Windows lets you set quotas for disk space. Essentially, each member will have their share of disk space. Once they max out on their share, they can’t store any more data on the hard drive. This means you’ll always have more control over your storage space. In this guide, we tell you how to configure disk quotas on Windows.
What You Should Know About Disk Quotas
Here are some important things you should know about disk quotas before you use them:
You can set quotas only on NTFS volumes. You can configure volume-wise quotas, not computer or folder-wise. You can set a quota for individuals or for all users of the PC, but not for a specific group of users. The quota feature refreshes the storage usage for each user every hour.
1. How to Configure the Disk Quota Using File Explorer on Windows 11
The easiest method for configuring disk quota is using the file explorer.
Start by going to Computer (or This PC if you’re running Windows 10), right-clicking on a volume, and selecting Properties. Switch to the Quota tab and select Show Quota Settings.
Check the box next to Enable quota management and Deny disk space to users exceeding quota limit. Right below those options, you’ll see a radio button next to an option called Limit disk space to. Select it and enter a quota. For instance, you can enter 40GB if that’s how much space you want to allow a user to take up.
Below it, you can also enter a warning level. For example, if you set the warning level at 35GB, Windows will notify the user that they’re nearing their disk space quota when they use up 35GB of storage space.
If you want to monitor other users’ disk space usage, you can also check the boxes next to the two options at the bottom called Log event when a user exceeds their quota limit and Log event when a user exceeds their warning level. If you check these boxes, Windows will record an event log whenever a user exceeds their warning level or quote limit.
When you’re done, click Apply and then OK when you see the warning.
You still haven’t selected the users to whom this quota should apply. Until you configure the user-specific limits, the quota will be applied to all users.
How to Disable or Adjust Quota Limits
Click on the Quota Entries button in the Quota Settings window. You’ll see a list of users with their quota limit and storage space used. If you don’t see one or more users, select Quota > New Quota Entry.
Click on Advanced > Find Now and select the users you want to add.
Click OK, and you’ll be able to add a quota limit for that specific user. Click OK when you’re done.
You can adjust the quota limit for specific users by right-clicking on their name and selecting Properties. Enter a limit and click OK.
If you want to remove the quota limit, select the Do not limit disk usage option and then click OK.
Click OK again to exit the window. You’ll need to reboot your PC at this point for the disk quotas to become effective.
How to Configure the Disk Quota Using Group Policy Editor in Windows 11
Like everything else on Windows, there are also some not-so-straightforward ways to configure disk quota. If you failed to apply disk quotas using the File Explorer, you can use the Group Policy Editor to configure your disk quota too.
Using the Group Policy Editor force-applies disk quotas unlike the File Explorer, so this method is useful. However, it’s best to use the previous method first because it’s simpler.
Also, you can only use the Group Policy Editor provided you’re running Windows 10/11 Pro, Education, and Enterprise. If you’re on the Home editor, try the next method.
Start by pressing Win + R, entering gpedit.msc, and pressing Enter. This will launch the Group Policy Editor. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Disk Quotas from the navigation on the left of the editor.
Switch to the right pane and double-click on Enable disk quotas. Select Enabled and click OK.
Do the same with the next option called Enfore disk quota limit.
Next, double-click on Specify default quota limit, select Enabled, and enter a Default quota limit in the bottom-left section. Click OK to exit the window.
How to Configure the Disk Quota Using the Registry Editor on Windows 11
If you’re running Windows 10/11 Home edition, you’ll need to use the Registry Editor since you won’t have Group Policy Editor on your Windows. Before you start with this method, be sure to take a backup of the Registry so you can fix anything you mess up by accident.
Start by pressing Win + R, typing regedit, and pressing Enter. This will open the Registry Editor. Copy and paste the following into the navigation bar and press Enter:
You’ll see a key called DiskQuota under WindowsNT, but if you don’t, you can always create a new one.
Create a new key under Windows NT and name it DiskQuota.
Switch to the right pane and right-click in the blank space. Create two new DWORD (32-bit) Values and name them Enable and Enforce. Double-click on them one by one and change the Value data to 1. Press OK and restart the PC to apply changes.
You’re Now in Control of Disk Space
Configuring disk quotas gives you better control over how much storage space everyone’s using on a PC. You’ll no longer be surprised by the annoying Windows message telling you there’s no more space on the hard drive. However, if you’re already out of space, there are ways to regain some of your storage space by cleaning up your PC.
