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This is the actual space I need to install Windows 10 and 11

When installing any operating system, the first thing we must take into account is to know what the actual space it will occupy. With each new version of Windows, Microsoft publishes the necessary space specifications, specifications that, in most cases, are never real, so it is difficult to get an idea if it is time to replace the storage drive with one. another larger one.

When we install the operating system, we must not only count the space it occupies, but also the space required for it to run smoothly, that is, we must count a cushion of additional free space necessary for the system to work correctly. The space required to install both Windows 10 and Windows 11 does not vary depending on the type of storage unit on our computer, that is, this will be the same whether our computer uses an HDD or an SSD.

Real space needed by Windows 10

The space specifications required by Windows 10 when it hit the market in 2015 indicated that 16 GB of disk space was required for the 32-bit version and 20 GB for the 64-bit version. However, since 2019, Microsoft has increased the space specifications to install lto 64-bit version going to a minimum of 32 GB.

Windows 10 32-bit, both the Home and Professional versions, take between 7 and 8 GB of hard drive space once installed on the computer. This space is doubled if we opt for the 64-bit version, since it reaches 18 GB in all the versions in which it is available.

To this space, we must add a minimum free space 10 to 15 GB for Windows to manage temporary files, the hibernation feature that was replaced by Windows Quick Start, the download of update installation, and the space required for both virtual memory and temporary files used by both Windows like the applications that we install on the computer. Due to all these factors, to install 32-bit Windows 10 we need at least 23 GB of space, while for the 64 GB version, the minimum space required is 35 GB.

Space we need for Windows 11

According to the specifications published by Microsoft, in order to install Windows 11 you need 64 GB of disk space, a real nonsense for any operating system and what it means almost 3 times the space required for Windows 10 according to Microsoft specifications. However, that figure is far from reality. Windows 11 is available in different versions (64-bit only) and all of them occupy between 20 and 21 GB once installed on the computer.

In this space, all the drivers necessary for the computer to work correctly are already included, in addition to the space occupied by the virtual memory. However, the space required for the Fast Startup feature is not included here, a feature that replaces the hibernation mode that Microsoft removed in the latest Windows 10 updates.

In addition to the 20 GB on average that we need to install all the Windows 11 files, regardless of the version, we must add a free space cushion between 10 and 15 GB, for the team to manage system updates, make backups and work with temporary files. In this way, we get a minimum space of about 35 GB. As we can see, both Windows 10 and Windows 11, in its 64-bit version (there is no 32-bit version of Windows 11), require practically the same free disk space.

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