Whenever I notice my storage go down, I use WinDirStat to see what is taking up space. I have noticed that the WinSxS folder always takes up a lot of space. I looked deeper into the folder and saw a bunch of .HBAKED files and .HBAKED(with random suffixes) files. Examples: (I can't provide images cause of my reputation)
Example path "C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsappscene_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_none_192f5ff060b7ee8a\360.png.hBaked"
Does anybody know what these are? I am using a PC with Windows 10, and a AMD gpu and cpu. Also, can I delete them? Finally, where did they come from?
I also saw this: so it seems other people have it.
Edit: This seems to be an AMD problem, as they are all in folders that have AMD in them. It also seems to be related to 3D models somehow, as I've seen .glb files (which Windows Explorer says are 3D models) and .png files that seem to be pictures of them.
This is really weird as I have never seen those 3D models or images ever before.
Edit #2: Link to zipped version of one of the folders:
Paths to folders:
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp-bare-scene_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_none_92b14febcfa056cd, Size: 8683035.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp-missioncontrol-scene_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_none_7d3c087b1fdf6506, Size: 425039497.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp-preplacementconfig_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_none_a64fd3adb9fd8776, Size: 21304.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp-scene_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_none_192f5ff060b7ee8a, Size: 845797538.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp.appxmain.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_de-de_6cf31c8decef0f41, Size: 2208.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp.appxmain.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_en-gb_0e5b3768e0a46741, Size: 2200.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp.appxmain.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_en-us_15e3f286dbcd1b06, Size: 2200.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp.appxmain.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_es-es_15af4f6adbf40cab, Size: 2232.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp.appxmain.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_es-mx_17e63d10da87f056, Size: 2232.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp.appxmain.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_fr-ca_b0dd0fb3d39e8933, Size: 2232.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp.appxmain.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_fr-fr_b866c569cec6230d, Size: 2232.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp.appxmain.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_it-it_a28ebbb0a5f8088b, Size: 2200.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp.appxmain.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_ja-jp_44b43abd99131a66, Size: 2208.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp.appxmain.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_ko-kr_e81e17728b83e17c, Size: 2200.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp.appxmain.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_nl-nl_ceefe3e564d5170d, Size: 2208.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp.appxmain.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_ru-ru_5f050a3b2cd216ad, Size: 2232.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp.appxmain.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_zh-cn_756a5cf4c2eef518, Size: 2192.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp.appxmain.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.1_zh-tw_79669a4ac05fd188, Size: 2200.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp.appxmain_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.746_none_6b266903a2fec967, Size: 1611628.
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_environmentsapp.appxsetup_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.423_none_b9fc9439ddf30c73, Size: 17426.
Total Size: 1281201404.Sizes are in bytes, because I used a C# program to get them.
52 Answers
I have several such files on my computer with very suggestive names. Here is an example:
So let's do some sleuthing.
By their sub-folder names, these seem to be animation files in binary (non-textual) format.
An examination of the contained printable strings in the files shows strings such
as char*, which points to them probably being written in one of C/C++/C#.
The string "hBaked" itself is very suggestive of "half baked".
"Baking" is a term used in animation. In the post from Blender Stack ExchangeWhat does “Baking” mean?, it is said:
The purpose of baking is to save in render times, because Blender recalculates all shadows, lighting and what not, every single frame, which results in a lot of time wasted time for long animations.
Baking can also mean precalculating physics simulations such as Cloth or Rigid Body. For this Blender saves them to a file, which then loads when rendering or playing back the animation so that the physics don't have to be recalculated every time.
Half-baked would in that case mean pre-processed animations that are still somewhat modifiable or that can be incorporated in larger animated scenes as textures or objects.
These files are owned by TrustedInstaller, which means that they belong to some
installed application and were installed by the Windows Installer.
The folder C:\Windows\WinSxS itself is Microsoft's answer toDLL Hell,
where SxS stands forSide-by-side assembly,
guarding the DLL context of most installed applications.
Multiple installed versions of the same application, will create multiple entries
in WinSxS, all separated.
In short, these files belong to installed applications.
Deleting them will requires drastic measures because their owner is the
Windows super-privileged pseudo-account TrustedInstaller (not recommended),
but will also cause some installed application to malfunction.
If there are too many of them, you may guess what application has installed them by the sub-folder names. We know that this is an application that uses video sequences, perhaps a game, but you cannot delete these files without also uninstalling the game.
Unless these files take up an appreciable part of WinSxS, I would suggest to leave them be. If Disk Cleanup does not delete them, this means that they are still used by some installed application.
In your files I have found these XML text snippets:
"generator":"Khronos Blender glTF 2.0 I/O","version":"2.0"
"generator":"Microsoft GLTF Exporter 2.2.3.0-b82-gf0447d2"This, combined with the fact that you have lots of .glb files,
validate my assumption of these being video files,
where some are created by Blender.
These files belong to an application written within the framework ofWindows Mixed Reality:
Windows Mixed Reality is a mixed reality platform introduced as part of the Windows 10 operating system, which provides augmented reality and mixed reality experiences with compatible head-mounted displays.
...
The platform is also used for virtual reality headsets designed for use on the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, which are built to specifications implemented as part of Windows Mixed Reality, but lack support for augmented-reality experiences.
Microsoft HoloLens is the flagship device in Windows Mixed Reality.
One of your files is named HoloTour.glb, so it might be that you have
installed theMicrosoft HoloLens - HoloTour,
described as
"an immersive 360 degree virtual travel experience with holographic scenery and spacial sounds".
Another file is HaloRecruit.glb, which might mean that that you
have installed the gameHalo Recruitfrom the Microsoft Store.
Final answer: These are applications written for Windows Mixed Reality. It seems like you are experimenting with Microsoft HoloLens augmented reality.
Windows Mixed Reality itself is a part of Windows and shouldn't be uninstalled (I don't even know if this is possible or if that will also remove these files, since they belong to their applications). The applications themselves can be uninstalled, each according to how they were installed in the first place.
7They are for the Windows Mixed Reality app. The folder name gave it away. The "amd64" part of the folder name just means x64 files, but the "environmentsapp" part is the program or framework they belong to, which if you google it, it comes up "Windows Mixed Reality".
I did some research on "Windows Mixed Reality hbaked" and found a download page on Microsoft's site for a Windows Mixed Reality asset update.
These files are a part of the asset pack that ships with the Microsoft Mixed Reality app. If you don't use this app and want to free up space, the proper way would be to uninstall the app. In Apps & Features, the app is named "Mixed Reality Portal" not "Windows Mixed Reality".
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