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If you’ve got a gut feeling that something is using your storage on Windows 11 and it’s not your random downloads, I recommend opening Settings > Storage > Show more categories > System & Reserved, then checking System storage. If it’s using hundreds of gigabytes of storage, it’s most likely due to a recent bug where a file linked to Capability Access Manager continues to fill the system drive until it runs out of storage.
If your PC is affected, the safest fix is to install Windows 11 KB5095093 from Windows Update, or wait for the July 2026 Patch Tuesday update, where the fix is expected to roll out automatically
In our tests, Windows Latest found that one particular file called “CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal” can use most of your system storage.
This file can be found in the following directory,
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\CapabilityAccessManager\
Note that this folder is protected by Windows, so File Explorer or PowerShell may show “Access denied” when you try to open it directly.
www.windowslatest.com
If your PC is affected, the safest fix is to install Windows 11 KB5095093 from Windows Update, or wait for the July 2026 Patch Tuesday update, where the fix is expected to roll out automatically
In our tests, Windows Latest found that one particular file called “CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal” can use most of your system storage.
This file can be found in the following directory,
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\CapabilityAccessManager\
Note that this folder is protected by Windows, so File Explorer or PowerShell may show “Access denied” when you try to open it directly.
Microsoft admits a Windows 11 bug is eating up to 500GB of storage, verify if you are affected
Microsoft admits a Windows 11 bug is silently eating up to 500GB of your storage, fix coming July 14, 2026.


