DISM Reserved Storage Command-line Options

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Reserved storage increases the likelihood that Windows updates can be downloaded and installed without users having to free disk space.

Starting with the Windows 10, version 2004 the below DISM commands are available to enable IT pros to enable and disable reserved storage on demand. This includes devices that were not shipped with Windows 10, version 1903 and higher.

For devices that connect directly to Windows Update (WU), reserved storage works out of the box. However, on IT managed devices using endpoint management tools such as Windows Server Update Services or Configuration Manager, reserved storage doesn't work automatically. For these environments, endpoint management tools can leverage reserved storage by disabling it prior to downloading and installing an update, followed by enabling reserved storage when the update installation has completed.

For more information see How reserved storage works in Windows 10

/Set-ReservedStorageState

Sets the state of reserved storage. Only supported for online Windows images.

Syntax:

/Set-ReservedStorageState /State:<state>
  • State can be Enabled or Disabled.

If reserved storage is in use, it may not be disabled, and the following error is returned:

This operation is not supported when reserved storage is in use. Please wait for any servicing operations to complete and then try again later.

Changes to reserved storage state are reflected in Sysprep generalized Windows images. For more information see Sysprep (Generalize) a Windows installation

Examples:

DISM.exe /Online /Set-ReservedStorageState /State:Enabled

DISM.exe /Online /Set-ReservedStorageState /State:Disabled

/Get-ReservedStorageState

Gets the current state of reserved storage. This command line option is supported with the online Windows image.

Example:

DISM.exe /Online /Get-ReservedStorageState