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Redmond Giant Clarifies 32GB Storage Requirement for Latest Windows 10

Microsoft announced in April that installing the Windows 10 May 2019 Update would require at least 32GB of available storage. That's a marked increase from previous versions of Windows 10, but today the company clarified that the 32GB requirement is only for new devices from its OEM partners.
Previous versions of Windows 10 require varying amounts of available storage, depending on whether you are installing the 32-bit or 64-bit version of the operating system. For the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, for example, installing the 32-bit and 64-bit versions required to respective 16GB and 20GB of available storage. The most recent update doubled (for the 32-bit version) Windows 10's storage requirements.
Initially, it was not clear why Windows 10 May 2019 Update required more storage than its predecessors. But it is not possible to upgrade the Windows XP-based version of Windows, but it is not automatically enabled when upgrading. from older versions of Windows 10.
Microsoft said in one document support that Reserved Storage "sets aside disk space to be used by updates, apps, temporary files and system caches" in an effort to improve "the day-to-day function of your PC by ensuring critical OS functions always have access to disk space. " When the company announced Reserved Storage in January, it said the feature would take up about 7GB of storage and people were, predictably, a bit perturbed by that.
Reserving that 7GB of storage accounts for nearly half of the Windows 10 May 2019 Update's increased requirements. Microsoft said in another document that those requirements are really more like guidelines, though, because "PCs that do not meet new disk space requirements will continue to receive updates, and the 1903 update will require about the same amount of free disk space as previous updates. " Huzzah!
There will probably still be people annoyed with new devices shipped with so much of their advertised storage occupied by Windows 10 itself and Reserved Storage. But at least it's clear that users who can not spare a few gigabytes can still install Windows 10 updates, and if Reserved Storage facilitates Microsoft's efforts to improve the Windows 10 update process, losing that 7GB seems like a small price to pay for a bit more sanity in that area. N. Mott