Why is Capability Access Manager growing 1.9GB/day on my PC?

Question

To start, here is a description of my system:
OS Version: Microsoft Windows 11 Home, 64 bit, Build 26200, Installed 20250221222418.000000-300 Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10700 CPU @ 2.90GHz, Intel64 Family 6 Model 165 Stepping 5, CPU Count: 16 Total Physical RAM: 16 GB Graphics Card: Intel(R) UHD Graphics 630, 1024 MB Hard Drives: C: 217 GB (33 GB Free); D: 931 GB (920 GB Free); Motherboard: Dell Inc. 05GD68, ver A00, [Moderator's Note: PII Removed] System: Dell Inc., ver DELL - 1072009, [Moderator's Note: PII Removed] Antivirus: Malwarebytes, Enabled and Updated

In late March 2026, this PC was running out of C (SSD) drive space. After deleting non-essential apps and files besides the weekly disk cleanup I had been running regularly, the space continued to shrink. I tracked down the problem to the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file. On April 3 2026 following a procedure outlined elsewhere here in learn.microsoft.com, I successfully gained control of the file and deleted it. A restart then recreated it at about 1.8GB in size and my C drive had 118GB free. But in the next 6 days free space has dropped to 104GB and CapabilityAccessManager has grown back to 10.3GB, continuing to expand an average of 1.8GB/day.

This PC was originally purchased in February 2021, was upgraded to Windows 11 in November 2022. It has not had this C drive space problem until last month. What is causing this and how do I stop it? The solution to delete and recreate the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file every 50 days is not practical.

Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

I had the same problem myself, also on a Dell computer (in my opinion the latest Windows updates have caused issues on slightly older Dell machines—mine is from 2018).

I followed all the steps suggested by Ramesh Srinivasan without getting any results; then, after consulting with Copilot, it turned out that Dell SmartByte might be responsible. I uninstalled it, and the problem was solved.

Be careful, because SmartByte exists both as a Windows App and as an executable program. For the uninstallation I used Revo Uninstaller Pro, which removes not only the program but also all related registry entries.

Once SmartByte is removed, check whether the growth of CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal has stopped.

When you access the CapabilityAccessManager folder, only modify CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal: it is very important not to alter CapabilityAccessManager.db under any circumstances.

Answer 2

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Hi Michael Silverstein,

Thank you for the detailed information you’ve provided.

The CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file is part of Windows 11’s privacy management system. It is used to log when applications request access to protected features such as the camera, microphone, location, or Bluetooth.

If an installed application or background service repeatedly checks for permission to access one of these features, Windows will continuously record those requests in this database log. Over time, this may cause the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file to grow unexpectedly large, even after being deleted, as the file is automatically recreated and continues logging new entries.

To help prevent the file from continuing to grow, I highly recommend isolating any third‑party services or startup applications that may be repeatedly triggering these access requests.

1, Perform a Clean Boot

• Press Windows + R, type msconfig
• Go to the Services tab
• Check Hide all Microsoft services
• Click Disable all
• Go to the Startup tab > Select Open Task Manager
• Disable all startup applications
• Restart the PC

2, Reset the CapabilityAccessManager Folder

• After restarting, open File Explorer and navigate to: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\
• Delete the CapabilityAccessManager folder
• Restart the PC once more

3, Monitor Disk Usage

Allow the system to run for a period of time and monitor whether the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file grows again.

• If the file size remains stable, this indicates that one of the previously disabled third‑party services or startup applications may have been contributing to the repeated logging activity.
• You can then re‑enable services gradually to identify which application may be involved.

Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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Answer 3

Hi Michael,

Capability Access Manager keeps track of webcam, microphone, and location accesses by apps. It's possible that one or more apps (e.g., RainMeter) installed on the system is repeatedly triggering the addition of entries in the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal database.

Please clean boot Windows using msconfig.exe. A clean boot is the process of starting Windows without loading any third-party applications or services. For more information, please refer to the Microsoft article.

How to perform a clean boot in Windows - Microsoft Support

(Step 3 in the above link is crucial. You need to first enable "Hide all Microsoft Services" before clicking "Disable all".)

Once done, delete the CapabilityAccessManager folder, not just the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file. Monitor the size of the CapabilityAccessManager after a day or so. If it still grows substantially (e.g., 1.9 GB per day), please let me know.