Solved Win 11 clean-install size compared to Win 10 - why is a 64GB install partition required?


mingle

Active member
Local time
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OS
Windows 11
Hi Guys,

Just installed Win 11 (as a virtual machine - real PC coming up soon!) and despite one of the requirements being 64GB of free-space, after install (before any cleaning-up or housekeeping), it's only used 18.5GB.

If I recall correctly, a clean Windows 10 install is not much less that that (around 17GB?).

Why such a large free disk-space requirement then?

I'm quite miserly when it comes to the size of my system partition - all of my current systems have a 40GB install partition and none of them have ever been more than 60% full even after installing all apps and regular updates.

Has anyone else tried installing with a less free space on the install partition?

Cheers,

Mike.

P.S. I must say I really like the initial 'look-and-feel' of Windows 11...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
The 64GB of storage will not be used by Windows 11 it will be used by installed applications and Windows updates.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
    Motherboard
    Erica6
    Memory
    Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC671
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
In order to do a full update, you need enough space for 1) your current os, 2) the downloaded files, 3) the downloaded files processed, 4) the processed files extracted into a folder, 5) your old os to be copied to a backup folder so it can be rolled back if necessary, 6) the new OS.

On top of that, you also need space for swapfile and hiberfile (depends on memory). All that adds up
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
Yep, understood.

I've now performed a clean-install on one of my 'real' PCs and curiously the size on disk is 24.5GB, compared to a mere 18.5 when install as a VM...

Seems a bit strange...
 
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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
Yep, understood.

I've now performed a clean-install on one of my 'real' PCs and curiously the size on disk is 245.GB, compared to a mere 18.5 when install as a VM...

Seems a bit strange...
Something has gone wonky. Use Treesize (in MS Store) to work out why the space is being used.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
Yep, understood.

I've now performed a clean-install on one of my 'real' PCs and curiously the size on disk is 245.GB, compared to a mere 18.5 when install as a VM...

Seems a bit strange...
Depends on how you measure it. you need a tool that understands hard links. Something like WinDirStat should show you the real results.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
Be aware that there is also a small architectural change. Windows now reserves a certain amount of space for future upgrades to guarantee sufficient space to perform a major feature upgrade. If I can find the details I'll post a link here. The details are a little fuzzy in my mind at the moment and I'm going to be away for a bit so apologies if this sounds like a bit of a rushed response (it is!).
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A
    Memory
    128GB Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - CPU graphics only (for now)
    Sound Card
    Realtek (on motherboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe Gen 4 x 4 SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe Gen 3 x 4 SSD
    2 x 512GB 2.5" SSDs
    2 x 8TB HD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black cooler + 10 case fans
    Keyboard
    CODE backlit mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Additional options installed:
    WiFi 6E PCIe adapter
    ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 PCIe adapter
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
Thanks for the replies fellas...

When doing the clean install on a real PC, it actually said I need 52GB free space...

Maybe it's just how the install ISO is 'feeling' on any particular day!

Cheers,

Mike.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
Yep, understood.

I've now performed a clean-install on one of my 'real' PCs and curiously the size on disk is 245.GB, compared to a mere 18.5 when install as a VM...

Seems a bit strange...
I wonder what you have there?

My Windows folder uses about 20GB. I have about 150GB total used in the boot partition, but a lot of that is data (which I should have organized better).
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Amd Threadripper 7970X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte TRX50 Aero D
    Memory
    128GB (4 X 32) Kingston DDR5 5200 (RDIMM)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 4090 OC
    Sound Card
    none (USB to speakers), Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27E1N8900 OLED
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @ 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Crucial T700 2TB M.2 NVME SSD
    WD 4TB Blue SATA SSD
    Seagate 18TB IronWolf Pro
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1600 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo XL
    Cooling
    Alphacool Eisbaer Pro Aurora 360, with 3 Phanteks T30 fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Internet Speed
    1200 Mbps
  • Operating System
    windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel I9-13900K
    Motherboard
    Asus RoG Strix Z690-E
    Memory
    64GB G.Skill DDR5-6000
    Graphics card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 3090 ti
    Sound Card
    built in Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PA329C
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB
    8 TB Seagate Ironwolf
    4TB Seagate Ironwolf
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1300 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
See these links for the 64 GB requirement:




Storage: 64 GB* or greater available storage is required to install Windows 11.


Code:
To install or upgrade to Windows 11, devices must meet the following minimum hardware requirements:

Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or system on a chip (SoC).
RAM: 4 gigabytes (GB) or greater.
Storage: 64 GB* or greater available storage is required to install Windows 11.
Additional storage space might be required to download updates and enable specific features.
Graphics card: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later, with a WDDM 2.0 driver.
System firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot capable.
TPM: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0.
Display: High definition (720p) display, 9" or greater monitor, 8 bits per color channel.
Internet connection: Internet connectivity is necessary to perform updates, and to download and use some features.
Windows 11 Home edition requires an Internet connection and a Microsoft Account to complete device setup on first use.






Storage: 64 GB or greater

Code:
The following configuration requirements apply to VMs running Windows 11.

Generation: 2 *
Storage: 64 GB or greater
Security: Secure Boot capable, virtual TPM enabled
Memory: 4 GB or greater
Processor: 2 or more virtual processors







Code:
More information on storage space requirements to keep Windows 11 up-to-date

The size of the Windows operating system that comes with your device and the amount of free storage
space needed to download and install Windows updates are highly variable as they depend on a variety
of factors.

The factors that impact the amount of free space needed to take an update include:

the versions of Windows previously installed on the machine;

the amount of free storage space available from Windows files to reuse,

such as the virtual memory pagefile or hibernation file;

which applications are installed on your device;

and how those applications store data.

When updating, Windows will attempt to free up enough space automatically and
to guide you through freeing up even more if the automatic cleanup is not sufficient.

You can also take steps on your own to free up space.
 
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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4800MQ CPU @ 2.70GHz
    Motherboard
    Product : 190A Version : KBC Version 94.56
    Memory
    16 GB Total: Manufacturer : Samsung MemoryType : DDR3 FormFactor : SODIMM Capacity : 8GB Speed : 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Quadro K3100M; Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition Audio CODEC; PNP Device ID HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_111D&DEV_76E0
    Hard Drives
    Model Hitachi HTS727575A9E364
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Mobile Workstation

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