How to Enable or Disable Compact OS in Windows 10 & 11

By Timothy Tibbetts

Windows 10 and Windows 11 include tools to help you use less drive space, including Compact OS, which allows you to run the operating system from compressed files. When running CompactOS, Windows update can replace or remove individual files as needed to help maintain the drive footprint size over time.

Compact OS only compresses Windows core files and is useful for anyone low on drive space. On average, most users will free up 20% more drive space.

You can find out if you're currently using Compact OS and enable or disable it all from the Command Prompt.

Open Windows Terminal as Administrator.

Video tutorial:

How to Enable or Disable Compact OS in Windows 10 & 11 - Check if Compact OS is Enabled or Disabled

Type in compact /compactos:query

You will be told if Windows is in a Compact state or not.

How to Enable Compact OS in Windows 10 & 11

Type in compact /compactos:always

Wait until Windows finishes. On average, it should complete within a minute or two.

How to Disable Compact OS in Windows 10 & 11

Type in compact /compactos:never

Wait until Windows finishes. On average, it should complete within a few minutes but will take longer than it did to compress.

If you don't want to use Compact OS, you might consider freeing up some drive space using the similar links below.

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