Written by, Adavelli Muninder
Updated February, 22, 2022
After upgrading your OS to Windows 10, you probably noticed a mysterious Z drive suddenly appeared in your File Explorer.
But, what is system Z on my computer and how to remove it (and should you)?
Read on.
The system Z drive appears after upgrading to Windows 10. If you try to double-click on it, Windows will show a prompt that reads: “You don’t currently have permission to access this folder.”
According to Microsoft, the system Z drive on my computer is actually a restore partition that simply lets you revert back to the previous version of Windows in case you’re not a fan of the updated version. So you don’t need to worry about a virus potentially infecting your system.
Microsoft says that there is no need to delete the Z drive, but it doesn’t prevent users from removing it.
If you still want to remove the Z drive from your computer, there are two ways to go about it.
If you see a system Z partition in your File Explorer, don’t be alarmed. Microsoft says it’s only a partition drive that contains the necessary data to restore your OS to the previous version. What’s more, there are a couple of ways to remove the drive from your computer, including updating your Windows 10 (if applicable).
You can either remove it from the Control Panel or by editing the Registry on your computer.
For those still wondering “What is system Z on my computer?”: It’s a partition that stores the old version of Windows. There is no reason to remove it from your computer unless you’re certain that you won’t go back to the previous version. No need to worry about interruption on your gaming or online learning.