C:\Windows\Installer is huge, wanna clean it if possible

[Bouzoo9]

So after cleaning my HDD I discovered that the aforementioned folder has 13 GB. After googling a bit people are saying not to delete it etc., but then I found this tool people used

https://www.raymond.cc/blog/safely-delete-unused-msi-and-mst-files-from-windows-installer-folder/

So my question is should I use it, has anyone had experiences with it? Or is the other method I saw people saying safer, to make a junction on another drive which I'm trying to avoid because I'd like to get rid of files if possible.

 

[The Kasafist]

Try maybe just making a copy of it to a USB and deleting it and seeing if any issues arise first.

 

[SkylerJacobs]

My windows folder is 17.7 GB. Why would you want to get rid of windows files?

i dont consider even 20 GB to be big. Hell, some games nowadays use 40-65GB of space.

 

[Bouzoo9]

Try maybe just making a copy of it to a USB and deleting it and seeing if any issues arise first.

I might do just that.

My windows folder is 17.7 GB. Why would you want to get rid of windows files?

i dont consider even 20 GB to be big. Hell, some games nowadays use 40-65GB of space.

Because when I'm cleaning my drive its like OCD kicks in, I want to free as much space as I can

 

[The Kasafist]

It's not impossible the file itself will simply continue to grow over time. I believe it's what links all your major software to the registry which allows it to work in the first place. Just make sure you back up the folder before you try anything crazy so you can always recover it. Only other option I can think of is to compress it or make the drive allow itself to compress files. Note: when you enable such a capability it will run slower just and FYI.

 

[Tom Tancredi]

Try maybe just making a copy of it to a USB and deleting it and seeing if any issues arise first.

I might do just that.

My windows folder is 17.7 GB. Why would you want to get rid of windows files?

i dont consider even 20 GB to be big. Hell, some games nowadays use 40-65GB of space.

Because when I'm cleaning my drive its like OCD kicks in, I want to free as much space as I can

Cleaning a hard drive is very old school and NOT effective in modern Windows, in fact CAUSES ISSUES.
Just have a 1TB drive ($45 at Walmart) and not worry about it (aka put the OCD in check).
Yes WINDOWS and OFFICE by themselves will consumer over 40GB of space, with NOTHING ELSE INSTALLED.
Just a fact of life.