Getting Disk space low error while accessing ERF VDI machine

Question

Getting Disk space low error while accessing ERF VDI machine

Barun Singh 0

I am getting low disk error from last 2-3 days while accessing the azure virtual machine. I have deleted all the unwanted files but still getting the same error. Might be error at azure side any further resolution or ETA.

Himanshu Shekhar 6,530 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-10T09:04:50.1933333+00:00
This error is typically generated at the guest OS level (not from the Azure platform side), which means the alert is triggered when the OS disk or a data disk reaches its capacity threshold — even after deleting some files, residual or hidden usage (logs, temp files, page file, shadow copies, Windows Update cache, etc.) can keep the disk full. There is no ongoing Azure platform-side issue that would generate a low disk error, so an ETA from our side isn't applicable here.

However, I'd be glad to help you resolve this end-to-end.

Could you please confirm the following so I can assist further:

Which disk is showing low space — OS disk (C:) or a data disk?

Current disk size vs. free space available.

VM OS type (Windows / Linux) and VM size/SKU.

Is this a Managed Disk? If yes, current tier (Standard HDD / SSD / Premium).

In the meantime, here are a few steps you can try:

Identify what's consuming the space

Windows: Run cleanmgr (Disk Cleanup) or use WinDirStat / TreeSize to locate large files/folders.

Linux: Run sudo du -h --max-depth=1 / to find large directories, and df -h to check disk usage.

Clear common space hogs

Windows Update cache: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download

Temp files: %TEMP% and C:\Windows\Temp

Old log files under C:\Windows\Logs and IIS logs if applicable

Empty Recycle Bin and clear shadow copies (vssadmin delete shadows /all)

Resize the OS/Data disk (recommended permanent fix)

If the workload genuinely needs more space, you can expand the disk from the Azure portal:

Stop (deallocate) the VM > Go to Disks > Select the disk > Size + performance > Choose a larger size > Save > Start the VM > Extend the volume from Disk Management (Windows) or growpart + resize2fs/xfs_growfs (Linux).

Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/virtual-machines/linux/expand-disks / https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/virtual-machines/windows/expand-os-disk

Move page file / swap to a data disk if OS disk is constrained.

Please share the requested details and a screenshot of the error, and I'll guide you through the most suitable next step. (via private messages section)

3 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Senthil kumar 655

Hi @Barun Singh

Remove unwanted files from system. at the same time. remove temp files also.

press windows + R type %temp% and delete all files from the location.
empty recyclebin folder both c and d drive. then restart your VM. check again same alert appear or not.

Thanks.

Barun Singh 0 Reputation points

2026-06-10T09:24:44.9266667+00:00

i have deleted all unwanted files but getting same error ...even my few colleagues are getting this error
Senthil kumar 655 Reputation points

2026-06-10T10:55:20.78+00:00

they are using same this VM or every one using separate VMs

cleanmgr /sagerun:1

in run this command

Answer 2

Barun Singh 0

User's image

I am getting this error

0 comments

Answer 3

Low disk space on an Azure Virtual Machine is almost always due to insufficient free space on the OS disk or a data disk, not an Azure platform error.

Use these steps to resolve it:

Verify which disk is full
1. In the VM (via RDP), open File Explorer.
2. Select This PC and check free space on Local disk (C:) and any other drives.
3. If this is a VM used as a VDI, focus on the OS disk (usually C:). Azure guidance recommends at least ~20 GB free for updates and normal operation.
Free up space inside the VM Use the OS to reclaim space on the OS disk:
1. Uninstall unused apps.
2. Delete or archive files that are not needed.
3. Move large files (downloads, user data) to another disk or storage location.
If this is a Cloud Services scenario and you see E: or F: full, ensure application data is not written to those drives; instead, use data disks or external storage such as Azure Storage or Azure SQL.
If space cannot be freed sufficiently If, after cleanup, the OS disk still has very little free space and the low disk warning persists:
- For Azure VMs, extend the OS disk size from the Azure portal, then extend the volume inside Windows.
- For nested VMs (Hyper‑V inside an Azure VM), ensure the underlying Azure disk hosting the VHD has enough free space; if it is nearly full, resize that Azure disk.
Prevent recurrence
- Set up Azure Monitor alerts on disk metrics (e.g., percentage used) so that a warning is received before the disk is critically full.
- Avoid storing application data on OS disks or temporary/application drives (E:, F:) in Cloud Services; use appropriate Azure storage services instead.

There is no indication from the provided guidance that this type of low disk space error would be caused by an Azure platform issue or that there would be an ETA from Azure; the resolution is to increase or free disk space on the affected disk.

References:

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Getting Disk space low error while accessing ERF VDI machine

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