Windows 10 version 1903 definitely reserves 7GB of storage

Microsoft has announced that with the upcoming Windows 10 update, namely version 1903, it will reserve and set aside part of the available storage space. It involves at least 7GB, which is used for temporary files, updates, apps and cache files.

Microsoft states that “various Windows and application scenarios without reserving storage space become unreliable.” Some parts may stop working properly if space needs to be cleared. Storage reservations are done automatically in the background on devices that have version 1903 preinstalled or on devices that already have a clean version of 1903 installed.

The Redmond company says it expects the storage space reserved to be 7GB for the next major Windows release, 19H1, or version 1903, but that could increase depending on how users use their devices, according to Microsoft. The system is also able to automatically delete unnecessary temporary files, so that the update can use the full reserved storage space, according to the company.

According to Microsoft, this is enough for most PCs to install Windows updates without having to free up special storage space. If a Windows update nevertheless requires more space than the space reserved, the remaining available space is automatically used. If that is also not enough, Windows will help the user with several steps to temporarily increase the available space, for example by instructing to free up storage space or insert a USB stick.

Users cannot delete the storage space that Microsoft sets aside, but the amount of space that is reserved is limited. The new functionality can be tested with the Windows 10 Insiders build with version number 18298.

Microsoft recently had to deal with a bad Windows 10 October Update. For example, user files disappeared and there were problems with network drives and iCloud.