- Some Windows 11 users have discovered that their disk space has mysteriously decreased
- In some reported cases, this is due to a database file for a Windows component growing enormously due to an apparent bug.
- The optional June update fixes this issue, although the patch is still in testing.
If you’re using Windows 11 and wondering why your disk space seems to have mysteriously decreased lately, the culprit could be a background process called Capability Access Manager.
Capability Access Manager (CAM) is a rather obscure Windows component that, as the name suggests, manages the applications on your PC in terms of permissions to access the camera, microphone, etc.
CAM maintains a database that logs application requests and is stored as a file called CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal, and it is that file that is growing enormously on the disks of some unfortunate Windows 11 users.
Neowin reports that Microsoft has just rolled out the fix for this aggravating issue in the latest Windows 11 update. This is patch KB5095093, which is the optional update for June (so it’s still in preview or testing right now).
In the changelog for this release, Microsoft tells us: “This update improves disk space usage for the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file.”
So, with any luck, this will be the end of the gremlin, and those who install the June preview will find that this database file has been changed so that it doesn’t get out of control and consume their storage like some sort of log-based black hole.
Analysis: a puzzling case of bloat
This is a nasty little problem, especially for those who have a modest main drive for Windows 11, such as a 256GB SSD (or maybe even smaller). With reports of the database file expanding to a size of 60GB to 100GB, or even more (200GB according to this Redditor), you can see how problematic this could be when you’re already low on space on your SSD.
Microsoft doesn’t explicitly say this is a bug, but it surely must have been. Although it’s a situation that only occurred on certain systems by all accounts (I should note that Dell PCs are mentioned in some reports). It’s clear, however, that there are plenty of reports of CAM issues on Reddit and on Microsoft’s own support site, and some people were left wondering what the heck was going on and why their drive space was disappearing into an apparent void.
Unfortunately, these problems have existed for some time; Those reports date back to March 2026 and some date back almost a year. As one Redditor explained in a post about 10 months ago: “Turns out it’s the ‘CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal’ file that consumed 25GB. I checked some forums and it seems like it’s a notorious system bloat culprit. That file is supposed to build up slowly and then empty itself every month, but mine had errors and never emptied itself.”
There are workarounds to delete the CAM database file and empty it effectively, but they are somewhat complicated and the registry will rebuild itself if problems still abound on your PC. As one Redditor observed: “I spent hours trying to delete that file. Like in a horror movie, it just wouldn’t die, even when I thought I had killed it. Their procedure [workaround] It worked perfectly. Thank you!”
So this whole thing has really been a headache, and while it’s nice to see an apparent cure now, it’s taken Microsoft quite a while. And frankly, I’m not impressed with the software giant’s communication on this topic.
To be clear, the solution right now is to download and install the optional June update for Windows 11, but keep in mind that, as noted, it’s a preview, so there’s no guarantee it will work as it should. The resolution will be provided with the full July update, of course, in tested form, and that’s just around the corner, so you might want to wait. Assuming your drive isn’t full and causing you a ton of pain, anyway.
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