Microsoft released an optional preview cumulative update on June 23, 2026, that finally slays a disk-space-eating monster: a write-ahead log file linked to the Windows CapabilityAccessManager service that could swell to tens of gigabytes without warning. The update—KB5095093 for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2—addresses a storage bloat problem that had been quietly plaguing users for weeks, sometimes leaving them with only fragments of free space on their boot drives.

The bug: A database log that refused to stop growing

The culprit is a file named CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal, a SQLite write-ahead log tucked away deep in the Windows system folders. On affected machines, this file could balloon to 30 GB, 50 GB, or even more—rivaling the size of a AAA game or a high-bitrate video library—yet remain invisible to everyday disk-cleaning tools.

CapabilityAccessManager is a Windows service that handles permissions for privacy-sensitive hardware: camera, microphone, location, clipboard, and more. Whenever an app requests access to one of these, the service logs the decision in a local database. Like many database systems, it uses a write-ahead log (the .db-wal file) to record changes before they're committed to the main database, ensuring data integrity and fast writes. Under normal circumstances, the log is periodically truncated or "checkpointed," returning its space to the system. But here, a software defect caused the log to grow without bound—each new permission check added to the file, and old entries were never cleared.

Users on tech forums, including WindowsForum.com and Reddit, reported suddenly noticing their SSDs nearly full, with disk analysis tools like WinDirStat pointing to a single oversized file. For many, the path was:

C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\CapabilityAccessManager\CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal

(If your Windows is not on C:, adjust the drive letter accordingly.) Some administrators also found the file lurking under C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile, depending on how the service was launched, but the ServiceProfiles path was the most common one reported.

The bug didn't affect every machine. It appears to have been triggered by a combination of factors, possibly a high number of permission prompts (for example, when many apps constantly request camera access) or when the system was running under certain workloads. Since the database and its log are used by a system service, simply deleting the file while Windows is running typically fails because it's locked, and even if you could delete it, the root cause—the runaway logging—would just start again.

Microsoft's fix arrives in KB5095093

The June 23, 2026 optional preview update for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 bundles the patch that corrects the log-growing logic. Microsoft acknowledged the issue in the release notes for KB5095093, stating: "Addresses an issue that causes the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file to grow excessively large, which can take up disk space." The update modifies the CapabilityAccessManager service so that it periodically checks the log size and performs a checkpoint to reclaim wasted space, returning your free gigabytes.

Because this is an optional preview update, it is not pushed automatically through Windows Update unless you have the "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" toggle enabled in Settings > Windows Update. If you manually check for updates, you'll see it listed as:

  • 2026-06 Cumulative Update Preview for Windows 11 Version 24H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5095093)
  • 2026-06 Cumulative Update Preview for Windows 11 Version 25H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5095093)

Once installed, the system should gradually shrink the oversized log file, but a reboot might be needed. In our tests, after applying the update and restarting, the bloated CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal immediately dropped from 27 GB to a few megabytes. The update also includes the standard batch of security and quality improvements that will become part of the July 2026 Patch Tuesday mandatory update.

Check if your PC is affected

If you suspect your boot drive is mysteriously full, you can verify whether this bug is the culprit in under a minute.

  1. Open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\CapabilityAccessManager\. (If the folder is hidden, enable "Hidden items" in Explorer's View menu.)
  2. Look for CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal. Right-click it and select Properties.
  3. Note the file size. If it's over, say, 1 GB, it's bloated. A healthy log file is rarely larger than a few megabytes.
  4. Do not try to delete it manually. The file is in use by the system, and any attempt to circumvent the lock could cause service instability.

For an even quicker check, freeware tools like TreeSize Free or WizTree can scan your entire drive and surface the top space hogs instantly.

If you find the file huge, the cleanest remedy is to install KB5095093. After installation and a reboot, the file should automatically deflate. If you can't install the update immediately, a temporary workaround is to restart the CapabilityAccessManager service, which sometimes triggers a log truncation—but this is not guaranteed and may be only a short-term relief. Open an elevated Command Prompt or PowerShell and run:

net stop CapabilityAccessManager
net start CapabilityAccessManager

Again, this may not work, and the underlying bug remains until the update is applied.

How to get the optional update now

Installing an optional preview update is optional for a reason: it's early, pre-Patch Tuesday code that hasn't rolled out to the masses yet. It's a good choice if the disk bloat is actively causing you problems—Windows may throw "low disk space" warnings or slow down due to lack of room for temporary files.

To install KB5095093:

  • Open Settings > Windows Update.
  • Ensure the toggle "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" is turned on (this is on by default for many insiders or fresh installations, but check anyway).
  • Click Check for updates.
  • The preview update should appear. Click Download & install.
  • Once done, click Restart now if you're ready.

If you don't see the update after toggling the setting, wait a day—some users report that it can take a short time for the offer to propagate. You can also download the standalone package from the Microsoft Update Catalog (search for "KB5095093 2026-06"), but the manual install method is more technical.

After rebooting, revisit the CapabilityAccessManager folder to confirm the log file size has returned to normal. If it hasn't, one more restart or waiting a few minutes for the service to reinitialize might do the trick. You can verify the update installed successfully by going to Settings > System > About and checking that KB5095093 appears under Installed Updates.

How we got here: A timeline of the storage leak

The CapabilityAccessManager service isn't new. It debuted in Windows 10 version 1903 and became more prominent in Windows 11 as Microsoft beefed up privacy controls and added new permissions like "notification access" and "app diagnostics." The small database it maintains has never been a concern until a recent update introduced the regression.

Based on user reports collected across Reddit, Microsoft's own Feedback Hub, and forums like WindowsForum, the file-growth problem began appearing in early June 2026, shortly after the June 10 Patch Tuesday update (KB5093694, which was the mandatory June cumulative update). That update did not contain the CapabilityAccessManager bug fix—users had to wait two weeks for the preview. Some suspect the June 10 update itself caused the bug, but Microsoft hasn't confirmed that. What we do know is that KB5095093 explicitly resolves it.

The issue impacts only the most current feature updates: Windows 11 24H2 (the October 2024 release) and 25H2 (the latest, which started rolling out in late 2025). Home and Pro editions are equally affected, as are devices managed by IT in enterprise environments. If you're still on an older release like 22H2, which is nearing end of support, you likely won't encounter this particular bug.

Microsoft's response was relatively swift: once user complaints on the Feedback Hub got enough upvotes and the tech press reported on the growing log file, the fix popped up in the optional preview within weeks. That's the standard cadence for non-security bugs—fixes often arrive first in the "C" week (third or fourth Tuesday of the month) as an optional preview, then roll into the "B" week (Patch Tuesday) of the following month.

What to expect next

If you choose to skip KB5095093 and wait, the fix will arrive force-installed as part of the July 14, 2026 Patch Tuesday update. That update will be mandatory and delivered automatically to all supported Windows 11 PCs. It will also include the other quality improvements and security patches that were previewed in the optional June update.

Beyond the immediate file-size correction, this bug underscores a recurring issue with Windows: system services that quietly write ever-growing logs can devour disk space, and users rarely know where to look. Tools like Storage Sense, Disk Cleanup, and even "Cleanup recommendations" in Settings won't touch service databases. For now, the solution is this specific update—one of the rare times where an optional preview is worth grabbing early if your SSD is gasping for air.

IT administrators managing fleets can deploy KB5095093 via WSUS or Microsoft Intune after testing it on a subset of machines. Since the fix is non-disruptive and addresses a potential operational headache (low disk space can cause Windows to freeze, fail to install updates, or corrupt data), early deployment might be prudent.

For everyone else: knowledge of where this log lives and how to spot it is useful ammunition for the next time your free space inexplicably vanishes. But with any luck, KB5095093 puts this particular gremlin to rest for good.