NVIDIA’s Hard Drive Space Usage: Understanding and Managing Installer Files
For those who use NVIDIA graphics cards, it’s not uncommon to find your hard drive cluttered with old driver installer files. These remnants can accumulate over time and take up significant space, often amounting to several gigabytes. While this might seem trivial to some, it can be a considerable nuisance, especially for users with smaller SSDs. Many only become aware of this issue when they run a disk space analysis tool and discover the extent of the storage being consumed.
Where Are These Files Located?
NVIDIA typically stores these installation files in the C:ProgramDataNVIDIA CorporationDownloader directory. Since this folder is hidden by default, users will need to either enable the view for hidden files or manually enter the path in their file manager. To assess how much space these files are taking up, right-click on the “Downloader” folder and select “Properties.” On a freshly cleared system, you might see around 1.4 GB of space being used, but this can swell considerably if the files haven’t been managed recently.
Previous Storage Locations
In earlier versions of NVIDIA software, these files could be found in a variety of locations, including:
C:Program FilesNVIDIA CorporationInstaller2C:ProgramDataNVIDIA CorporationNetServiceC:NVIDIA
If you haven’t reinstalled Windows or cleared these files out in a while, you may still find remnants in these directories, as it remains unclear whether NVIDIA’s software automatically purges them.
Understanding the Files
Inside the “Downloader” folder, you’ll encounter various subfolders with seemingly random names. Each of these contains the executable files for NVIDIA driver updates. Whenever the GeForce Experience software downloads a new driver, a complete installer is saved in this directory, even after installation.
The Latest Files
Specifically, the “latest” folder contains an uncompressed copy of the most recent driver update. This file is primarily needed during the installation process, but it can be useful for reinstallation later if necessary.
Why Does NVIDIA Retain These Files?
While NVIDIA has not provided a specific explanation for the storage of these installers, the likely rationale involves user convenience. In cases where a driver update leads to issues, users can easily revert to a previous version using these installers. Although this feature can be helpful, the practicality of retaining such a large volume of outdated drivers is questionable. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to keep only the most recent versions instead of several gigabytes worth of data?
Moreover, the GeForce Experience software does not make it straightforward for users to revert to older driver versions, nor does it inform them of the existence of these files. Many users might never discover them, leading to wasted space. Ideally, NVIDIA could implement a better management system for these files directly within GeForce Experience to enhance user control over storage.
How to Remove Unwanted Files
While Windows permissions may prevent you from deleting the entire “Downloader” folder, you can still manage the files inside. Simply navigate to the “Downloader” folder and delete the “latest” folder along with the other subfolders that appear randomly named. Be careful not to delete the “config” folder or the “status.json” file, as these are necessary for the software’s operation.
By doing this, you can reclaim the space occupied by these NVIDIA installer files. However, keep in mind that as new drivers are downloaded and installed, similar files will be created again, requiring ongoing management.
For those looking for a more automated solution, tools like CCleaner can help manage these installations and clean up unnecessary files. This is a common practice among Windows users who seek to maintain optimal performance on their systems, particularly when confronted with software that consumes more disk space than necessary.
