How to clean Windows with CCleaner

It is not uncommon for computers to experience performance slowdowns and freezes after extended use. Some of the culprits for such performance degradation are redundant and unnecessary junk files that take up disk space, as well as background applications that consume excessive system resources.

CCleaner is useful software for cleaning up such resource-intensive processes and files that are of no real use to the system. This software frees up disk space, speeds up the startup, clears junk files, and ultimately optimizes the computer’s performance.

This article will cover the features of CCleaner and how to use them to clean your Windows operating system.

Setting Up CCleaner on Windows

CCleaner is a useful utility software that optimizes computer performance by cleaning up unnecessary data that has been accumulated over time by programs and the operating system. 

A free version of this software offers some limited system clean-up options like automatic system diagnostics and fixes, app usage control, and privacy protection. The paid versions (professional and professional plus) include some bonus features like the performance optimizer, driver updater, and registry cleaner. 

The Professional Plus is the flagship version of CCleaner, which not only includes the perks of the professional version but also offers complementary features like File recovery and support for up to 3 devices. 

Here’s how you can download the CCleaner on your Windows device. 

1. Go to the Downloads page of CCleaner and download the software. 
2. Go to the download location and open the installation file.
3. Click on the Install button and follow the prompts to complete the installation. 
4. Finally, open the CCleaner. 
5. If you have purchased the (professional and professional plus of this software, you can enter the license key you received in your email. 
6. To run a 14 days trial of CCleaner, click on Skip. 

Perform Automatic Cleanup using the CCleaner 

CCleaner has a Health check feature that checks for Disk Space, Privacy, Speed, and security-related issues on your device and solves it. Follow these steps to use this feature. 

1. Open the CCleaner. 
2. Go to the Health Check section. 
3. Click on the Start Button to start the PC health check. 
4. CCleaner will ask you to close the browsers (Edge or Chrome) to analyze them properly. You can select not to close the programs; however, it is not recommended if you want to perform a better scan.
5. Click on Make it better to solve these. 
6. This process removes the trackers and junks as well as disables the startup apps. 

Custom Clean Feature on CCleaner

CCleaner also allows you to perform a custom cleaning of the Windows. Users can choose to clean the junk accumulated by the Windows processes and the installed Application. 

Here are the Windows Applications and Processes that are analyzed and cleaned up by the CCleaner. 

• Microsoft Edge, Edge Chromium, Browsers: For these Browsers, CCleaner allows you to clean up the Cookies, Internet cache, internet History, Download History, Last Download Location, Session, Set Aside Tabs, Recently Typed URLs, Saved Form Information, Saved Passwords, Saved Cards.
  For Edge Chromium browsers, it even lets the users clean up the Metrics temp files and Bookmark Backup.
• Internet Explorer: CCleaner also facilitates cleaning up the IE’s Temporary internet files, History, Cookies, recently typed URLs, Index.dat files, last download location, Autocomplete form History, and Saved Passwords. 
• Windows Explorer:  Users can choose to clean up the Recent documents, Run, Other file explorer MRUs, Thumbnail Cache, taskbar Jump lists, and Network passwords. 
• System: On the System side, CCleaner lets users choose to empty recycle bin, temp files, clipboard, memory dumps, Chkdsk file fragments, windows log files, and other unnecessary logs, cache, and junks. 
• Miscellaneous: Although not necessary, users can also choose to clean other advanced Windows services that include Windows Event logs, old prefetch data, Environment path, User assist history, and many more. 

CCleaner also lets you clean up the junk created by the Applications that are installed on Windows. Here is a list of those applications and 

• Google Chrome: You can choose to custom clean the Cache, history, temp files, etc., generated by the Chrome browser.
• Windows store: Cleans up Bing news, Microsoft to do, Snip and sketch, and other minor junks.
• Applications: Cleans up Apple install files, MS Office Picture Manager, MS one drive, and other applications. 
• Multimedia: It can only work on the Windows Media Player and the VLC Media Player. 
• Utilities and Windows feature: It can also clear up the NVIDIA install files and WIRAR. In the case of Windows features, it can clean up the MS Management console, MS search, MS Wordpad, RegEdit, and others. 
• WhatsApp: Users, if they choose to, can clear up the Cache files, log files, and storage files on WhatsApp.  

Perform Custom Clean on CCleaner

Here’s how to use CCleaner’s custom cleanup feature to perform the aforementioned cleanups.

1. Open the CCleaner.
2. Go to the Custom Clean section. 
3. Choose the files you want to clean up from the Windows and installed Applications. 
4. Click on the Analyze button. It will identify and gather the list of files that have to be deleted.
    
5.  Click on Run Cleaner and then click on continue to give your final confirmation.
    

Performance Optimizer Feature on CCleaner 

This is a newly introduced feature on the CCleaner that is said to improve the PC’s performance, speed up the startup, boost battery life and give users more control of their PC. This feature works by scanning the programs running in the background and putting them into sleep mode. 

Simply put, this feature kind of cleans up the system processes to give you enhanced performance on your Windows Device. 

Here’s how to use this feature 

1. Open the CCleaner.
2. Go to the Performance optimizer section. 
3. It does the scanning and lists the programs that impact the most on a computer’s performance. 
4. Find the program you want to put down to sleep and click on the Sleep button.