Upgrade to Win 11 with limited free space

fran shaller 20 Reputation points
2025-01-17T00:12:57.57+00:00

I have about 23 GB free space on my hard drive. Want to upgrade from Win 10 to Win 11. I understand that I should have about 100 GB free space. I have an external drive with that much room. Can i use the external drive to temporarily provide free space for that upgrade?

Windows 11
Windows 11
A Microsoft operating system designed for productivity, creativity, and ease of use.
10,734 questions
{count} votes

Accepted answer
  1. Hania Lian 21,196 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor
    2025-01-17T08:25:03.8866667+00:00

    Hello,

    Unfortunately, you can't use an external drive to temporarily provide free space for the Windows 11 upgrade. The upgrade process requires at least 64GB free space to be available on the internal drive where Windows is installed.

    User's image

    The requirements to download Win11:

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11-specifications?msockid=39a67d1c42d266b43334687343d3677d

    However, you can try the following steps to free up space on your internal drive:

    Delete Unnecessary Files: Remove temporary files, old downloads, and unused applications.

    Move Files to External Drive: Transfer large files like videos, photos, and documents to your external drive.

    Use Disk Cleanup: Run the Disk Cleanup tool to remove system files and other unnecessary data.

    Uninstall Unused Programs: Remove programs you no longer use or need.

    If these steps don't free up enough space, you might consider upgrading your internal storage or using a larger internal drive for the upgrade.

    Have a nice day.

    Best Regards,

    Hania


    If the Answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments

1 additional answer

Sort by: Most helpful
  1. fran shaller 20 Reputation points
    2025-01-17T09:54:17.6633333+00:00

    Thank you for your response. It looks like my only option to upgrade my internal storage.

    0 comments No comments

Your answer

Answers can be marked as Accepted Answers by the question author, which helps users to know the answer solved the author's problem.