Windows 10 was released back in 2015, and with regular updates and new features, Microsoft continues to improve the user experience for Windows users. The problem with regular updates is the update process, which can sometimes cause problems.
Having enough disk space can be one of the potential issues causing problems with Windows updates, especially on smaller SSDs. To address this issue, Microsoft introduced a new “Reserved Storage” feature in its May 2019 update
This article will show you how to disable Reserved Storage in Windows 10.
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What is Reserved Storage?
As you probably guessed from the name, Microsoft’s solution to preventing users from running out of memory is to allocate some of your disk space for updates.
In total, some Windows 10 version 1903 PC users will lose about 7GB of disk space. Windows automatically uses this space for updates and other temporary files. This is to reduce the likelihood that a large update will use up all of your storage capacity.
This is not to say that this “reserved storage” is a complete solution. As explained in a Microsoft team article, Windows can and will use other free storage if the full capacity of the “Reserved Storage” is used.
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Overall, this is a nice feature, but it doesn’t account for users with limited memory. If you have a 120GB SSD, disk space may be in abundance.
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It also limits user choices as it puts Windows in control of your storage. On the other hand, saving space for future updates should reduce the likelihood of problems with any major Windows updates in the future.
While it is possible to uninstall and reinstall Windows updates that do not install properly due to lack of space, this is not an ideal situation for users and could lead to further problems in the future.
If you want to save space, it’s wise to disable Reserved Storage
How to check whether reserved storage is enabled
Reserved Storage must be pre-activated on any new installations of Windows 10 with the May 2019 Update, version 1903. This means new Windows 10 PCs as well as any other clean installations of Windows 10 with this update.
Upgrading from a previous build of Windows 10 will not activate Reserved Storage immediately after the upgrade, although this may change in the future.
If you’re not sure if Reserved Storage is enabled, you need to first check which version of Windows 10 you have installed.
You can check your version of Windows 10 by checking the About section in Windows 10 settings.
- To access the About section, right-click the Windows Start button in the panel tasks and click System.
- When you are in the System pane, you should automatically go to the About section, where you should see a list of your device and Windows specifications. Scroll down to the Windows specs section where your version number should be 1903.
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If Windows 10 version 1903 is installed, you can directly check the “Reserved Storage” settings.
- From the System menu, click Storage in the left menu.
- In this section, you will see information about how you use your storage on Windows. However, to access information about the “Reserved Storage” you need to click on “Show other categories”.
- Additional categories will appear, including System and Reserved. Click this section.
- If Reserved Storage is enabled on your computer, you will see it listed here in the Reserved Storage section. If you do not have this parameter in the list, then Reserved Storage is not enabled on your computer.
- Right-click the Windows Start Menu button and select Run.
- Type regedit and click OK.
- Click Yes for any User Access Control warnings.
- On the left side of Registry Editor is your Windows Registry. You will need to go to
- Double tap each new folder to expand and access the subfolders below, starting with HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
- When you enter the ReserveManager, double-click the ShippedWithReservations value.
- If you want to disable Reserved Storage, change the ValueData value from 1 to 0. If you want to enable Reserved Storage, change the ValueData value from 0 to 1.
- When finished, close the Registry Editor as your changes will be saved automatically.
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Optionally, you can erase and reinstall Windows 10 prior to a clean install running version 1903, but there is a much faster way to enable this feature.
How to enable or disable reserved storage on Windows 10
Currently, there are no easy options for you to enable or disable “Reserved Storage” on your Windows 10 PC. To change it, you need the Windows Registry Editor, regedit.
However, one warning. Registry edits can disrupt Windows installation if done incorrectly. Make sure to back up the registry before proceeding.
If you want to enable or disable “Reserved Storage” on your computer, you will need to start by opening Registry Editor.
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Reserved Storage On Windows 10″/>
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion ReserveManager
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Enabling or otherwise disabling “Reserved Storage” will not result in immediate changes. You will need to wait for Windows to complete the next update (possibly a major update) before you see any changes.
After applying a Windows update, you can return to the Storage area in the System pane to check if Windows has requested the required storage.
The “Reserved Storage” section will appear or disappear, depending on your choice.
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