2 Windows Folders in C Drive: How to Delete One of Them?

I am having a problem where in my C drive there are 2 folders named Windows the first one when I open it works but the second one doesn't it says it's not the correct location how do I get rid of the second one this all happened after I got a virus I think I got rid of the virus.Microsoft

This post introduces how to delete one of the Windows folders when there are two Windows folders in C drive.

Fix 1: Run a Virus Scan

One possible cause of the “2 Windows folders in C drive” issue is a virus or malware infection. Thus, you can run a virus scan via Windows Defender. It a Windows built-in tool that could run in the background to keep your system safe. Here is how to do that:

1. Press the Windows + I keys together to open Settings. Go to Update & Security.

2. Under the Windows Security tab, click Open Windows Security.

3. Click Virus & threat protection and click Scan options.

4. You can click Quick scan.

Fix 2: Check the Both Folder

How to delete one of the Windows folders? You can also check both Windows folders.

1. Type cmd in the Search box and choose Run as administrator.

2. Run the following command: dir c:\w* /w

3. You should see the list of matching directories. If both are shown and your results say 2 Dir(s) it means that both are legitimate directories. If the results are different, the other one might be a malicious file.

Fix 3: Perform a Factory Reset

Performing a factory reset is also a great way to help you 2 Windows folders in C drive. Before resetting Windows, it’s recommended to back up files that you think are important since factory reset will remove everything on your drive. To do this, you can try the free backup software – MiniTool ShadcowMaker. It supports backing up files, folders, disks, and systems on Windows 11/10/8/7.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

1. Press the Windows + I keys to open Settings.

2. Navigate to the Update & Security section.

3. Go to System > Recovery > Reset this PC.

4. In the Choose an option screen, choose Keep my files or Remove everything.

5. Then, choose Cloud download or Local reinstall.

6. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to finish the steps.

Fix 4: Perform a Clean Install

An in-place upgrade is a provision for Windows 10 or 11 that allows installing the latest version keeping the existential apps and personal data safe. So, to delete two Windows folders in C drive, you can choose this method.

1. Go to the Windows 11 Download page.

2. Under the Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) part, click the drop-down menu to choose Windows 11 (multi-edition ISO) and click Download.

3. Then, you need to choose a language and click the Download button.

4. Next, click the 64-bit Download button to start the downloading process.

5. When the file has been downloaded, right-click it and select Mount from the context menu.

6. Choose the mounted drive and then double-click the Setup file option to begin the installation.

7. Then, click the Not right now button. Navigate to Next > Accept. During the process, select all the items you want to keep.

8. Finally, click the Install button and wait for the process to complete.

Final Words

Are you bothered by the 2 Windows folders in C drive? If you run into the issue, try the solutions above to easily get rid of that trouble. I hope that this post can be useful to you.