- Jan 04, 2011 Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics (More info?) Is the Software Distribution folder safe to delete? It's gigantic.
- On Windows 10, the 'SoftwareDistribution' folder is an essential component for Windows Update, which temporarily stores files needed to install new updates to keep your device secure and with the.
- Sep 18, 2010 How big is your's - the Software Distribution Folder in C: Windows, I mean of course? In particular the.edb sub file. There have seen various sizes reported for example - C:WINDOWSSoftwareDistributionDataStore.edb file. Mine has 600MBpossibly the whole folder I have six.edb log files, all at 128kb. The Data Store itself is 10MB.
- Win 10 Software Distribution Folder
- Software Distribution Folder
- C Windows Softwaredistribution Datastore
The Software Distribution folder in Windows operating system is a folder located in the Windows directory and used to temporarily store files which may be required to install Windows Update on your computer. It is thus required by Windows Update and maintained by WUAgent.
People, In my Windows Server 2008 R2 production servers, I noticed that this file: C:WindowsSoftwareDistributionDataStoreDataStore.edb is getting bigger monthly?
Software Distribution folder location
The The Software Distribution folder in Windows 10/8/7 is situated in the following location in File Explorer:
C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution
On my computer is size is around 1 MB, but its size could vary.
Is it safe to delete Software Distribution folder
While you do not want to touch this folder under normal conditions, you may need to empty its contents should you find that your system’s Datastore and the Download folder have got de-synchronized, resulting in your Windows Updates not working properly.
It is generally speaking safe to delete the contents of the Software Distribution folder, once all files required by it have been used for installing Windows Update. Even if you delete files otherwise, they will get automatically downloaded. If you were to delete the folder itself, it will get automatically re-created and the required WU components downloaded automatically.
However, this data store also contains your Windows Update History files. If you delete them you will lose your Update history. Moreover, the next time you run Windows Update, it will result in a longer detection time.
If your Windows Update is not working properly or not working at all or if you find that the size of this folder has really grown large, then you can consider deleting the Software Distribution folder in Windows 10/8/7.
If it is just the size, then if you use Disk Cleanup Tool and opt to Clean up System Files on your System Drive, and then Windows Update components & Delivery Optimization files , you will find that the size of this folder will get substantially reduced. But if you are facing Windows Update issues, then you flushing this folder has been known to help fix several issues like Windows Update not working, Windows Updates fail to install, Failure configuring Windows updates, Windows Update stuck downloading updates, We couldn’t complete the updates,Windows 10 keeps installing the same update and so on.
Delete Software Distribution folder
To delete the contents of the Software Distribution folder, in Windows 10, from the WinX Menu, open Command Prompt (Admin). Type the following one after the other and hit Enter:
This will stop the Windows Update Service and the Background Intelligent Transfer Service.
Now browse to the C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution folder and delete all the files and folders inside.
You may press Ctrl+A to Select All and then click on Delete.
If the files are in use, and you are unable to delete some files, restart your device. After rebooting, run the above commands again. Now you will be able to delete the files from the mentioned Software Distribution folder.
After you have emptied this folder, you may restart your computer or you may type the following commands, one at a time in the CMD, and hit Enter to restart the Windows Update related Services.
Now that folder has been flushed, it will now get populated afresh.
Rename SoftwareDistribution folder
If you wish to rename the Software Distribution folder, open an elevated command prompt windows, type the following commands one after the other, and hit Enter:
Alternatively, you may also boot Windows 10 into Safe Mode, and rename SoftwareDistribution to SoftwareDistribution.bak or SoftwareDistribution.old.
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On Windows 10, the 'SoftwareDistribution' folder is an essential component for Windows Update, which temporarily stores files needed to install new updates to keep your device secure and with the latest fixes and improvements.
This folder is maintained by the WUAgent (Windows Update Agent), and typically, it should be left alone, but there will be times when you may need to clear its content manually in the case the Datastore and Download folders aren't synchronized, and it's preventing Windows Update from applying new updates to your PC.
Usually, if you're having trouble with Windows Update, or after updates have been applied, it's safe to empty the content of the SoftwareDistribution folder. Windows 10 will always re-download all the necessary files, or re-create the folder and re-download all the components, if removed.
In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to delete the content inside the SoftwareDistribution folder. As an alternative option, we'll also show you the steps to rename the folder, in case you only want to test if the folder's content is the one causing problems.
How to clear the 'SoftwareDistribution' folder
To delete the content inside the SoftwareDistribution folder, do the following:
- Open Start.
- Search for Command Prompt, right-click the result, and select Run as administrator.
- Type the following command to stop the Windows Update Service and press Enter:
net stop wuauserv
- Type the following command to stop the Background Intelligent Transfer Service and press Enter:
net stop bits
- Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.
- Open File Explorer and browse the following path:
C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution
- Select all its content and click the Delete button to clear the content.Quick Tip: In the case, you're having trouble deleting all the files, simply restart your computer, and try again.
- On Command Prompt, type the following command to start the Windows Update Service and press Enter:
net start wuauserv
- Type the following command to start the Background Intelligent Transfer Service and press Enter:
net start bits
Once you completed the steps, Windows 10 will reconfigure the folder and re-download all the necessary components.
How to rename the 'SoftwareDistribution' folder
If you don't want to delete the content inside of the folder, you can alternatively, rename the folder to troubleshoot Windows Update problems.
To rename the SoftwareDistribution folder, do the following:
- Open Start.
- Search for Command Prompt, right-click the result, and select Run as administrator.
- Type the following command to stop the Windows Update Service and press Enter:
net stop wuauserv
- Type the following command to stop the Background Intelligent Transfer Service and press Enter:
net stop bits
- Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.
- Type the following command to rename the folder and press Enter:
rename %windir%SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.bak
Quick Tip: If the command isn't letting you rename the folder, try steps No. 3 and 4 one more time, and then try to rename the folder. - Type the following command to start the Windows Update Service and press Enter:
net start wuauserv
- Type the following command to start the Background Intelligent Transfer Service and press Enter:
net start bits
Win 10 Software Distribution Folder
After you've completed the steps, Windows 10 will re-create the folder and re-download all the necessary components.
The only caveat with this process is that the SoftwareDistribution folder also includes the Windows Update history information, which means that emptying up the folder will result in loss of this data. In addition, you'll notice that Windows Update will take longer than usual to detect and update your computer because the WUAgent must check and re-create the Datastore information. However, it's a small price to pay to get your device to update again.
While sometimes the folder may grow, it's only recommended to use these instructions only when necessary. You shouldn't mess with the SoftwareDistribution folder to free up storage space on your computer.
Software Distribution Folder
More Windows 10 resources
C Windows Softwaredistribution Datastore
For more help articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources: