Microsoft fixes storage-hogging Windows 11 folder

An optional June 2026 update fixes an issue causing a permissions-related folder to grow by dozens of gigabytes.

by Emma Roth

Jul 7, 2026, 1:52 PM UTC

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

Microsoft is addressing a Windows 11 bug that caused a folder to take up several gigabytes of storage space. As spotted earlier by Windows Latest, Microsoft included the patch in its optional June 2026 update (KB5095093), which “improves disk space usage for the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file.”

The CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file is installed on Windows 11 PCs by default, and is related to app permissions. Several users have had issues with this file over the past few months, with one person saying the file took up 500GB of storage on their device. Others have reported the file growing to similarly large amounts, ranging from 12GB to 200GB.

Microsoft doesn’t explain what went wrong here, but Windows Latest says the file may be growing because Windows 11 “keeps logging repeated events for access requests or other privacy controls, such as location.”

If you’re affected by this issue, you can install the update now by heading to your Settings menu, clicking “Windows Update” > Advanced options, and then choosing “Check for optional updates.” From there, you can select and install the June 2026 update.

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