A new Windows 11 update is causing havoc to the amount of storage available to millions of users by claiming gigabytes of extra drive space for itself. The latest Windows 11 24H2 update launched just over a week ago, but users are already finding a huge new cache from the update is filling up their drives and, worse still, it can’t be removed.
There’s been no shortage of problems for gamers with Windows 11 PCs, even if Windows 11 adoption is now higher than Windows 10. The fact is that games are built with Windows in mind as the default option, and the best gaming PCs usually need Windows to play the latest games. With Windows 10 support ending in a matter of days, that leaves the latest Microsoft OS as the only real option for gamers right now, making bad updates like this one an even bigger problem.
The problematic cache files in question are 8.63GB in size, or that’s what Windows is reporting. The files form part of what Windows describes collectively as “cleanup” files for past Windows updates. If you’re running low on disk space, 8.63GB is certainly enough to cause problems, but, more concerning is the fact there is no way to remove the files right now.
Attempting to remove the cache via the cleanup tools in the Windows settings menu won’t work, and neither will using other maintenance tools like Disk Cleanup. You also can’t manually remove the files, even by deleting the Windows.old folder that’s created after a big update.
Thankfully, Microsoft is already aware of the issue, and it could just be a somewhat annoying bug. In comments made to Windows Latest, the company reported that the cache has been created because of “checkpoint updates.” This is a feature that Microsoft introduced to Windows 11 to make new updates more incremental and to reduce their size.
Once you install a new checkpoint update, when the next update rolls around, only new or missing components will be installed. The overall download and install time is reduced, making those huge Windows updates a much rarer occurrence, at least in theory.
This cache has been created to help this new checkpoint update system work, but it might not be working as intended, as according to Microsoft, there’s a plan already in action to fix the usage in a future update. Given the problem a lack of storage space can cause users, it’d make sense to expect a fix heading to your PC sooner, rather than later.
If you can’t wait that long, you could go for a completely fresh Windows installation, but unless your drive is filled, that might be a drastic move. Otherwise, you’ll need to free up the space elsewhere or think about upgrading to a newer, bigger drive for your Windows installation.
If you’re thinking about a storage upgrade, our best SSDs for gaming guide has plenty of options for you to check out that are both fast and have plenty of storage, such as the Crucial T705, the fastest PCIe 5.0 SSD that you can pick up today.
