您可能想要设置 Windows 10 备份(set up Windows 10 backups)的原因有很多。当出现问题时，备份可以帮助您恢复文件和系统，几乎不会丢失数据。不幸的是，缺点是空间损失——这些文件可能会填满你的硬盘，尤其是在较小的驱动器上。
虽然我们始终建议您维护自动系统备份(automatic system backups)，但Windows会在您的驱动器中填满您可以不时删除的不必要的备份文件，包括较旧的Windows更新文件。如果您想知道如何在Windows 10中删除备份文件，这就是您需要做的。
删除 Windows 文件历史记录(Deleting Windows File History)
(Windows)得益于内置的文件备份系统，Windows 10 为常规文件备份提供了比旧Windows版本更好的系统。(Windows)使用Windows 文件历史记录(Windows File History)，某些关键文件夹中的文件副本会定期保存，从每 10 分钟一次到每天一次，副本无限期保存。
随着时间的推移，这可能意味着正在使用的存储空间的巨大增加。如果您想知道如何在Windows 10中删除备份文件，删除 Windows文件历史记录(File History)备份应该是您列表中的第一个任务。
- 首先，您需要打开Windows 设置(Windows Settings)菜单 — 右键单击 Windows 开始(Windows Start)菜单并按设置(Settings)。从这里，按Update & Security > Backup。如果您已经在使用Windows 文件历史记录(Windows File History)，请按更多选项(More options )按钮。
- 在“备份选项(Backup options)”菜单中，您可以更改文件备份的频率以及在删除之前保存的频率。在备份我的文件(Back up my files)和保留我的备份(Keep my backups)下拉菜单下更改这些。
默认情况下，保留我的备份(Keep my backups)选项设置为永远(Forever)- 将其更改为每月删除备份，或者在需要空间时，将增加可用磁盘空间。
- 您还可以通过按“备份选项(Backup options )”菜单中的“停止使用此驱动器(Stop using this drive)”选项完全禁用 Windows文件历史记录。(File History)这将删除您当前的Windows文件备份驱动器，从而完全禁用该功能。
- 如果要立即删除由File History保存的任何已保存备份文件，则需要右键单击Windows 开始(Windows Start)菜单并按Windows PowerShell (Admin)选项。
- 在出现的PowerShell窗口中，键入fhmanagew.exe -cleanup 0以删除除最新文件备份之外的所有文件，然后按 Enter 键运行该命令。您可以将0替换为另一组天数，以保留更长的备份时间。如果命令成功，将出现一个弹出窗口进行确认。
删除 Windows 系统还原点(Removing Windows System Restore Points)
在较旧的Windows(Windows)版本中备份文件是一个全有或全无的事情——至少在涉及内置功能的情况下是这样。最早的备份功能之一是系统还原(System Restore)功能，它存储了当前Windows安装和文件的快照。
此功能在Windows 10(Windows 10)中仍然存在，用于为主要系统更新创建还原点。如果启用它并且创建了太多还原点，它可能会占用宝贵的磁盘空间。删除其中一些还原点可能是为其他文件清除一些空间的好方法。
- 要删除系统还原点(System Restore)，请按键盘上的Windows + R 键打开“运行”(Run)窗口，键入systempropertiesprotection并按 Enter。
- 这将打开“系统属性(System Properties)”窗口。在系统保护(System Protection)选项卡中，按配置(Configure)按钮。
- 在“系统保护”(System Protection)窗口中，按删除(Delete)按钮。这将删除所有已保存的系统还原点(System Restore)。您还可以通过移动Max Usage(Max Usage)滑块来更改此功能使用的磁盘空间量。
- 虽然不建议这样做，但您也可以通过按禁用系统保护(Disable system protection)单选按钮禁用此功能并恢复所有系统保护保留空间以供一般使用。(System Protection)完成后按OK保存设置。
一旦禁用，之前为系统还原点(System Restore)保留的任何空间都将被释放供您在其他地方使用。
在 Windows 10 更新后删除 Windows.old 文件夹(Deleting the Windows.old Folder After Windows 10 Updates)
如果您想在Windows 10重大更新后清理空间，您应该首先删除 Windows.old 文件夹(deleting the Windows.old folder)。当发生重大Windows更新时，会自动创建此文件夹作为旧Windows安装的备份。
在大多数情况下，您不必担心删除此文件夹 - Windows 会在升级一个月后自动将其删除。但是，如果您想更快地删除它以更快地重新获得空间，您可以。
- 要删除Windows.old文件夹，您需要运行磁盘清理(Disk Cleanup)工具。按Windows + R键并键入cleanmgr，然后单击OK启动它。
- 在“磁盘清理(Disk Cleanup)”窗口中，按“清理系统文件”(Clean up system files)选项以查看清除系统文件的选项。
- 在要删除的文件(Files to delete)列表中，确保启用了以前的 windows 安装(Previous windows installation(s))复选框。为了节省更多空间，您还可以在此时启用要擦除的其他设置或文件夹。准备好后，按OK开始删除过程。
这将删除Windows.old文件夹，在此过程中恢复数 GB 的空间。但是，一旦执行此操作，您将无法恢复较旧的Windows安装，因此请确保在继续之前任何更新或新安装都正常工作。
使用 Windows 10 清除磁盘空间(Clearing Disk Space with Windows 10)
虽然您应该能够删除Windows本身中任何不必要的备份文件，但还有其他更好的方法可以在 Windows 10 中创建更多空间(create more space in Windows 10)。例如，您可以查找较大的文件(look for larger files)并将其删除，以便为其他应用程序和文件腾出空间。
如果这不起作用，您可能需要考虑卸载 Windows 10 软件(uninstalling Windows 10 software)，以便为其他重要文件腾出空间，包括重要的 Windows 10 备份文件。
How to Delete Backup Files in Windows 10
There are plenty of good reаsons whу you might want to set up Windows 10 backups. When something goes wrong, a backup can help you restore your files and system with little to no data loss. Unfortunately, the downside is a loss of space—these files can fill up your hard drive, especially on smaller-sized drives.
While we’d always recommend that you maintain automatic system backups, Windows will fill up your drive with unnecessary backup files that you can delete from time to time, including older Windows update files. If you want to know how to delete backup files in Windows 10, here’s what you need to do.
Deleting Windows File History
Windows 10 offers a far better system for regular file backups than older Windows versions, thanks to a built-in file backup system. Using Windows File History, copies of files in certain critical folders are saved on a regular basis, from every 10 minutes to once daily, with copies saved indefinitely.
Over time, that can mean a vast increase in the storage space being used. If you want to know how to delete backup files in Windows 10, deleting your Windows File History backups should be the first task on your list.
- To start, you’ll need to open the Windows Settings menu—right-click the Windows Start menu and press Settings. From here, press Update & Security > Backup. If you’re using Windows File History already, press the More options button.
- In the Backup options menu, you can change how often file backups are made and how often they’re saved before being deleted. Change these under the Back up my files and Keep my backups drop-down menus.
By default, the Keep my backups option is set to Forever—changing this to delete backups every month, or when space is needed, will increase your available disk space.
- You can also disable Windows File History entirely by pressing the Stop using this drive option in the Backup options menu. This will remove your current Windows file backup drive, therefore disabling the feature entirely.
- If you want to immediately remove any saved backup files kept by File History, you’ll need to right-click the Windows Start menu and press the Windows PowerShell (Admin) option.
- In the PowerShell window that appears, type fhmanagew.exe -cleanup 0 to remove all but the most recent file backups, then hit enter to run the command. You can replace 0 with another set of days to leave a longer period of backups saved. If the command is successful, a pop-up window will appear to confirm.
Removing Windows System Restore Points
Backing up files in older Windows versions was an all or nothing affair—at least where built-in features were concerned. One of the earliest backup features was the System Restore feature, which stored a snapshot of your current Windows installation and files.
This feature still exists in Windows 10 and is used to create restore points for major system updates. If it’s enabled and too many restore points are made, it can take up valuable disk space. Removing some of these restore points can be a good way to clear some space for other files.
- To remove System Restore points, press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard to open the Run window, type systempropertiesprotection and hit enter.
- This will open the System Properties window. In the System Protection tab, press the Configure button.
- In the System Protection window, press the Delete button. This will remove any saved System Restore points. You can also change how much disk space this feature uses by moving the Max Usage slider.
- While it isn’t recommended, you can also disable this feature and restore all of the System Protection reserved space for general usage by pressing the Disable system protection radio button. Press OK to save your settings once you’re done.
Once disabled, any space previously reserved for System Restore points will be released for you to use elsewhere.
Deleting the Windows.old Folder After Windows 10 Updates
If you want to clear space after a major Windows 10 update, you should start by deleting the Windows.old folder. This folder is automatically created as a backup of your older Windows installation when a major Windows update takes place.
You don’t have to worry about deleting this folder in most cases—Windows will automatically remove it a month after an upgrade takes place. If you want to remove it sooner to regain the space faster, however, you can.
- To delete the Windows.old folder, you’ll need to run the Disk Cleanup tool. Press the Windows + R key and type cleanmgr, then click OK to launch it.
- In the Disk Cleanup window, press the Clean up system files option to view options to clear system files.
- In the Files to delete list, make sure that the Previous windows installation(s) checkbox is enabled. To save additional space, you can also enable other settings or folders to be wiped at this point. Once you’re ready, press OK to begin the deletion process.
This will remove the Windows.old folder, restoring several gigabytes of space in the process. You won’t be able to restore the older Windows installation once you do this, however, so make sure that any updates or new installations are working correctly before you proceed.
Clearing Disk Space with Windows 10
While you should be able to delete any unnecessary backup files in Windows itself, there are other and better ways to create more space in Windows 10. You could, for instance, look for larger files and remove them to free up space for other apps and files.
If that doesn’t work, you may need to look at uninstalling Windows 10 software to make room for other essential files—including your important Windows 10 backup files.
