Understanding Reserved Storage in Windows 10 and 11
In 2019, Microsoft unveiled the Reserved Storage feature in Windows 10, aiming to streamline the installation of system updates. This feature creates a logical partition on your hard drive, designed primarily to accommodate essential updates, temporary files, and cache generated by the operating system. Previously, users facing low disk space frequently encountered error messages when trying to download updates. The introduction of Reserved Storage was a strategic response to this issue, reserving approximately 7GB of space to facilitate smoother updates.
How Reserved Storage Saves Space
The 7GB set aside for Reserved Storage is a component of the broader System & reserved storage allocation visible in the Storage settings. This feature is enabled by default on new PCs and during clean installations, making it particularly beneficial for regular system updaters. However, for users with limited storage resources, this reserved capacity might be perceived as a constraint.
Checking and Modifying Reserved Storage Settings
If you want to determine whether Reserved Storage is currently enabled on your system, you can easily do so. Simply follow these steps:
- Open the Command Prompt (CMD) as an administrator.
- Enter the command below to check the status of Reserved Storage:
DISM /Online /Get-ReservedStorageState
The output from this command will clearly indicate whether Reserved Storage is activated on your device.
How to Enable or Disable Reserved Storage
If you find that you wish to enable Reserved Storage, you can do so with the following command:
DISM /Online /Set-ReservedStorageState /State:Enabled
Conversely, if you decide to disable it, simply run this command:
Dism /Online /Set-ReservedStorageState /State:Disabled
Be mindful that if there are pending Windows updates that have already been downloaded but not installed, you may encounter errors when attempting to disable Reserved Storage. In such cases, it is advisable to complete the installation of pending updates prior to making any changes.
Potential Gain from Disabling Reserved Storage
Upon disabling Reserved Storage, I successfully freed up approximately 5GB of space on my device, while some users may reclaim up to the full 7GB. Microsoft notes that the reserved space may fluctuate according to your device and user behavior, but it’s typically close to that benchmark. It’s crucial to recognize that if your system is already low on space when attempting to enable Reserved Storage, Windows will limit reservations to either 2% of the system volume capacity or 3GB, whichever is smaller. Over time, this allocation is expected to increase as your system frees up additional space.
Share Your Experience
Have you opted to disable Reserved Storage on your device? What are your thoughts on the tradeoff between freeing up space and ensuring smooth system updates? We’d love to hear your experiences in the comments section below!
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