Volume Shadow Copies (VSS Storage)

Bottom Line: It is safe to delete old Volume Shadow Copies and System Restore points using Windows System Protection settings or the vssadmin command. Doing so can free up 5 GB to over 50 GB of hidden space on your drive.

What are Volume Shadow Copies?

Volume Shadow Copies (VSS) are point-in-time snapshots of your hard drive created automatically by Windows.

Windows creates shadow copies when:

• System Restore creates a restore point before Windows Updates or software installations.
• Windows Backup or Previous Versions feature takes snapshots of your files.

These shadow copies are stored inside the hidden C:\System Volume Information folder. If Windows is allowed to allocate 10% to 20% of your SSD space for shadow copies, it will hoard tens of gigabytes of old system snapshots.

Can You Delete Volume Shadow Copies?

✅ Yes, it is safe to clear old shadow copies.

• No immediate risk: Windows will keep functioning normally.
• Trade-off: You will lose the ability to roll back your system or restore previous versions of files to those deleted snapshot dates.
• Best Practice: Keep the most recent-items)-items)-items)-items)-items)-items)-items)-items)-items)-items)-items)-items)-items)-items)-items)-items) restore point while deleting older ones.

How to Safely Clean Up Shadow Copies

Method 1: Delete All Except the Most Recent Restore Point (Recommended)

1. Open Start, search for Disk Cleanup, and run it as Administrator.
2. Select your C: drive.
3. Click the More Options tab at the top.
4. Under System Restore and Shadow Copies, click Clean up….
5. Click Delete to confirm. Windows will delete all old shadow copies while preserving the newest system restore point.

Method 2: Limit Max Shadow Storage Space via System Protection

To prevent Windows from hoarding space again in the future:

1. Press Win + R, type sysdm.cpl, and press Enter.
2. Go to the System Protection tab, select C:, and click Configure.
3. Under Max Usage, adjust the slider down to 3% to 5% (approx. 5 GB – 10 GB).
4. Click Delete to erase existing restore points, then click Apply and OK.

Method 3: Delete Shadow Copies via Command Prompt (vssadmin)

1. Open Start, search cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and choose Run as administrator.
2. Run the following command to view shadow copy usage:

   vssadmin list shadowstorage

3. To delete all shadow copies:

   vssadmin delete shadows /all /quiet

Related Guides

• Understand the System Volume Information folder.
• How to clean up Windows.old folder.
• Check if you can delete hiberfil.sys.