The rollout of this year’s major Windows 11 update, 24H2, was meant to excite users with fresh features and improvements. However, many are finding themselves in a frustrating situation as they encounter numerous issues. Reports of blue screen crashes, especially in gaming scenarios and related to Intel drivers, as well as disappearing mouse cursors, have become commonplace. Compounding these problems is the unexpected creation of an enormous cache folder during the installation, which weighs in at a hefty 8.63GB. This can significantly impact storage space, particularly on smaller drives.
On October 16, 2024, Microsoft confirmed the existence of this cache issue, describing it as a reporting error rather than a true storage problem. They clarified that while the files created during the Windows Update Cleanup process are deleted, Disk Cleanup continues to misreport that the space is still occupied. The company is working diligently on a fix.
Typically, Windows generates a cache of installation files during updates, meant to be temporary. However, users are reporting that this cache cannot be removed post-update, which is not standard practice. Attempts to delete the cache through the Control Panel have been fruitless; users initiate the deletion, but the cache persists. Several have even found that only a complete reinstallation of Windows will fully reclaim that storage space.
This issue has drawn attention on the Windows Feedback Hub, with users sharing their experiences: “I’ve run the cleanup multiple times, and SFC Scannow didn’t solve anything. It looks like a bug that’s in need of a fix.” Another user echoed this sentiment, stating, “After using Disk Cleanup, it still indicates nearly 9GB is occupied.” Microsoft is expected to address this issue with a patch in a future update. Until then, users are advised to avoid tampering with the Windows Update cache, as the effort to reinstall Windows to free up space may not be worthwhile.