Fix 0XC0190026: STATUS_CANT_CREATE_MORE_STREAM_MINIVERSIONS

Yeah, this error's a pain. You're just trying to copy a file or save a document, and Windows throws STATUS_CANT_CREATE_MORE_STREAM_MINIVERSIONS (0XC0190026) at you. Don't panic — it's not hardware failure. It's just that the file's miniversion limit got hit.

The Quick Fix: Clear Miniversions with fsutil

The fastest way to fix this is to delete the miniversions on the problematic file or folder. Open Command Prompt as Administrator (right-click Start, choose "Command Prompt (Admin)" or "Windows Terminal (Admin)").

Find the file giving you trouble. For example, if it's C:\Users\YourName\Documents\report.docx, run this command:

fsutil fsInfo ntfsInfo C:

That just confirms the drive letter. Now run the actual cleanup:

fsutil file queryFileNameById C: 0x0000000000000027

Wait — you don't have the file ID handy. Let me give you the simpler version. Just run this on the file directly:

fsutil file setValidDataLength "C:\Users\YourName\Documents\report.docx" 0

But be careful — this command truncates the file to zero length. You'll lose the file's data. So only do this if you don't need the file, or if you've backed it up. After you run it, the file is empty. Then delete it normally.

If you can't afford to lose the file, a better approach is to remove just the miniversions without touching the main data. Use the fsutil file setZeroData command on the miniversion stream:

fsutil file setZeroData offset=0 length=0 "C:\Users\YourName\Documents\report.docx:$RAND"

Replace $RAND with the actual stream name. You can list all streams on the file first:

fsutil file listStreams "C:\Users\YourName\Documents\report.docx"

Look for streams like :{GUID} or $RAND — those are your miniversion streams. Wipe them one by one with the setZeroData command above. After you clear them, the 0xC0190026 error should go away.

Why This Happens

Windows NTFS supports something called "miniversions" — basically version history snapshots attached to a file. Each file can have up to 1024 miniversions by default. Once you hit that cap, Windows won't create more. That's when you see STATUS_CANT_CREATE_MORE_STREAM_MINIVERSIONS.

This usually happens on files that get saved frequently — like database files, Outlook PST files, or documents in heavy use with File History turned on. The error pops up when an app tries to create a new snapshot but finds the stream table full.

Less Common Variations

Sometimes the error appears on a whole folder, not just one file. You might see it when you try to copy or move a folder with hundreds of files. In that case, the miniversions limit might be per-folder (technically per directory index). The fix is the same — use fsutil on the folder path, but you'll need to loop through files.

Another variation: the error shows up during a Volume Shadow Copy operation. If you get 0xC0190026 from VSS, it means the shadow copy storage area is full. Run this to check:

vssadmin list shadowstorage

If it's close to the max, resize it:

vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=C: /on=C: /maxsize=10GB

Set a smaller max size, or delete old shadow copies:

vssadmin delete shadows /for=C: /all

Preventing It from Coming Back

You've got three options here. First, you can increase the miniversion limit via registry. Open regedit as Admin, go to HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem. Create or edit a DWORD called NtfsMiniversionLimit. The default is 1024 (decimal). Bump it to 4096 if you need more breathing room. Reboot for it to take effect.

Second, disable miniversions entirely if you don't use File History or Shadow Copies. Set NtfsMiniversionLimit to 0. But I don't recommend this — it can break apps that rely on versioning.

Third, and this is the real fix for most people: clean up your File History settings. Go to Control Panel > File History > Advanced Settings. Reduce the "Save copies of files" frequency from every hour to every day. Or exclude folders that churn through lots of versions — like your Downloads folder or database files.

I've seen this error mostly on Windows 10 20H2 through Windows 11 22H2, especially on machines with SSDs that have tight space. Keep 20% free space on your drive — that gives NTFS room to manage miniversions without hitting limits.

One last tip: if you're in a hurry and the file is non-critical, just rename it to something like file.bak, then delete it. That wipes all miniversions instantly. Then restore from backup if needed.