有理由相信每个新版本的Windows都会变得更大。旧(New)事物之上的新事物应该让Windows 11使用更多空间，对吧？也许。让我们看看您可以做些什么来让您的Windows 11安装在更小的空间内。
Windows 11 占用多少空间？(How Much Space Does Windows 11 Take?)
Windows 11需要什么和微软安装(Microsoft)Windows 11(Windows 11)需要什么是两个不同的东西。Office Windows 11存储要求为 64 GB。但是，微软的 Windows 11 要求(Microsoft’s Windows 11 Requirements)页面警告我们，“下载更新和启用特定功能可能需要 额外的存储空间。”(Additional)
Windows 11 安装下载量有多大？(How Big Is the Windows 11 Install Download?)
如果您直接从Windows 10升级到Windows 11，则下载大小约为 3.5 GB。但是，如果您想使用 .ISO 文件安装Windows 11，请计划至少拥有 5.37 GB 的空间。不同语言的Windows(Windows)可能具有较大的 .ISO 文件大小。如果您认为 5.37 GB 很多，请记住这是一个多版本的Windows安装程序。
哪个版本的 Windows 11 使用的空间最少？(Which Edition of Windows 11 Uses the Least Space?)
您了解Windows Home 和 Windows Pro(Windows Home and Windows Pro)版本。但是您知道Windows S 模式、Windows Education和Windows Enterprise吗？每个版本都安装了不同的功能和特性。
S 模式下的 Windows 11(Windows 11 in S mode )最有可能具有最小的未修改安装大小。这(Which)是有道理的，因为它是Windows 11 Home的精简版，仅允许安装来自Microsoft Store和Microsoft Edge的应用程序作为 Web 浏览器。目前尚不清楚 S 模式下的Windows 11会有多小，但S 模式下的 Windows 10(Windows 10 in S mode)仅使用大约 5 GB 的驱动器空间。
在 S 模式下安装 Windows 11(Installing Windows 11 in S mode)需要做很多普通人无法完成的工作，因此请交给设备制造商。如果您想要最小的Windows 11，请购买说明它在 S 模式下使用Windows 11的设备。(Windows 11)您可以在Windows 11(Windows 11)中关闭 S 模式，但一旦关闭就无法返回 S 模式。
Windows 11 家庭版安装了(Windows 11 Home)17.88 GB的空间，无需同步到您的OneDrive。如果您选择在Windows 11设置期间同步您的OneDrive ，请将您的(OneDrive)OneDrive大小添加到该数字。
Windows 11 Pro安装时需要18.09 GB。这是基于未附加到域的安装。除非有策略添加或删除Windows 11 (Windows 11) Pro的元素或安装的驱动程序、打印机和软件，否则连接到域不会有太大的不同。
Windows 11 教育版使用的空间比(Windows 11 Education)专业版(Pro)略少，但比家庭版多，为17.91 GB。此版本在测试中安装时间最长，但其中很大一部分是强制多因素身份验证 ( MFA ) 设置。很高兴在学校的Windows中看到这一点。(Windows)
这些版本还有其他变体，例如Windows 11 Home Single Language和Windows Education Pro。然而，正如您所看到的，最常见的版本之间并没有太大的区别，所以不要期望变化有很大的不同。
如果 Windows 11 只占用 18 GB，为什么微软说 64 GB？(If Windows 11 Only Takes 18 GB Why Does Microsoft Say 64 GB?)
Windows 11的安装大小与微软要求的 64 GB之间存在 46 GB 的差异。但为什么？部分原因是安装操作系统需要一些空间来移动。在安装Windows 11时，正在写入和删除数据。在任何时候，安装过程可能会占用超过 18 GB 的空间。
此外，小于 64 GB 将导致Windows 11运行速度不佳。只安装几个程序就会占用 48 GB 的可用空间，而且没有任何效果。
使 Windows 11 安装在安装前使用更少的空间(Make a Windows 11 Install Use Less Space Before Install)
一个称为精简Windows的过程可以使Windows 11 在安装时占用更少的空间。精简需要编辑Windows安装 .ISO，这不是经验丰富的 IT 专业人员应该做的事情，所以我们不打算详细介绍。
简化Windows 11安装 .ISO 的总体思路要求您：
- 将 .ISO 挂载为驱动器
- 编辑(Edit)boot.wim 文件和Windows注册表等内容
- 删除(Delete)不会使用的硬件驱动程序
- 卸载 .ISO
- 确保 .ISO 是可引导的
- 从新编辑的 .ISO安装Windows
您可以看到这可能不适合您。如果您还不知道如何自己完成这些步骤中的每一步，那就别管它了。
使 Windows 11 安装在安装过程中使用更少的空间(Make a Windows 11 Install Use Less Space During Install)
如何获得最小的 Windows 11 安装？您可能会认为跳过安装选项（例如添加第二个键盘布局或不打开Cortana 之(Cortana)类的功能）可能会占用更少的空间。不幸的是，那些仍然被安装；他们只是没有打开。
设置中可以产生影响的一点是Windows 11进入使用 OneDrive 备份文件(Back up your files with OneDrive )设置时。选择不备份我的文件(Don’t back up my files)以防止OneDrive同步。如果您在安装时同步OneDrive，它可能会使用数百GB(GBs)或更多的驱动器。
使 Windows 11 安装在安装后占用更少的空间(Make a Windows 11 Install Take Less Space After Install)
也许令人惊讶的是，在我们的测试中，随Windows 11 Home安装的Microsoft默认应用仅占用 0.68 GB。尽管如此，我们还是有一篇关于如何(how to remove Windows default apps from Windows)为您从 Windows 中删除 Windows 默认应用程序的文章。
如果您通过Windows 更新从(Windows Update)Windows 10升级到Windows 11，请尝试使用磁盘清理(try Disk Cleanup)选项删除系统还原和卷影副本(System Restore and Shadow Copies)。请注意，删除还原点和卷影副本(Shadow Copies)可能无法恢复文件或Windows。但是，使用磁盘清理(Disk Cleanup)可以释放数百MB(MBs)甚至数GB(GBs)的驱动器空间。
对于从Windows 10(Windows 10)升级到Windows 11的用户，另一种方法是删除Windows.old目录。请参阅我们的文章，How to Delete the Windows.old folder in Windows 7/8/10。相同的步骤适用于Windows 11。这可以释放 20、30 或更多GB(GBs)的空间，尤其是在您的Windows 11安装失败几次时。
影响较小的步骤是在首次启动Edge时不将(Edge)Microsoft Edge与你的Microsoft帐户同步。(Microsoft)当然，收藏夹、收藏和扩展不会占用那么多空间，但每一点都很重要。
更多减小 Windows 11 大小的方法？(More Ways To Reduce the Size of Windows 11?)
您可以在继续使用Windows 11 时释放驱动器空间。(free up drive space in Windows 11)但是，减少全新安装Windows 11的大小的方法并不多。你见过其他人吗？请(Please)与我们分享。我们和您一样喜欢学习。
How Much Space Does Windows 11 Take Up?
It’s reasonable to believe that every new version of Windоws gets bigger. New thingѕ on top of old things should make Windows 11 use more space, right? Maybe. Let’s see whаt you can do to make your Windows 11 install in less space.
How Much Space Does Windows 11 Take?
What Windows 11 needs and what Microsoft requires to install Windows 11 are two different things. The office Windows 11 storage requirement is 64 GB. However, Microsoft’s Windows 11 Requirements page warns us, “Additional storage space might be required to download updates and enable specific features.”
How Big Is the Windows 11 Install Download?
If you’re upgrading directly from Windows 10 to Windows 11, the download size is about 3.5 GB. However, if you want to install Windows 11 using an .ISO file, plan on having 5.37 GB of space at least. Windows in different languages may have a larger .ISO file size. If you think 5.37 GB is a lot, keep in mind this is a multi-edition Windows installer.
Which Edition of Windows 11 Uses the Least Space?
You know about Windows Home and Windows Pro editions. But did you know about Windows in S mode, Windows Education, and Windows Enterprise? Each edition has different capabilities and features installed.
Windows 11 in S mode is most likely to have the smallest, unmodified, install size. Which makes sense as it is a stripped-down version of Windows 11 Home, allowing only the installation of apps from the Microsoft Store and Microsoft Edge as the web browser. It’s unclear how small Windows 11 in S mode will be, however Windows 10 in S mode uses only about 5 GB of drive space.
Installing Windows 11 in S mode requires a lot of work that the average person isn’t capable of doing, so leave this to the device manufacturers. If you want the smallest Windows 11, buy a device that says it’s using Windows 11 in S mode. You can turn off S mode in Windows 11, but there’s no going back into S mode once you do.
Windows 11 Home has a footprint of 17.88 GB installed, without syncing to your OneDrive. If you choose to sync your OneDrive during Windows 11 setup, add the size of your OneDrive to that number.
Windows 11 Pro takes 18.09 GB when installed. That’s based on an install that isn’t attached to a domain. Being connected to a domain wouldn’t make much of a difference unless there were policies that added or removed elements of Windows 11 Pro or installed drivers, printers, and software.
Windows 11 Education uses slightly less space than Pro, but more than Home, at 17.91 GB. This edition took the longest to install in testing, but a large part of that is the mandatory multi-factor authentication (MFA) set up. That’s good to see in the Windows that is in the schools.
These editions have other variations, such as Windows 11 Home Single Language and Windows Education Pro. Yet, as you’ve seen, there isn’t much difference between the most common editions so don’t expect large differences in the variations.
If Windows 11 Only Takes 18 GB Why Does Microsoft Say 64 GB?
There’s a 46 GB difference between the installed size of Windows 11 and Microsoft’s requirement of 64 GB. But why? Part of it is because installing an operating system requires some space to move around. As Windows 11 is being installed, data is being written and removed. At any time, the installation processes may take up more than 18 GB.
Also, having less than 64 GB will cause Windows 11 to run poorly quickly. Installing just a few programs will eat up that 48 GB of free space, and nothing will work.
Make a Windows 11 Install Use Less Space Before Install
A process called streamlining Windows can make Windows 11 take less space on installation. Streamlining requires editing the Windows installation .ISO and it’s not something anyone but a seasoned IT professional should do, so we’re not going to go into details.
The general idea of streamlining the Windows 11 installation .ISO requires you to:
- Mount the .ISO as a drive
- Edit things like the boot.wim file and Windows registry
- Delete hardware drivers that won’t be used
- Unmount the .ISO
- Ensure the .ISO is bootable
- Install Windows from the newly edited .ISO
You can see how this might not be for you. If you don’t already know how to do every one of those steps on your own, leave it alone.
Make a Windows 11 Install Use Less Space During Install
How do you get the smallest Windows 11 install? You might think skipping install options like adding a second keyboard layout or not turning on things like Cortana might use less space. Unfortunately, those still get installed; they’re just not turned on.
The one point in the setup that can make a difference is when Windows 11 gets to the Back up your files with OneDrive settings. Choose Don’t back up my files to prevent OneDrive from syncing. If you sync OneDrive on install, it could use hundreds of GBs of your drive or more.
Make a Windows 11 Install Take Less Space After Install
Perhaps surprisingly, The Microsoft default apps that are installed with Windows 11 Home only take up 0.68 GB in our testing. Still, we’ve got an article on how to remove Windows default apps from Windows for you.
If you upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 through Windows Update, try Disk Cleanup with the option to remove System Restore and Shadow Copies. Be aware that removing restore points and Shadow Copies could make recovering files or Windows impossible. However, using Disk Cleanup could free hundreds of MBs or even several GBs of drive space.
Another method for those who’ve upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 is to delete the Windows.old directory. See our article, How to Delete the Windows.old folder in Windows 7/8/10. The same steps apply to Windows 11. This could free 20, 30, or more GBs of space, especially if your Windows 11 install failed a few times.
A less impactful step is to not sync Microsoft Edge with your Microsoft account when starting Edge for the first time. Sure, favorites, collections, and extensions don’t take up that much space, but every bit counts.
More Ways To Reduce the Size of Windows 11?
You can do things to free up drive space in Windows 11 as you continue to use it. However, there aren’t many ways to reduce the size of a fresh install of Windows 11. Have you seen any others? Please share them with us. We love to learn as much as you do.
