How can we get users to free up disk space and install required laptop updates?

If you use Intune, create compliance rules based on the required Windows build and connect them to Conditional Access. That gives users a clear reason to fix the problem: after the grace period, access stops working until the laptop is brought up to date. Make sure exceptions exist for legitimate application or hardware issues.

Some users simply cannot fix this themselves, especially when the required software legitimately consumes most of a small drive. If troubleshooting and cleanup take longer than the device is worth, replace or reimage the laptop and handle the old one separately. Small 256 GB drives can become impractical as Windows, browsers, collaboration tools, and update files continue to grow.

Treat this as a policy and enforcement issue rather than relying on repeated reminders. Get management and HR to approve a grace period, then mark devices as noncompliant if they miss the deadline. Depending on your environment, you can restrict access to company resources until the device is updated or the storage issue is resolved.

Automate as much cleanup as possible with Storage Sense, temporary-file cleanup, and OneDrive Files On-Demand. Also monitor free space centrally and alert before a device gets critically low. A reasonable baseline might be keeping 10–20% of the drive free, though applications with large local data sets may need a higher threshold or an approved exception.