What is the massive Windows WinSxS folder for?:

The C:\Windows\WinSxS folder is a massive backup of all Windows OS system files if you need to reinstall or repair Windows Components it can recover from that folder.
There are also two copies of each file (rather then just one) in case of corruption.
Also, since 64bit builds of Windows come with 32bit copies of system files as well. Thoughts 32 bit files are backup too, twice.

Source | Date: May 16th 2025

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