- Some Windows 11 users found their disk space mysteriously decreasing
- In some reported cases, this is a database file for a Windows component that is massively expanding due to an apparent bug.
- The optional June update fixes this issue, although this fix is still in testing.
If you’re using Windows 11 and wondering why your disk space seems to have been mysteriously decreasing lately, the culprit might be a background process called Capability Access Manager.
Capability Access Manager (CAM) is a rather obscure Windows component that, as the name suggests, manages applications on your PC in terms of access permissions to the camera, microphone, etc.
CAM keeps a database that logs application requests and this is stored as a file called CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal – and it’s this file that is growing wildly on the drives of some unlucky Windows 11 users.
Neowin reports that Microsoft just implemented the fix for this aggravating issue in the latest update for Windows 11. It’s patch KB5095093 which is the optional June update (so it’s still in preview or testing at this point).
In the changelog for this release, Microsoft tells us: “This update improves disk space usage for the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file.”
So hopefully this will be the end of the gremlin, and those who install the June preview will find that this database file has been modified so that it doesn’t spiral out of control and consume their storage like some sort of log-based black hole.
Analysis: a confusing case of bloat
This is a nasty little problem, especially for those with a modest primary drive for Windows 11, like 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 can be when you’re already running out of space with your SSD.
Microsoft doesn’t explicitly say this is a bug, but surely it must be? Although this is a situational situation that has only happened on certain systems obviously (Dell PCs are mentioned in a few reports, I should note). It’s clear, however, that there are a lot of reports of CAM issues on Reddit and Microsoft’s help site, with some people wondering what’s going on – and why their disk space is disappearing into a seeming void.
Unfortunately, these issues have been around for a while, with these reports dating back to March 2026, and some dating back almost a year ago. As one Reddit user explained in a post about 10 months ago: “Turns out it was the ‘CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal’ file that ate up to 25 GB. I looked through some forums and it seems to be a notorious culprit of system bloat. This file is supposed to build up slowly and then be emptied every month, but mine bugged and never emptied itself.”
There are workarounds to delete the CAM database file and effectively dump it, but they are somewhat tricky and the log will rebuild itself if bugs persist on your PC. As one Reddit user observed: “I spent hours trying to delete this file. Like a horror movie, it just wouldn’t die, even if I thought I killed it. Your How-to [workaround] worked perfectly. THANKS!”
So this whole thing has really been a real headache, and while it’s good to see an apparent cure now, it’s taken Microsoft quite a long time. And frankly, I’m not impressed by the communication on this subject from the software giant.
To be clear, the current fix is to download and install the optional June update for Windows 11, but keep in mind that, as noted, this is a preview, so there’s no guarantee it will work as it should. The resolution will come with the full July update, in tested form, and it’s just around the corner – you might just want to wait for that. Assuming your drive isn’t bursting at the seams and causing you a whole bunch of grief, anyway.
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