Back in 2019, Microsoft introduced the concept of Reserved Storage in Windows 10. This is basically a logical partition occupied by the operating system to install Windows updates more seamlessly, while also saving some space for temporary files and system-generated caches. Prior to this, if you downloaded a Windows update over the internet and were low on space, you would be greeted by errors. The process was not intuitive so Microsoft decided to tackle this problem by introducing Reserved Storage, which would allow the OS to occupy roughly 7GB of space on your system, allowing it to download updates without errors.
This 7GB of space is included in the System & reserved allocation that you see in Storage settings, if you have it enabled. Speaking of enablement, Reserved Storage is on by default for new PCs and and clean installations. It's a very useful feature if you update your system regularly, but it can be an annoyance if you're resource-constrained in your regular workflows.
Fortunately, there is a way to quickly disable (or enable) Reserved Storage in Windows 10 and 11. For starters, you'll need to check if your PC has the option enabled already; it likely does if it belongs to the categories described previously. Simply open the Command Prompt (CMD) in administrator mode and run the following command to check the status of Reserved Storage:
DISM /Online /Get-ReservedStorageState
As you can see above, the output clearly lets you know about the activation status of Reserved Storage.
If you want to enable Reserved Storage, use the following command:
DISM /Online /Set-ReservedStorageState /State:Enabled
Alternatively, if you want to disable Reserved Storage, run the following prompt:
Dism /Online /Set-ReservedStorageState /State:Disabled
If you already have some Windows updates downloaded but not installed, you'll likely run into errors when attempting to disable Reserved Storage. In this case, it is advisable to install updates before you disable Reserved Storage.
I was able to reclaim roughly 5GB of storage on my machine, but some may be able to claim around 7GB. Microsoft says that this space reservation will vary over time based on your device, but should be close to the 7GB figure. It is also important to keep in mind that if you're low on space and then try to enable Reserved Storage, Windows will only reserve 2% of the system volume capacity or 3GB, whichever is lower. However, the allocation will increase over time to its required size as your system begins freeing up space in the future.
Have you disabled Reserved Storage on your device? Do you think the tradeoff is worth it? Let us know in the comments section below!
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