Some Windows 11 users have encountered a frustrating bug where huge amounts of disk space vanish without explanation-no new games or bloated Downloads folders involved. The culprit is a system log file named CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal. Normally just a few megabytes in size, the file can balloon to hundreds of gigabytes on affected machines. Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and included a fix in the optional update KB5095093.
The file is a journal for the Capability Access Manager, which tracks how apps request access to sensitive hardware like your camera and microphone. According to Windows Latest, some Windows 11 builds suffer from this log growing endlessly because entries fail to merge properly back into the main database, causing the file to inflate out of control.
You can manually check this by navigating to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\CapabilityAccessManager\. If the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file is only a few megabytes, you’re safe. But if it’s tens or even hundreds of gigabytes, your system drive is silently losing space without much warning.
The easiest solution is installing the Windows 11 update KB5095093. Microsoft’s update notes explicitly state it ”improves disk space usage for the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file.” Since the update is optional, it won’t automatically install on most systems.
If you can’t open the folder even with administrative command prompt access, Windows Latest suggests two workarounds. One is to analyze your drive with tools like TreeSize to pinpoint oversized files. The other is to run robocopy in backup mode to list files without copying content, using this command:
robocopy "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\CapabilityAccessManager" "%TEMP%\CAMCheck" /L /B /R:0 /W:0 /BYTES /NP
This will report file sizes in bytes, helping you identify the culprit if the folder is locked down.
This issue adds a new headache as Windows 10 support ends in October 2025. Many users are upgrading to Windows 11 reluctantly because options are running out. According to Statcounter, by mid-2026, Windows 11’s global share is set to nearly match Windows 10’s, which means this very specific bug could affect millions worldwide.
As more users are pushed toward Windows 11, expect growing attention on these edge-case bugs that silently consume disk space. The question now is how quickly Microsoft will roll this fix into mainstream updates-and if similar hidden issues may surface as adoption accelerates.