Office Performance Issues

Fix MS Access Compact and Repair Database Size or Temporary Disk Error

Camila Milosovich Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user encounters false insufficient disk space or maximum database size errors when running the Compact and Repair tool on a moderately sized database in Microsoft Access LTSC 2021.

How to Fix MS Access Compact and Repair Temporary Disk Error

Product: Microsoft Access LTSC 2021
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Running the Compact and Repair database utility on an approximately 300 MB database.
Observed behavior: The operation randomly fails, incorrectly reporting that temporary disk space is insufficient or the database size has been exceeded, despite having 50 GB of free space. The issue is bypassed when processor affinity is limited to a single CPU or when using Microsoft 365.

Before you start

Verify that your system drive genuinely has sufficient free space (at least 10-20 GB) and that your Windows virtual memory settings are configured to be managed automatically.

Solution 1Recommended

Limit Processor Affinity to CPU 0 for MS Access

Restricting Microsoft Access to use a single processor core bypasses the multi-threading compatibility bug causing the Compact and Repair failure in LTSC 2021.

Since the error does not occur when the processor affinity is limited, this indicates a performance or multi-core processing bug specific to Microsoft Access LTSC 2021. Temporarily restricting the application to one CPU core is the most reliable workaround.

Open Task Manager

Launch Microsoft Access and open the database you want to compact. Then, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open the Windows Task Manager.

Locate MS Access in the Details Tab

Navigate to the 'Details' tab in Task Manager and scroll down to find the 'msaccess.exe' process.

Set Processor Affinity

Right-click 'msaccess.exe' and select 'Set affinity'. In the window that appears, uncheck '<All Processors>' and check only the box for 'CPU 0', then click 'OK'.

Run Compact and Repair

Return to Microsoft Access and run the Compact and Repair tool. The operation should now complete without the false database size or temporary disk error.

Limit Processor Affinity to CPU 0 for MS Access

Temporary Setting: Setting processor affinity via Task Manager is temporary and will reset the next time you launch Microsoft Access. You will need to repeat these steps whenever performing a Compact and Repair until Microsoft releases a permanent patch.

Solution 2

Install the Latest Office Updates

Applying the latest Microsoft Office patches can resolve known LTSC 2021 performance and compatibility bugs that trigger this error.

Solution 3

Verify Virtual Memory and Disk Space Configuration

Ensure that your Windows temporary storage and virtual memory are configured correctly to rule out actual capacity limitations.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Access report the database size is exceeded when it is only 300 MB?

Microsoft Access has a hard limit of 2 GB for database files. However, if your database is only 300 MB, the error is likely a false positive caused by a multi-threading bug in Access LTSC 2021 during the Compact and Repair process. Limiting the processor affinity to a single CPU usually resolves this.

Is it safe to run Compact and Repair on my database?

Yes, but you should always create a backup copy of your .accdb or .mdb file before running the Compact and Repair utility. If the process gets interrupted or fails due to a system error, your database could become corrupted.

Can I open Microsoft Access files (.accdb) in WPS Office?

No. WPS Office specializes in word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and PDFs. It does not include a relational database management system. You will need Microsoft Access or a compatible third-party database viewer to open .accdb files.

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