How to Delete System Volume Information on a Flash Drive

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Remove or hide the System Volume Information folder on a PC

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: March 31, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Deleting the Files in the Folder
|
• Hiding the Folder
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• Deleting the Folder Temporarily
|
• Video
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• Q&A
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• Tips

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The System Volume Information folder is a protected Windows folder that's in the root of every drive. If your PC is set to show hidden folders, you'll even see this folder on your USB flash drive. The folder contains protected system restore files, including wpsettings.dat and IndexerVolumeGuid, volume information, and indexing data for search. Although you can temporarily delete the folder, it'll be automatically recreated when you plug it back into a Windows PC. It is also possible, though rare, for a folder of this name to be a place where viruses can hide. This wikiHow guide teaches you how to clear large files from the System Volume Information folder on a flash drive, plus how to hide the entire folder.

Deleting "System Volume Information" on a USB Drive

• While you can't delete the folder permanently, you can delete the large files inside (including wpsettings.dat) by disabling system protection on the folder first.
• You can hide the folder instead by changing your File Explorer settings to hide hidden files and folders.
• To temporarily delete the folder, use the command prompt to enter the parent folder, then run this command: rmdir "System Volume Information" /s /q.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Deleting Large Files from System Volume Information

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1. 
   1
   Open your Windows Settings

   

   . You'll find this gear-shaped icon in the Start menu.

   • If the System Volume Information folder is taking up too much space, you can delete the System Restore files inside and make sure they aren't recreated. These are the files that can sometimes make the System Volume Information folder extremely large.
   • System Restore files are used to help restore files and settings in case of data loss. This method will stop this protection for your flash drive, although it'll still be enabled on the rest of your PC.
2. 
   2
   Click System. It's the left panel on Windows 11. If you're using Windows 10, click the System icon instead.
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3. 
   3
   Click About. It's the last option on the right in Windows 11, and the last on the left in Windows 10.
4. 
   4
   Click System protection. It's in the right panel on Windows 11. If you're using Windows 10, you'll have to click System Info first, then click System Protection in the left panel.
5. 
   5
   Select your USB flash drive and click Configure. This opens the System Restore settings for your USB drive.
6. 
   6
   Select Disable system protection. It's the second option at the top. This tells Windows not to create restore point information on this drive.

   • Although this will prevent more System Restore points from being created on the drive, the System Volume Information folder will still be recreated automatically for search purposes, or if you plug the drive into another Windows PC that permits System Restore on flash drives.
   • If you need to keep System Restore on for this flash drive, you can just reduce the amount of space required by the restore points using the slider at the bottom. Keep in mind that lowering the size of your restore information means there might not be enough space to save more than one restore point.
7. 
   7
   Click the Delete button. It's near the bottom-right area of the window. A confirmation window will appear.
8. 
   8
   Click Continue to confirm. This deletes any saved System Restore information on your flash drive, effectively decreasing the size of the System Volume Information folder so its presence won't cause you any pain.

   • If you'd like to hide the folder from your view, see the Hiding the System Volume Information Folder method now.
   • If you are worried that a virus is lurking in your System Volume Information folder, see this method to learn how to delete the entire folder and dispose of the deleted files. When the folder is automatically re-added by Windows, it will not contain any bad files.
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Section 2 of 3:

Hiding the System Volume Information Folder

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1. 
   1
   Windows 11 You can use this method to hide the System Volume Information folder, as well as other important Windows operating system files that shouldn't be modified. This won't permanently delete the folder, but it will keep it from showing up when you don't want it to.

   • Press ⊞ Win+E to open File Explorer.
   • Click the View menu at the top.
   • Hover your mouse over the Show menu.
   • Uncheck the "Hidden items" option.
2. 
   2
   Windows 10 In this method, you'll not only be hiding the System Volume Information folder from your view, but also other important Windows operating system files that shouldn't be modified. This shouldn't affect you in any way unless you're a system administrator who frequently needs access to high-level system files.

   • Press ⊞ Win+E to open File Explorer.
   • Click the View menu at the top of the window.
   • Click Options.
   • Click the View tab.
   • Select Don't show hidden files, folders, or drives.
   • Check the box next to "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)."
   • Click OK.
   • If you use the USB drive anywhere else, such as in your car or on another PC, the changes will not carry over to that system. This means the System Volume Information folder will still be visible on those systems.
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Section 3 of 3:

Temporarily Deleting the Folder

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1. 
   1
   Press ⊞ Win+E to open Windows File Explorer. You can also open it by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting File Explorer. If you are worried that there's a virus or malware inside your System Volume Information folder, you can use this method to delete the folder from your flash drive.

   • If you haven't already done so, run a virus scan on the computer and remove any viruses that are found.
2. 
   2
   Double-click your flash drive. You should see it in the center panel, but if you don't, it'll be in the left panel under "This PC" or "Computer." This opens the contents of your flash drive in the right panel.
3. 
   3
   Press ⇧ Shift and right-click somewhere in the right panel. A context menu will expand.

   • Make sure you're not clicking on a file or folder—just a blank part of the right panel.
4. 
   4
   Click Open command prompt window here. This opens the command prompt window to the correct folder.

   • If you don't see this option, select Open in Terminal instead. Then, when Terminal opens, press Ctrl+⇧ Shift+2 to switch to the command prompt.
5. 
   5
   Enter the commands to delete the folder. To do this, type rmdir "System Volume Information" /s /q at the prompt and press the Enter key. This will delete the folder from the flash drive (for now). Remember, the folder will be recreated in the future, although it will no longer contain large system restore points.

   • If you'd like to hide the folder from your view, see the Hiding the System Volume Information Folder method now.
   • If your flash drive is formatted with the NTFS file system, you will see an error that says the folder can't be deleted. There is no way to take ownership of the folder in this situation, but you can reformat the drive to the exFAT or FAT32 file system so you can delete the folder in the future.
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  What should I do if the system cannot find the file specified?

  

  Community Answer

  It might be that the system volume information was already deleted or that the command you wrote was in the wrong format.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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• Question

  Even after using the command prompt, when I reinsert the pen drive it shows the "System Volume Information" folder. What should I do?

  

  Community Answer

  Windows recreates this file every time you plug in. So you actually delete the folder but Windows makes a new one.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 27 Helpful 56
• Question

  What can I do if the folder is still present in the flash drive?

  

  Community Answer

  "Clean Slate" that folder using admin commands. You can also scan for other folders like that using sfc/scannow in the admin prompt.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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Tips

• Even if you hide system files and folders on your PC, you may still see the System Volume Information folder on your flash drive if you plug it in elsewhere. For example, if you plug it into your car to listen to music, you'll probably see it there.
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