Windows 10 May 2019 Update Will Require 32GB Minimum Storage, Microsoft Says

Windows 10 May 2019 Update, also known as Windows 10 version 1903, is being released slowly and steadily to users. Parallel to that, Microsoft has updated its minimum hardware requirements page to confirm that the lowest storage requirement for Windows 10 1903 update will be 32GB for both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows. Earlier, the minimum requirement was 16GB for 32-bit Windows 10, and 20GB for 64-bit Windows 10. The updated page fails to detail why Microsoft made this change.

As mentioned, the updated storage information has been detailed on the minimum hardware requirements page. The Windows 10 1903 version will require 32GB storage for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows devices. The previous Windows 10 version 1809 (aka Windows 10 October 2018 Update) and prior, required 16GB for 32-bit Windows and 20GB storage for the 64-bit Windows.

Microsoft has listed that Windows 10 IoT Enterprise, version 1903 and prior, will still keep 16GB as the minimum requirement for 32-bit Windows, and 32GB as the minimum requirement for 64-bit Windows. This new minimum storage requirement shouldn't affect many users as most would opt for storage higher than 32GB these days. However, this will restrict manufacturers from making really low-end offerings.

There are conditions related to RAM and processor as well, for running Windows 10 for desktop software. Laptops that run Windows 10 for desktop editions must have more than or equal to 1GB RAM for 32-bit Windows and more than or equal to 2GB RAM for 6-bit Windows. Devices that run Windows 10 for desktop editions also require a 1GHz or faster processor or a SoC that is compatible with the x86 or x64 instruction set. The SoC should supports PAE, NX and SSE2, and support CMPXCHG16b, LAHF/SAHF, and PrefetchW for 64-bit OS installation.

Windows 10 version 1903 update aka Windows 10 May 2019 update is already available to download through Microsoft's Media Creation Tool. Users need to have a valid Windows 10 license to download this update. Microsoft has announced that it is slow-tracking the rollout of the May 2019 Update so that it can collect data about potential conflicts and bugs before too many people are affected.