Windows 10 Bug Adds Massive Amounts of Random Files GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO News > Internet & Security 37 37 people found this article helpful

Windows 10 Bug Adds Massive Amounts of Random Files

Millions of tiny, useless files eating up hard drive space

By Allison Murray Allison Murray Tech News Reporter Southern Illinois University Allison reports on all things tech. She's a news junky that keeps her eye on the latest trends. Allison is a writer working out of Chicago, IL, with her only coworker: her cat Norbert. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on May 6, 2021 12:36PM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Internet & Security Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming Windows 10 users should upgrade their systems to the latest Windows Defender engine to fix a bug that adds a massive amount of files. First spotted by Deskmodder, a bug affecting Windows Defender seems to create thousands of small files, resulting in gigabytes of wasted storage space. The file names appear to use MD5 algorithms and are a result of a recent Microsoft Defender antivirus engine update from the end of April. alengo According to Bleeping Computer, the bugs’ randomly created files range in size from 600 bytes to a little over 1KB located in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Scans\History\Store. While seemingly tiny and harmless, hundreds to thousands of these files can add up to a significant amount of wasted space on your hard drive. One user on Reddit noted an increase of millions of files added to their drive that took up 50-60 GB of space. "Our alerts for HDD space started going off last night. One server has 18 MILLION FILES in the Store folder. Another has 13 MILLION. Taking hours just to discover all of the files so that they can be deleted," the Reddit user wrote on a thread about the issue. "This is a major screw-up from Microsoft." Our alerts for HDD space started going off last night. One server has 18 MILLION FILES in the Store folder. Lifewire reached out to Microsoft for comment on the bug and to find out how many users were affected by it. We will update this story when we hear back. Since a full hard drive can usually cause your system to run slower, Windows 10 users should update their systems to the latest version of the Windows Defender engine, known as 1.1.18100.6. Related: How to Check for and Install Windows Updates While a nuisance for anyone with a PC, the random files are relatively easy to remove from your drive. Simply go to the Store under Windows Defender, press CRTL + A to select all the files in the folder, then press Shift + Delete to delete all the files permanently. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire WinDirStat Review (Free Disk Space Analyzer) The 21 Best Free Data Recovery Software Tools (Oct. 2022) How to Check Free Hard Drive Space (Windows 11, 10, 8, +) Does Windows 10 Need Antivirus Protection? How to Fix It When Windows 11 Is Slow Disk Savvy v14 Review What Is a Hard Disk Drive? 32 Best Free File Shredder Programs (October 2022) Why Your Computer is So Slow and 16 Ways to Fix It How to Change the User Folder Name in Windows 10 What Is a Mapped Drive? 31 Best Free Backup Software Tools (October 2022) Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool Review (A Free HD Testing Tool) 35 Best Free Data Destruction Tools (October 2022) Puran File Recovery v1.2.1 Review (Free Undelete Tool) Windows 10 Home vs. Windows 10 Pro Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies