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There is a 50 Gb hidden Extend folder in C drive. How to remove it?

Anonymous
2023-12-15T15:31:39+00:00

I recently used WizTree to analyze my C drive and discovered a hidden "Extend" folder occupying a significant amount of disk space, approximately 50 GB. The folder is located in the root directory of the C drive, and I am seeking guidance on understanding its purpose and potential impact on system operations. Can I remove this folder as this is taking a significant amount of space.

I would greatly appreciate your insights and suggestions on how to effectively address this situation.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-01-17T09:58:30+00:00

    Using WizTree, can you go into the $extend folder to find out what sub-folder or files in there are using up the space?

    hello sir i have the same problem. using wiztree i can see the subfolder but when i try to delete it needs administrator even though my users is already administrator

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-12-15T17:48:14+00:00

    Hey, my problem is solved! I tried this method given in this post What is the C:$Extend$RmMetadata file - Microsoft Community

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-12-15T17:14:30+00:00

    I have tried every methods you mentioned. Nothing Worked!

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  4. DaveM121 886.7K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2023-12-15T16:26:24+00:00

    it is not safe to manually delete that folder.

    1

    Open File Explorer

    Click on your hard drive

    On the Manage Tab - Disk Tools, click Cleanup

    Let Disk Cleanup do its initial scan

    Select Everything in the list and choose Delete

    Start Disk Cleanup again

    Let Disk Cleanup do its initial scan

    Important - this time in the resulting dialog, click 'Cleanup System Files'

    Let Disk Cleanup run another scan

    Select Everything in the list and choose Delete

    Restart the PC to see if that folder is empty.

    3

    If not:

    Click the power button on your Start Menu

    Press the Shift Key and click Restart

    Your PC will boot into the Windows Recovery Environment

    Go to Troubleshoot - Advanced Options - Command Prompt

    Type this command and press Enter:

    chkdsk C: /f /r

    When that completes, boot back into Windows to see if that folder is gone or empty

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  5. DaveM121 886.7K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2023-12-15T16:07:39+00:00

    Hi, I am Dave, I will help you with this.

    The $Extend folder is a legacy NTFS folder that is no longer used by Windows, do you have any very old software installed on your PC that would have deleted a lot of data over time to fill that $Extend folder?

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