“Is a 32GB SSD on a netbook enough to run Windows and Microsoft Office?”

Posted on by Fred Langa

In a word: No.

On this page, Microsoft states (emphasis added): “Starting with the May 2019 Update, the system requirements for hard drive size for clean installs of Windows 10 as well as new PCs changed to a minimum of 32GB.“

That’s Windows itself. MS Office also needs room, although the space requirements vary by type of installation (online or standalone; full suite or just an app or two; etc.) But generally, if you’re going to install Office locally on your PC, you’ll need at least an additional 4GB of disk space above what Windows needs.

Any other apps also take up space, of course, so you need to allow for them, too.

And then there are your user files. Unless you plan to make heavy use of cloud-based storage, you’ll need to allow space for them, too.

You could certainly get a feature-limited, compact Linux installation and some Linux apps into a 32GB SSD, but there’s no magic to it: If you seek a full, standard, good-performing, desktop experience, you’re gonna need some elbow room, even with Linux.

For example, the popular Ubuntu Linux desktop 18.04 LTS recommends 25GB of disk space just for itself.

Today, a 32GB drive is just not enough for a good-performing, full, normal, desktop PC setup and apps.

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3 Replies to ““Is a 32GB SSD on a netbook enough to run Windows and Microsoft Office?””

  1. Some time ago, the Patch Lady wrote on Ask Woody about the difficult process of installing Windows 10 updates on a PC with just 32GB of storage — it required the use of a USB thumb drive, if I recall correctly.

    Re: “online or standalone” versions of Office
    By “online”, you’re referring to Office Online and not Office 365, correct?

    Reply

    1. The uptick in required space is indeed to accommodate the twice-yearly (spring and fall) major upgrades, which archive the previous version in the \windows.old folder; those files are used for upgrade-disaster recovery or rollback. The Windows.old folder is emptied after about 10 days, but meanwhile, it can take up a pile of space — it’s essentially a whole second Windows installation! — and mess up setups with limited disk space.

      Re: Office, and similar software: There are many options with Office (and the partially-related OneDrive) where virtually none, some, most, or virtually all the related apps and files can reside either online or locally. But even a minimal configuration needs space: The mostly-online Office 365, for example, requires 4GB of local disk space (MS info). There are literally hundreds — maybe thousands — of setup permutations just with Office alone, depending on what apps and options you choose and how you set them up. All I was trying to do was illustrate that, with today’s software, you’re gonna need space, no matter what. 🙂

      Reply

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