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Hard Drive Full due to Windows Installer folder at 51.4 GB

scott smith 15 Reputation points
2025-09-22T16:35:57.0333333+00:00

I started receiving warnings about limited hard drive space, which has a capacity of 117GB. Using TreeSize Free, I identified that the Windows Installer folder is 51.4GB. How can I reduce the size of this folder?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage
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  1. MichaelSilverman-1518 16 Reputation points
    2025-12-11T16:47:15.2666667+00:00

    I finally ran into this situation myself (Installer folder is ~41 GB) and running PatchCleaner identified 34 GB of excluded files. When I looked in settings, it claims that the filter is set up to handle Adobe because there is an issue witht he way it handles updates. As that is the only item in the default filter, I take it that means the 34 GB of files are all Adobe updates?

    Looking at the highlighted list of excluded files, they do all identify as Adobe files. Not sure why there would be so many but it seems the cleaner recognizes that situation.

    It is interesting that this tool from 2016 can clean space that even Windows 11 built-in cleaners cannot.

    Update: Found the detail for this in PatchCleaner's info area...

    User's image

    Mike.

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  2. DaveM121 886.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-09-22T17:15:52.1166667+00:00

    Click your Start Button, then just type cmd and on the resulting list, right click Command Prompt and select 'Run as Administrator'.

    Run this command in Command Prompt and press Enter.

    Dism.exe /online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

    When that command completes, close Command Prompt and restart your PC, then check the size of the Installer folder.

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  3. scott smith 15 Reputation points
    2025-09-22T18:00:14.26+00:00

    Thanks again. I downloaded PatchCleaner and deleted about 2 GB of orphaned filed. However, it identifies that "55 files are excluded by filters, 48.12Gb."

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