"Not enough disk space" error in Windows Server Backup

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This article provides information on a failure of an attempted backup in Windows Server Backup due to a lack of disk space

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Issue:

When Windows Server Backup is used to back up data on a server, a number of factors can cause the backup operation to fail. The Application log on the server will provide details about the failure. One possible reason for a backup failure is a lack of free space on the volume being used to store shadow copies. If this is the case, the following error will be shown:

There is not enough disk space to create the volume shadow copy on the storage location. Make sure that, for all volumes to be backup up, the minimum required disk space for shadow copy creation is available. This applies to both the backup storage destination and volumes included in the backup.

Solution:

If the volume is less than 500 MB in size, the shadow copy storage location must have at least 50 MB of free space.

If the volume is between 500 MB and 1 GB in size, the shadow copy storage location must have at least 320 MB of free space.

If the volume is greater than 1 GB in size, the shadow copy storage location must have at least 1 GB of free space.

Additional Information:

These requirements are detailed in the "Continued troubleshooting steps" section of this TechNet article. Ensure that these requirements are met, either by freeing up space on the existing storage location or changing the storage location to a different volume, and attempt to back up the data again.

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