How to enable ‘Reserved Storage’ on Windows 10

You can enable "Reserved Storage" on existing installations of Windows 10, and in this guide, you'll learn how to enable, disable, and check the feature on version 1903.

Avatar for Mauro Huculak
@Pureinfotech
Pureinfotech Logo
Enable Reserved Storage on Windows 10

On Windows 10, Reserved Storage is a new feature starting with version 1903 (April 2019 Update) designed to set aside part of your computer available storage, which the system can use for updates and avoid problems as a result of not enough space.

Reserved Storage usually will reserve around 7GB of storage for updates, temporary files, system cache, and apps. When a new update is available, Windows 10 will delete the files on the reserved storage automatically allowing updates to install successfully.

The new feature will come enabled by default on devices that come pre-installed with the April 2019 Update, or after performing a clean installation of the OS, but there’s a workaround to enable Reserved Storage on existing installations. (The changes will take affect in the next upgrade.)

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to enable or disable Reserved Storage on Windows 10 version 1903, and you’ll learn the steps to see how much space the feature is setting aside.

Warning: It’s very important to note that modifying the Windows Registry can cause serious problems if not used properly. It’s assumed you know what you’re doing and that you have created a full backup of your system before proceeding.

How to enable ‘Reserved Storage’ on Windows 10

To enable Reserved Storage on an existing installation of Windows 10, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for regedit, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Browse the following path:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ReserveManager

  4. Double-click the ShippedWithReserves key, and change it value from 0 to 1.

    Enable Reserved Storage on Windows 10
    Enable Reserved Storage on Windows 10

  5. Click the OK button.

Once you’ve completed the steps, reboot your computer, and during the next upgrade (build) releases, Windows 10 will set aside hard drive space for updates.

How to disable ‘Reserved Storage’ on Windows 10

To disable the Reserved Storage feature to reclaim disk space, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for regedit, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Browse the following path:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ReserveManager

  4. Double-click the ShippedWithReserves key, and change it value from 1 to 0.

    Disable Reserved Storage on Windows 10
    Disable Reserved Storage on Windows 10

  5. Click the OK button.

After completing the steps, reboot your computer to apply the changes, but the feature won’t be disable until the next upgrade.

How to check ‘Reserved Storage’ usage on Windows 10

If you want to see how much disk space Reserved Storage is setting aside to updates on your device, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Click on System.

  3. Click on Storage.

  4. Click the Show more categories link.

    Storage settings with Show more categories
    Storage settings with Show more categories

  5. Click the System & reserved item.

  6. Under the Reserved Storage section, see the amount of storage is being reserved for updates.

    Reserved Storage on Windows 10
    Reserved Storage on Windows 10

If you don’t see the Reserved Storage section, it’s because, you probably enabled the feature and you haven’t upgraded your installation to a newer version.

Reserved Storage is available for Windows 10 starting with build 18298 and later.

About the author
Avatar for Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.