How to disable ‘Reserved Storage’ on Windows 10

Windows 10 introduced Reserved Storage as a way to ensure smooth updates by setting aside a chunk of your hard drive—usually around 7GB—for system updates, temporary files, and system caches. Sounds helpful, right? Except when you’re low on disk space and every gigabyte counts.

If you’re not worried about occasional update hiccups or you’re managing storage manually, here’s how to turn off Reserved Storage and reclaim that space.

⚠️ A Quick Heads-Up

Disabling Reserved Storage isn’t officially recommended by Microsoft. Updates might fail if there’s not enough free space when it’s turned off. That said, if you know what you’re doing, it’s a solid way to free up some room.

🔧 How to Disable Reserved Storage

You’ll need administrative access and a bit of command-line confidence. Let’s get into it.

Step 1: Open PowerShell as Administrator

• Press Start
• Type PowerShell
• Right-click Windows PowerShell and select Run as Administrator

Step 2: Check the Current Reserved Storage Status

Type this command and press Enter:

Get-WindowsReservedStorageState

If it returns ReservedStorageState : Enabled, then it’s active on your system.

Step 3: Disable Reserved Storage

Now run this command:

Set-WindowsReservedStorageState -State Disabled

You’ll need to restart your PC for the change to take effect.

❓ Why You Might Not Want to Do This

While turning off Reserved Storage gives you more free space, updates might not run as smoothly—especially if your disk is near full. Keep an eye on storage and clean up regularly if you go this route.

💡 Bonus Tip: Free Up Even More Space

After disabling Reserved Storage, use the built-in Disk Cleanup tool or run:

cleanmgr

Then select system files and clear out old Windows Update leftovers, temporary files, and more.

Final Word

Disabling Reserved Storage is a quick fix for tight disk space, especially on devices with small SSDs. Just be ready to manage your storage a bit more actively.

Got questions or tips of your own? Drop them in the comments below.

Mark Vincent

Tech enthusiast and content creator passionate about making technology simple for everyone. I share practical tips, guides, and reviews on the latest in computers, software, and gadgets. Let’s explore the digital world together!