions.

Can you go to c:\windows\WinSXS\Temp\ and then right click InFligh foldert, and see how many files and folders are in there?

FreeBooter · 2025-02-14T08:43:32-0500

Good luck then i show you a way to delete temporary folder rest is up to you.

Tester · 2025-02-14T08:52:25-0500

FreeBooter said:
Good luck then i show you a way to delete temporary folder rest is up to you.

Thanks for the tip! Because not all people know how to take ownership, as it was needed on those files, and not all know how to do that. But in this case i did! I appreciate your guidance.

Tester · 2025-02-14T09:26:59-0500

One initial test i did. Right click Window folder to show properties, and then stopwatch time until all folders and files where counted.
This was done in a test vm.
Before cleanup empty folders: +/45sec to count all files and folder.

After cleaup, it took 16seconds to count all files and folder:

Only c:\windows\WinSXS\Temp\InFlight\ Folder:

Will try to do an malware scan and see if times has improved with malwarebytes on the c:\Windows folder with before cleanup and after cleanup.

garlin · 2025-02-14T10:09:14-0500

There's this script, which handles the folder permissions in a more correct fashion:
@MyITGuy MyITGuy/Invoke-WinSxSTempCleanup.psm1

Some folks are bound to suggest DISM++, but since it's not open source, I wouldn't run that on my company's production systems.

Tester · 2025-02-14T10:28:17-0500

garlin said:
There's this script, which handles the folder permissions in a more correct fashion:
@MyITGuy MyITGuy/Invoke-WinSxSTempCleanup.psm1

Some folks are bound to suggest DISM++, but since it's not open source, I wouldn't run that on my company's production systems.

Thanks! I will take a look at that script. At first glance it looks like an eleganter solution as taking owership.
I also have seen a few system, that also have PendingDeletes that are there for over a year. But before deleting i first need to understand why that is happening.

Have used DISM++ in the past. Think that app is chinese?

Malwarebytes scan, before cleanup 10m 4s:

After cleanup 4m 2sec:

I guess my assumption was right that those empty folders are slowing down scan. I guess backup would improve on there speed as well.

Now going to test if windows update, dism and other functions are not trowing errors.

garlin · 2025-02-14T10:38:17-0500

Tester said:
Have used DISM++ in the past. Think that app is chinese?

Whether the current dev team is based in China is immaterial. It's a closed source project, but they're not a vendor or a software foundation which takes direct responsibility for the app. The standards for running an outside app in a workplace is different from your personal desktop.

pseymour · 2025-02-14T10:39:47-0500

garlin said:
Whether the current dev team is based in China is immaterial.

That's right. I'm based in Ohio, and I wouldn't trust my code either.

garlin · 2025-02-14T10:44:22-0500

pseymour said:
That's right. I'm based in Ohio, and I wouldn't trust my code either.

You're right.... we got @LesFerch. He expresses actual remorse for his bugs.

FreeBooter · 2025-02-14T12:36:54-0500

Removing /s parameter from RD command should only delete empty directories.

/S Removes all directories and files in the specified directory
in addition to the directory itself. Used to remove a directory
tree.

C:\Windows\WinSxS\Temp\InFlight\ Deleting Empty Folders

Active member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

Active member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

Active member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

Active member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Active member

My Computer

Active member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

Active member

My Computer

Active member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

Active member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

Windows developer and admіn

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

Similar threads