Windows 10 To Reserve 7GB Extra Drive Space

Microsoft will soon "reserve" seven gigabytes of hard drive space to make sure Windows 10 works reliably. But the setup may not work as planned.

The change is scheduled for the next major twice-yearly update, expected in April, 2019. It's called "reserved storage" and involves earmarking part of the PC's hard drive as a place to store "updates, apps, temporary files, and system caches." These files are separate to the permanent ones used for Windows itself. (Source: microsoft.com)

7GB Figure Could Increase

According to Microsoft, the move will have two benefits. The first is to make sure the computer doesn't suddenly find itself without enough disk space for Windows or associated apps to run properly or for an update file to be downloaded.

The second is that the temporary files will no longer take up space that the computer expects to be available for other software and operations, which can also cause performance problems.

Microsoft says that the size of the reserved storage will start at "about 7GB," though this will change over time based on actual use. It notes that the figure will be higher for people who use some of the many optional features in Windows or those who have installed Windows to run in two or more languages.

Limit Can Be Breached

While it all seems straightforward, there's a couple of significant exclusions to the supposed limit. Firstly, Microsoft says that it will start using the rest of the hard drive if the reserved space fills up, either for temporary files or to hold downloaded Windows 10 Update files. (Source: theregister.co.uk)

Secondly, users will be able to reduce the amount of space used for reserved storage, though they won't be able to switch off the feature. Microsoft hasn't yet confirmed exactly how users will do this, or if there will be a real minimum amount of space required for reserved storage.

There's also no word yet on what happens if users already have less than 7GB of hard drive space available, though the chances are they'll already be experiencing poor performance if that is the case.

What's Your Opinion?

Is this a sensible move by Microsoft? Does 7GB sound like too much space to ask for? Is the setup meaningless if users can reduce the space allocated or Microsoft can go beyond the limit when needed?