How to Enable or Disable Compact OS in Windows 11

Do you love Windows 11 but are afraid that you may not have enough disk space available? Fear not! Windows 11 comes with Compact OS which compresses files and images related to Windows to a more manageable size. This feature is present not only in Windows 11 but also in its predecessor, Windows 10. The way Compact OS works is that it allows Windows to run from compressed system files. Hence, it takes lesser space than a normal Windows installation. Interested yet? We bring to you a perfect guide that will teach you how to enable or disable Compact OS in Windows 11.

How to Enable or Disable Compact OS in Windows 11

How to Enable or Disable Compact OS in Windows 11

Compact OS helps to install Windows files in compressed form. It helps in freeing up disk space by compressing Windows system binaries and decompressing them as & when needed. This is beneficial for a system that does not have large storage space available. Both UEFI and BIOS-based systems support this feature. Though you must keep few points in mind:

  • This comes at a cost of memory resources which are used for compression and decompression of system files when they are needed.
  • Also, a power failure during the process of compression and decompression of files related to Windows can be fatal as it could result in the operating system crashing and leaving your computer in an unbootable state.

Note: It is advised to enable this state only when you need it desperately. It is also recommended to take a full backup before enabling it.

How to Check Status of Compact OS

You can check the status of Compact OS as follows:

1. Click on the Search icon and type Command Prompt. Then click on Run as administrator.

Start search results for Command Prompt

2. Click on Yes in the User Account Control confirmation pop-up.

3. Type compact /compactos:queryand press the Enter key.

4. In this case, The system is not in the Compact state but may become compact as needed. This implies that currently Compact OS is not enabled; however, the device supports it.

Command prompt command for knowing status of Compact OS

Also Read: How to Run File Explorer as Administrator in Windows 11

How to Enable Compact OS on Windows 11

Here are the steps to enable Compact OS on Windows 11.

1. Launch Command prompt as administrator as illustrated below.

Start search results for Command Prompt

2. Type compact /compactos:always and hit Enter.

Command prompt command for enabling Compact OS

3. Let the compression process be completed. Close the Command Prompt window after completion.

Also Read: Fix Critical Process Died Error in Windows 11

How to Disable Compact OS on Windows 11

Following are the steps to disable Compact OS on Windows 11.

1. Open Command prompt as administrator as earlier.

Start search results for Command Prompt

2. Type the command given below and press the Enter key to execute.

compact /compactos:never

Command prompt command for disabling Compact OS. How to Enable or Disable Compact OS in Windows 11

3. Let the decompression process be completed and exit Command Prompt.

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With this article, we hope you understood how to enable or disable compact OS in Windows 11. If you have any suggestions and questions regarding this article, you can reach out to us in the comment section below. We would be more than happy to answer all your queries.

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