Microsoft makes 8.63GB deletion impossible post Windows 11 24H2 update

After the rollout of Microsoft’s latest feature update for Windows 11, version 24H2, numerous users have encountered issues with performing a Windows Update Cleanup. This functionality, which allows users to reclaim disk space, appears to be problematic for those who have updated to this version, as they find themselves unable to remove 8.63GB of previous cumulative updates—something that was feasible in earlier OS versions.

Windows 11 24H2 8.63 GB past CUs — Image credit: Acrobatic_Face_7404 (Reddit)

An Eleven Forum user known as thecaretaker initiated a discussion regarding this issue. They mentioned, “I just updated to Windows 11 Pro 24H2, and everything functions properly. However, I’m stuck with 8.63GB of update files that refuse to delete (refer to the image). I tried the Component Store cleanup, but it made no difference. I even attempted it in safe mode.”

Just updated to Win 11 Pro 24H2. All is working fine. However, I’ve got an additional 8.63GB of update files that won’t delete (see image). I’ve run Component Store cleanup but it hasn’t made any difference. Also ran it in safe mode.

When another user recommended running Disk Cleanup, it turned out to be ineffective as well. This user further confirmed their experience by stating, “No success on my systems. The ‘Windows Update Cleanup’ entry of 8.63GB is still there, and Disk Cleanup doesn’t remove it. I looked for a solution, and it seems like this is a bug that Microsoft needs to address.”

No, at least not on my PCs. An entry labelled “Windows Update Cleanup”at 8.63GB remains. Disk Cleanup will not remove it. I searched for a means to fix that. It appears that it’s a bug, Microsoft will have to fix.

While many users suspect this could be a bug specific to Windows 11 24H2, the reality is that nearly all systems exhibit the same issue, leading to skepticism about it being merely a bug.

A member on the My Digital Life forum suggests a different perspective, hinting that this could be by design rather than a glitch. They remarked, “In reality, this issue may not be a bug, but rather a byproduct of the current update architecture, where the system needs to retain these files.”

Again, this is not really a problem/bug but the result of the current Updates development, the files need to be kept by the system.

This user is referencing Microsoft’s new update distribution approach introduced with Windows 11 24H2 and Server 2025, which features “Checkpoint Cumulative Updates”(CCU). This method essentially allows Microsoft to deliver updates as checkpoints rather than complete installations, aiming to minimize the size of each update. Consequently, this could explain why the deletion of this 8.63GB of data is proving unsuccessful.

That said, this remains a theory, and it’s entirely possible that this is a genuine bug that requires rectification. Notably, Microsoft has previously acknowledged a CCU-related glitch that results in the “Operation is not supported” error message.

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