- Some Windows 11 users have found that their drive space has mysteriously shrunk
- In some reported cases, this is due to a database file for a Windows component growing massively due to an apparent error
- The optional June update fixes this, although this patch is still in testing
If you’re using Windows 11 and have been wondering why your drive space seems to have been mysteriously dwindling lately, the culprit may be a background process called Capability Access Manager.
Capability Access Manager (CAM) is a rather obscure Windows component that, as the name suggests, manages apps on your PC in terms of permissions to access the camera, microphone, and so on.
CAM keeps a database that logs app requests, and this is stored as a file called CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal – and that’s the file that grows enormously on the drives of some unlucky Windows 11 users.
Neowin reports that Microsoft has just implemented the fix for this worsening problem in the latest update for Windows 11. This is patch KB5095093, which is the optional update for June (so it is still in preview or testing at this time).
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 an end to the gremlin and those who install the June preview will find that this database file has been modified so it doesn’t get out of hand and eat 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 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 larger (200GB according to this Redditor), you can see how problematic this can be when you’re already short on space on your SSD.
Microsoft doesn’t explicitly say this is a bug, but surely it must have been? Albeit a situational one that only occurred on certain systems by all accounts (Dell PCs mentioned in a few reports, I should note). However, it’s clear that there are many reports of CAM issues on Reddit and Microsoft’s own help page, with some people scratching their heads as to what on earth was going on – and why their drive space disappeared into an apparent void.
Unfortunately, these issues have been around for some time, with these reports dating back to March 2026 and some dating back nearly a year. As one Redditor explained in a post about 10 months ago: “Turns out it’s the ‘CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal’ file that ate up 25GB. Looked through some forums and seems like it’s a notorious culprit of system bloat. That file is supposed to build up slowly then empty itself and never empty mine.”
There are solutions to delete the CAM database file and effectively flush it out, but they are somewhat cumbersome and the log will rebuild itself if there are still buggy conditions on your PC. As one Redditor noted, “I spent hours trying to delete that file. Like in a horror movie, it just wouldn’t die even when I thought I killed it. Your procedure [workaround] worked perfectly. Thanks!”
So it’s all really been a bit of a headache, and while it’s good to see an apparent cure now, it’s taken Microsoft long enough. And frankly, I’m not impressed with the communication on this issue from the software giant.
To be clear, the fix right now is to download and install the optional June update for Windows 11, but keep in mind that as mentioned, it’s a preview, so there’s no guarantee it will work as it should. The resolution will come with the full July update, mind you, in tested form, and it’s just around the corner – so you might just want to wait for it. Assuming your drive isn’t clogged up and still causing you a whole lot of grief.
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