Whenever you install or update applications on Windows, installer (MSI) and patch (MSP) files are stored in the “Windows\Installer” folder. Normally, these files are necessary for updating, patching or uninstalling software, but, eventually, they become outdated and use up disk space for no reason.

PatchCleaner is a useful application that can scan this folder for unnecessary items and help you reclaim a lot of free space. It is very easy to use and enables you to move the files to a temporary location first, so as to avoid losing important data.

PatchCleaner is designed with a specific purpose in mind, namely to clean your “Windows\Installer” folder.

To this end, the program consults a list generated by the operating system that contains all the current installers and patches. This information is compared against the MSI and MSP files located in the scanned directory, and any items that are not on the list are considered to be orphaned and tagged for deletion.

Once a scan has been completed, PatchCleaner displays a brief summary of the results, letting you know how many files are still in use, how many have been excluded by filters and how many are orphaned.

You can access more detailed information by clicking on one of the categories, should you wish to view each file’s name, size and author.

Certain products can be excluded from deletion by setting up a filter that takes the file’s author, title, subject and digital signature into consideration.

It should be noted that false positives are possible, so it is probably wise to first move the files to another directory before deleting them altogether.

In conclusion, PatchCleaner is a lightweight application specially created to scan and clean your “Windows\Installer” by locating orphaned installer and patch files. It is very novice-friendly and even allows you to move the items to a temporary location before deleting them, to ensure none of them are still needed.