Inquiry Regarding Windows.old Folder Not Being Removed After Windows 11 24H2 Feature Update

We would like to inquire about the behavior of the Windows.old folder after a Windows Feature Update.

Issue Description

We performed a Feature Update from Windows 11 Version 23H2 to Windows 11 Version 24H2 on several client devices. As expected, the C:\Windows.old folder was created during the upgrade process.

Our understanding is that the Windows.old folder is retained temporarily to support rollback to the previous version of Windows and is automatically removed after a certain period.

However, even though more than 10 days have passed since the Feature Update was completed, the Windows.old folder still remains on the system.

Questions

After upgrading from Windows 11 23H2 to 24H2, is the Windows.old folder still expected to be removed automatically?

If automatic removal is expected, what mechanism triggers the deletion (e.g., Storage Sense, Automatic Maintenance, scheduled tasks, or another component)?

Are there any known issues, design changes, or conditions under which the Windows.old folder may remain on the system beyond the rollback period?

Is there a method to verify the status of the automatic cleanup process, such as specific logs, event logs, scheduled tasks, or commands?

Additional Information

To verify the rollback retention period, we attempted to run the following DISM command:

BAT

DISM /Online /Get-OSUninstallWindow

However, the command returned the following error:

Plain Text

Error: 1638

Another version of this product is already installed.

Could you please advise on the cause of this error and whether it is related to the Windows.old folder retention behavior?

We would appreciate any guidance or documentation regarding the expected behavior and troubleshooting steps.

Thank you for your assistance.