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Windows 10 and reserved storage
Published Apr 10 2019 07:53 AM 1.1M Views
Iron Contributor
First published on TECHNET on Jan 07, 2019

Reserving disk space to keep Windows 10 up to date





Windows Insiders: To enable this new feature now, please see the last section "Testing out Storage Reserve" and complete the quest



Starting with the next major update we’re making a few changes to how Windows 10 manages disk space. Through reserved storage, some disk space will be set aside to be used by updates, apps, temporary files, and system caches. Our goal is to improve the day-to-day function of your PC by ensuring critical OS functions always have access to disk space. Without reserved storage, if a user almost fills up her or his storage, several Windows and application scenarios become unreliable. Windows and application scenarios may not work as expected if they need free space to function. With reserved storage, updates, apps, temporary files, and caches are less likely to take away from valuable free space and should continue to operate as expected. Reserved storage will be introduced automatically on devices that come with version 1903 pre-installed or those where 1903 was clean installed. You don’t need to set anything up—this process will automatically run in the background. The rest of this blog post will share additional details on how reserved storage can help optimize your device.

How does it work?


When apps and system processes create temporary files, these files will automatically be placed into reserved storage. These temporary files won’t consume free user space when they are created and will be less likely to do so as temporary files increase in number, provided that the reserve isn’t full. Since disk space has been set aside for this purpose, your device will function more reliably. Storage sense will automatically remove unneeded temporary files, but if for some reason your reserve area fills up Windows will continue to operate as expected while temporarily consuming some disk space outside of the reserve if it is temporarily full.

Windows Updates made easy


Updates help keep your device and data safe and secure, along with introducing new features to help you work and play the way you want. Every update temporarily requires some free disk space to download and install. On devices with reserved storage, update will use the reserved space first.

When it’s time for an update, the temporary unneeded OS files in the reserved storage will be deleted and update will use the full reserve area. This will enable most PCs to download and install an update without having to free up any of your disk space, even when you have minimal free disk space. If for some reason Windows update needs more space than is reserved, it will automatically use other available free space. If that’s not enough, Windows will guide you through steps to temporarily extend your hard disk with external storage, such as with a USB stick, or how to free up disk space.

How much of my storage is reserved?


In the next major release of Windows (19H1), we anticipate that reserved storage will start at about 7GB, however the amount of reserved space will vary over time based on how you use your device. For example, temporary files that consume general free space today on your device may consume space from reserved storage in the future. Additionally, over the last several releases we’ve reduced the size of Windows for most customers. We may adjust the size of reserved storage in the future based on diagnostic data or feedback. The reserved storage cannot be removed from the OS, but you may be able to reduce the amount of space reserved by removing unused optional features and languages.  More details below.

The following two factors influence how reserved storage changes size on your device:

  • Optional features. Many optional features are available for Windows. These may be pre-installed, acquired on demand by the system, or installed manually by you. When an optional feature is installed, Windows will increase the amount of reserved storage to ensure there is space to maintain this feature on your device when updates are installed. You can see which features are installed on your device by going to Settings > Apps > Apps & features > Manage optional features . You can reduce the amount of space required for reserved storage on your device by uninstalling optional features you are not using.



  • Installed Languages. Windows is localized into many languages. Although most of our customers only use one language at a time, some customers switch between two or more languages. When additional languages are installed, Windows will increase the amount of reserved storage to ensure there is space to maintain these languages when updates are installed. You can see which languages are installed on your device by going to Settings > Time & Language > Language . You can reduce the amount of space required for reserved storage on your device by uninstalling languages you aren’t using.




Follow these steps to check the reserved storage size: Click Start > Search for “Storage settings” > Click "Show more categories" > Click “System & reserved” > Look at the “Reserved storage” size.

Testing out reserved storage


This feature is available to Windows Insiders running Build 18298 or newer.

Step 1: Become a Windows Insider.

The Windows Insider Program brings millions of people around the world together to shape the next evolution of Windows 10. Become an Insider to gain exclusive access to upcoming Windows 10 features and the ability to submit feedback directly to Microsoft Engineers. Learn how to get started: Windows Insiders Quick Start

Step 2: Complete this quest to start using this feature.



Aaron Lower contributed to this post.
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105 Comments
Deleted
Not applicable
Cannot find this quest anymore
Copper Contributor

Quest no longer exists.

 

Copper Contributor

great post its so useful for me thank you

http://dayasabt.com/

Iron Contributor

Our organization's Compliance and Legal departments are very conscience about where our user data is stored so we can appropriately manage it.  Revolves around eDiscovery.  I'm curious if Microsoft can share the following.  Thanks in advance!

- The article mentions data used by apps, temporary files, and caches:
     - Is this only for "modern/store/Win10 apps" or can Win32 apps also leverage this?
     - For caches, does this include browser caches for IE and or Edge?
- Is there a way for us to get to this reserved storage space, either with a standard user account or admin or system account?  Or can 3rd party tools get this this data, like eDiscovery tools? 

Copper Contributor

Can we manually access this data?

Copper Contributor

 

 

Copper Contributor

good 

 

Copper Contributor

give me 900000GB to my laptop

 

Deleted
Not applicable

임시파일 제거로 공간 확보

Copper Contributor
I recently went back to college, so everything is pretty much microsoft! Which is cool, but for as much as I've learned, I still know so little. I'm looking forward to this! 

 

Copper Contributor

I need more space

Copper Contributor

THIS ALL NEW TO ME LIKE IT SO FAR I JUST GOT OUT PRISON DONE 15 FLAT BUT IM LEARNING ABOUT IT AS I GO I JUST GOT THIS HP LAPTOP AND ALREADY DID A MASTER REST ON IN 3 TIMES BUT IM LEARNING MORE AND MORE ABOUT EVERYDAY I GOT A HP STREAM ITS KOOL BUT COULD HAVE A LITTLE MORE GB. BUT LOVE IT SO FAR ITS KOOL I JUST NEED LEARN MORE ABOUT IT AS I GO I KNOW MY ENGLISH NOT TO GOOD BUT THATS ME LIVEN HERE IN TEXAS AND PPL BE LIKE YOU NOT FROM HERE ....I LOOK AT THEM AND BE LIKE NO I NEW .... LOL 

Copper Contributor

Wise there was a way for me to go into my reserve space, if there is a tool or new inform  that Microsoft can sent to help me better my disk space I would love for them to help me do so. 

Copper Contributor

An interesting article but my results beggar belief(is there a decimal point missing?).

20200328_134454.jpg

Copper Contributor

Ainda não conheço vou testar.

Copper Contributor

Tudo novo estou anciosa pra começar a usar. 

Copper Contributor

amanyw2020_0-1588302780919.png

need help i have no space on my disk 

Copper Contributor

Hello I'm new to the computer world.....I need help with all the storage on my laptop...LowDisk Storage........How do i free up space.....

Copper Contributor

mim ajudar

 

 

Copper Contributor

window 10 is very good windows iam using three four years without any problem

Copper Contributor

zachary21

Copper Contributor
hie guys am new...how many GB is the new update windows 10 version 20H2
Copper Contributor

How to sign in to Wind's computer 

Copper Contributor

Hello need help on two issues. If someone can help me. first off I have deleted files added software and it is saying I do not have enough space to download photoshop. I am being charged for Adobe and Some "Cloud"  but I can not even open the app.  Help 

Next how do I update my pin for login into my computer. I bought the computer from someone set it up was working fine and then all a sudden one day went to log in and it says my pin is not accepted?? I have tried to reset it but I can not get into admin account. Its my computer and its very frustrating. 

Thank u!

Copper Contributor

We share the problem, I did not find the solution!! :trident_emblem: what about you? 

Copper Contributor

thing you i go my internet page

Copper Contributor

I cannot find this quest anywhere in Feedback Hub.  I looked on the comments section in Microsoft Tech Community Hub and it says that it used to exist.  Do you know where I can find this quest?

Copper Contributor

me gusta

Copper Contributor

 

Superb website you have here but I was wondering if you knew of any community forums that cover the same topics discussed in this article? I’d really like to be a part of community where I can get advice from other knowledgeable individuals that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Bless you!

Masstamilan

 

f someone can help me. first off I have deleted files added software and it is saying I do not have enough space to download photoshop.

Copper Contributor

thank you i needed to know whom was my working place god.......i have to go quickly for a job i am an independent, if you look me up..., to continue here much appreciation 

Copper Contributor

Hi. I joined just now with good purpose. Bye for now.

Copper Contributor

perfecto...     aqui estamos !

Copper Contributor

Hello there. thanks for adding me into the community, I need more space for my hp laptop, thanks.

Copper Contributor

What quest?

Copper Contributor

system restore is consuming 50 gb of spacesystem restore is consuming 50 gb of space

 

can i delete the system restore data as it is consuming 50 gb of space .

Copper Contributor

真不错

 

Copper Contributor

Estou com um serio problema em meu note;

Tenho um Dell com i7 8th, com SSd de 110 G e HD de 1T.

 

Instalei só o Windows neste SSD, tudo mando armazenar e instalar no HD de 1T,

Mas meu Windows 10 vive avisando que está sem espaço.

 

Vou no gerenciador e o Windows está com ( sistema e reservado = 54,6 GB e APPS 32,7 GB).

 

Bem hoje tenho sobrando 15,2 GB.

Como resolvo isso...

Copper Contributor

Is there any way to recover some of this reserve from a non-system drive other than formatting it?

After adding an M.2 SSD and freshly installing Windows to this, I renamed the Windows folder on my HDD to Windows.old and used Disk Clean-Up to remove previous Windows installations.  This did not, however, appear to result in any free disk space, but instead resulted in a large amount of the drive (85.9 GB) reserved for system use:

  • 21.9 GB for System files (this is not my system drive);
  • 30.2 GB for Reserved storage;
  • 24.1 GB for Virtual memory; and
  • 9.54 GB for Hibernation file.

This is in addition to the 36.3 GB reserved on the system SSD (16.2 GB System, 7.03 GB Reserved, 3.51 Virtual memory, & 9.54 GB Hibernation), so I doubt that the 85.9 GB of my non-system HDD that is inaccessible to me is actually being used by the system and I would like it back.  I would hope that releasing this unused system reserve disk space could be incorporated into future updates of Windows 10 but in the meantime, is there any way I can force this without formatting the disk?

Copper Contributor

ok

Copper Contributor

Thank you so much i appreciate Microsoft 

Copper Contributor

..how i clean locl dics c file..suggest me

Copper Contributor

Is there anyway that i can clean up my PC will its because i need to free up some space a lot

Copper Contributor

JUST HAVING THROUGH THE Power on using Broadband , LAN AND wi-fi.

 

Copper Contributor

I just had an old Windows 7 workstation crash a few days ago with files and proprietary programs. I have not installed a fresh copy of W-7 or a new W-10 O.S because I first want to know if I install a fresh copy of W-7 can I use restore points from the saved Windows_old OS files?

 

I then can do the W-10 upgrade.

 

Is this scenario possible?

 

Copper Contributor

thanks

Copper Contributor

Fabolous as always

Copper Contributor

muy bueno

Copper Contributor

bonjour 

je n'arrive pas a réinstaler windows 10 que j'ai desinstaler pour une remise a jour pourtant je les desinstaler plusieur fois est je le reinstale sans probléme sur mon pc lenovo Z51 achetter en 2016 qui fonctionne toujours bien merci de m'aider afin que je puisse instaler windows 11 cordialement.

 

hassen

Copper Contributor

it was a great program

Copper Contributor

reserved is taking all of my space on my sd card

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‎Nov 09 2023 11:09 AM
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