This week started with Microsoft announcing that the new versions of Windows 10 will reserve around 7GB of disk space exclusively for Windows updates, system cache, etc. Since then the company has dropped a Preview Build to Insiders to begin testing this particular “feature” that could help Windows users get rid of all the update-related data loss issues.
However, there are also concerns for devices that may not have enough storage. While the Windows world doesn’t typically suffer from storage deficiency like the MacBooks, there are still a number of low-end devices or older machines that could do without Microsoft hogging so much of space for downloading and installing updates.
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The company clarified that this is being done to “improve day-to-day function of your PC by ensuring critical OS functions always have access to disk space.” But, there are many Windows enthusiasts who don’t like Microsoft making these decisions for them. If you aren’t a fan of this “reserved storage” idea, it seems you can disable Windows 10 reserved storage, after all.
Steps to disable Windows 10 reserved storage
Microsoft hasn’t officially shared this guide of disabling the reserved storage. The company had said that users will be able to reduce the reserved storage by disabling some of the built-in OS features that aren’t needed, including any additional languages (steps to reduce storage here).
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But, it appears you can completely disable Windows 10 reserved storage. Remember, reserved storage is only available to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring right now and will be rolled out to the public after the official release of Windows 10 version 1903 in April. If you are a Fast Ring Insider, you can test these steps to see if this works for you.
Here is the simple way to disable Windows 10 reserved storage on 19H1 (version 1903):
- Click Windows key + R, type regedit and hit enter (or, type regedit.exe in the Start menu).
- In the Editor, navigate to:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionReserveManager.
- Look for ShippedWithReserves on the right-side panel.
- Double click it and set its value to 0 and exit the Registry Editor.
- Restart your machine.
If you want to test the Reserved Storage in the future, you can follow the same steps and set the value back to 1. To test how much space has been reserved, click Start search for “Storage settings” click “Show more categories” “System reserved” “Reserved storage” size.
Note: reserved storage is currently in early testing process and the above guide may not always work. It is also possible that Microsoft decides to not roll this feature out to the wider public based on Insider feedback that it receives in the coming weeks.
