Overview
CCleaner does the maintenance that Windows does not do for itself: clearing the caches that programs leave scattered across the drive, emptying browser temporary data, removing the log files nothing reads, and tidying the registry entries left behind by software that has been uninstalled. On a machine that has been in daily use for a few years, the first run typically frees several gigabytes and takes a noticeable amount of time off the startup.
This build covers the Professional, Technician and Business editions in one installer, with the edition chosen during setup and the licensing settled ahead of time. That unlocks the parts that are otherwise held back: scheduled automatic cleaning, real time monitoring, the driver update check, the software updater and the deeper file recovery prevention. The bundled offers and the browser extension prompts have been removed from this repack.
Cleaning
The custom clean screen lists every category it can act on, split between Windows components and installed applications, with each item individually selectable. The default selection is conservative and safe. The analyse pass shows exactly what would be removed and how much space it would recover before anything happens, and it is worth reading that list the first time rather than going straight to clean.
Browser data is handled per browser and per category, so cookies for sites you stay signed into can be kept on an exclusion list while everything else is cleared. That exclusion list is the single most useful setting in the program and the one most people never find. It lives under options and accepts files, folders and registry paths as well as cookies.
Registry, startup and tools
The registry cleaner looks for entries pointing at things that no longer exist: missing shared libraries, orphaned file associations, dead uninstaller entries and application paths for programs that were removed. It offers to back up before each pass and you should always take that offer. The realistic benefit is tidiness rather than speed, and anyone promising a dramatic performance gain from registry cleaning is overselling it.
The tools section is where the genuinely useful items are. Startup management covers programs, scheduled tasks, context menu entries and browser plug-ins in one place, which is more than the built in startup manager shows. There is also a drive wiper for free space, a duplicate finder, a disk analyser that shows what is consuming space by category, and an uninstall list that can remove entries the standard control panel refuses to.
The Professional additions
Scheduled cleaning runs the profile you configured on a timetable without opening the window, which is the main reason to want this edition. Real time monitoring watches for browsing data and temporary files as they accumulate and either cleans them automatically or prompts once a threshold is reached.
The software updater checks installed programs against current versions and can update them in place, and the driver check does the same for hardware drivers. Both are convenient rather than essential, and if you prefer to manage those yourself they can be turned off entirely in options without affecting anything else.
What you get
- Custom clean with per category selection across Windows and installed applications
- Analyse pass that shows what would be removed before acting
- Cookie, file, folder and registry path exclusion lists
- Registry cleaner with mandatory backup prompts
- Startup manager covering programs, tasks, context menus and browser plug-ins
- Drive wiper, duplicate finder and disk space analyser
- Scheduled automatic cleaning and real time monitoring
- Software updater and driver version check
- Bundled offers and extension prompts removed from this repack
Inside the archive
- CCleaner installer with the Professional, Technician and Business editions
- Portable build for use without installing
- Interface language packs
- Readme covering the exclusion list and the edition selection
System requirements
| Operating system | Windows 7 or newer |
|---|---|
| Processor | Any x86 or x64 processor |
| Memory | 1 GB |
| Storage | 200 MB free |
| Privileges | Administrator rights required for full cleaning |
| Display | 1024 by 768 minimum |
Installing it
- Unpack the archive and suspend real time protection.
- Run the installer as administrator and pick the edition you want at the selection screen.
- Decline any component you do not need. The browser extension is not installed by default in this repack.
- Open the program and set up your exclusion list before running the first clean.
- Run the analyse pass and read the result before cleaning for the first time.
Mirrors
| Route | Region | Note | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct, primary | Europe | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Direct, secondary | North America | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Torrent magnet | Global | Optional at this size | Online |
Release history
- Cleaning rules updated for the current browser releases
- Fixed the scheduler failing to run when the machine was asleep at the scheduled time
- Registry backup prompt no longer suppressible by accident
- Disk analyser rewritten for faster scanning of large drives
- Startup manager now lists scheduled tasks alongside startup entries
- Bundled offer screens removed from the installer
- Portable build added to the archive
Questions about this release
Will registry cleaning make my machine faster?
Realistically no. It tidies dead entries and can fix odd association problems, but anyone promising a large speed gain from it is overselling.
How do I keep the sites I stay signed into?
Add their cookies to the exclusion list under options before the first clean. That list also accepts files, folders and registry paths.
Does it install a browser extension?
Not in this repack. Those prompts and the bundled offers have been removed from the installer.
Which edition should I pick?
Professional for a single machine. Technician and Business exist for multiple machines and add nothing on a personal install.
Comments
No bundled extras in the installer which was my whole complaint before. Scheduler works properly now too.
Set the exclusion list first like the notes say and I stayed signed in everywhere. Should be the default advice.
Comments are read before they appear. If a build stops working, say so here and it gets rebuilt rather than quietly left up.
First run cleared eleven gigabytes off a four year old laptop. The startup manager found three things I did not know were running.