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How to Disable Reserved Storage in Windows 10
If you want to save space, it’s smart to disable reserved storage
2 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Key notes
Microsoft released many newWindows 10builds in January that provide a further glimpse of what spring’s 19H1 update has in store for the platform.
Reserved storage (otherwise Storage Reserve) is one of the new things that preview build showcases to Windows Insider users.
The reservedstorageholds back a certain amount of hard drive storage to ensure there’s enough HDD space forWindows 10updates.
What is reserved storage used for?
Windows 10 requires some space to be able to operate correctly. Though it can do a lot with a small amount, being close to your storage limit is likely to restrict performance and result in failed updates that could contain critical fixes.
Reserved storage is a new feature introduced to Windows to combat that method. The new reservedstorageconsists of reallocated temporary files.
Those temporary OS files will then be erased whenWindows 10needs the storage space for its updates. The current default value for reservedstorageis about seven gigabytes.
How do I disable reserved storage in Windows 10?
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Press theWindows+Rhotkey on your keyboard to open the Run dialog.
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Enterregeditin Run, and then press theOKbutton.
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Navigate to the following:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ReserveManager
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Double-click the ShippedWithReserves DWORD to open its Edit DWORD window.
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Adjust the value in the Value data box to 0.
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ClickOKto close the Edit DWORD window.
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Finally, close theRegistry Editorwindow.
Reserved storage can be easily disabled using the built-in Registry Editor. In just a few clicks, you can perform the Registry tweak and get rid of the unwanted feature.
Note, however, that Windows Insiders need to enable reservedstorageby adjusting the ShippedWithReserves DWORD value to 1.
Thus, Windows Insider users don’t need to turn off reservedstorageunless they’ve already enabled it.
How can I manage reserved storage in Windows 10?
The amount of reservedstorageprimarily depends on pre-installed optional features. As such, users can configure the amount of reservedstorageby removing optional features.
To do that, enter the keywordoptionalin Cortana’s search box. Then users can click onManage optional featuresto open the menu from which they can manually uninstall optional features one by one.
It is more useful to manage your reserved storage space than entirely disabling it. You can organize it by removing the installed optional features that are no longer needed.
Nevertheless, reservedstoragewill be enabled by default in Windows 10 version 1903.
Let us know in the comments section below if you found this article useful and managed to disable reserved storage from your Windows 10 PC.
More about the topics:Windows 10 Guides
Matthew Adams
Windows Hardware Expert
Matthew is a freelancer who has produced a variety of articles on various topics related to technology. His main focus is the Windows OS and all the things surrounding it.
He is passionate about the tech world, always staying up-to-date with the latest and greatest. With an analytical view, he likes problem-solving, focusing on errors and their causes.
In his free time, he likes to read and write about history and tries to always develop new skills.
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Matthew Adams
Windows Hardware Expert
He is passionate about everything surrounding Microsoft’s OS, focusing on troubleshooting guides & tips for everyday problems.
