CCleaner 5.1

CCleaner is a system optimizer, and as other applications of its kind, it aims to increase your computer’s performance by getting rid of unnecessary data. Fortunately, its interface is really straightforward, so it’s practically impossible to lose one’s way.

Perhaps the single procedure with the highest impact on performance is cleaning your system registry of invalid keys and values. Let me tell you that CCleaner is recognized as being one of the best at it. Of course, there’s always the risk of losing an important entry, and that’s why CCleaner lets you back up your registry before actually making any changes. However, although I´ve been using this tool for years now, I’ve never had to undo any registry modifications so far. One thing I don´t like about the registry cleaning process is that sometimes one scan is not enough to fix all the problems. You can notice it when you perform another check right after fixing the problems found in the previous scan.

The program also does its contribution to preserving your privacy. In this regard, cleaning temp files and cache data left by the operating system, browsers and other applications is essential. CCleaner supports all Windows versions as well as various browsers, including Microsoft Edge. Luckily, you can decide what to delete or keep, because some actions like erasing the thumbnail cache may actually decrease speed, as most of the times the system will need to regenerate them. Another feature with a high impact on privacy is wiping all the contents or just the free space on a drive. More than just that, the tool can use three deletion methods, which include an extremely secure 35-pass wiping.

CCleaner also lets you uninstall applications, although I must confess that I would have liked it to allow batch uninstalling. Likewise, you can reduce startup time by preventing some applications to start along with the system. The program can also find duplicate files based on several criteria. In addition, there is a disk analyzer to help you administer disk space more efficiently. Furthermore, you can also manage all your system restore points. This tool can be set to start with Windows and remain hidden at the Tray, from where it can monitor the system and advice you to perform a clean whenever it seems necessary.

As seen, there are several reasons that make CCleaner so popular. First, it definitely optimizes the system in a very safe way without causing unwanted damage. Second, its free version isn’t crippled as it usually happens with other similar tools. Finally, it is very complete in terms of available features.