Microsoft is trying to make Windows 10 less annoying by introducing a new feature called Reserved Storage. This Reserved Storage should ensure Windows Updates complete successfully without you having to delete programs and files.

Microsoft Is Testing Reserved Storage

No one likes having to update Windows, but it's absolutely crucial if you want the Microsoft operating system to stay secure. Sadly, Windows Updates sometimes fail if there isn't enough storage space let available to Windows. And that isn't ideal.

Microsoft has a solution for this problem, and it's called Reserved Storage. It's available to Windows Insiders right now, but most Windows 10 users will first encounter it with the release of version 1903 (codenamed 19H1). This is due to land in Spring 2019.

What Is Windows 10's Reserved Storage?

Reserved Storage does what the name suggests. As Microsoft explains on Technet, "some disk space will be set aside to be used by updates, apps, temporary files, and system caches." This should ensure "critical OS functions always have access to disk space."

When you update Windows 10, "the temporary unneeded OS files in the reserved storage will be deleted and update will use the full reserve area." This will "enable most PCs to download and install an update without having to free up any of your disk space".

With version 19H1, Microsoft estimates that Reserved Storage "will start at about 7GB". However, "the amount of reserved space will vary over time based on how you use your device." Things that will affect this include Optional Features and Installed Languages.

Making Windows 10 Work Better

While some people have had a knee-jerk reaction to Microsoft essentially stealing 7GB of disk space for its own ends, the company is really just trying to make Windows 10 work better. And if it prevents the Windows Updates issues we've seen recently then we're in.

The only issue may be people using low-end Windows 10 devices with just 32GB or 64GB of disk space. However, Microsoft is promising Windows will "guide you through steps to temporarily extend your hard disk with external storage [...] or how to free up disk space".