Windows 11 24H2 update takes 8.6GB of precious disk space and refuses to give it back – but a fix is coming
Windows 11 24H2 contains a bug (already noted, among others) that apparently takes up a significant portion of your disk space.
Windows Latest reports that the 24H2 update leaves behind an undeletable cache of 8.63 GB of files (kind of like a visitor not knowing when it’s time to go home).
Normally, Windows 11’s Disk Cleanup feature would be able to delete these temporary files after installing 24H2, but when you try this, it doesn’t work because of the bug: the 8 GB cache remains.
The issue appears to be related to a new improvement in Windows Update known as ‘checkpoint cumulative updates’, which was introduced in Windows 11 24H2. This is a system designed to reduce update size by providing more compact incremental cumulative monthly updates (although some will still be larger basic updates – we’ll go into more detail here).
The problem started with the release of Windows 11 24H2 and has not yet been fixed with the latest October cumulative update, as people are still complaining about the 8.6 GB of files being gobbled up.
Is there a way to bypass this? The best bet is to play a waiting game
However, does the bug actually take up 8.6 GB of your disk? Well, we can’t be sure of that, because the 8.6GB of files may not be on your drive in their entirety (that’s just the size reported, and Windows Latest notes that the size may actually be smaller than these).
Yet it’s still wasted disk space, which is certainly annoying – especially if you have a small system drive. What can be done?
One option is a clean install of Windows 11 24H2, which leaves no such cache behind – but that’s a lot of hassle to work around this bug, and it’s hardly a practical solution.
A wiser option is to wait for Microsoft to fix the problem, as the issue is now on the software giant’s radar and a fix will be included in a future update, we’re told. Hopefully the next cumulative update for 24H2, with any luck.