CCleaner is a system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system. It also cleans traces of your online activities and cleans your computer registry.

Platform: Windows

Over the years I have used a number of computer cleaners. CCleaner is by far the best. It also supports more than 30 interface languages. Most people in the world can find a language that suits them to use.

CCleaner is a small and fast utility that does a couple of things:

1. Cleans your computer junks such as temporary files, internet browsing history and temporary internet files, unnecessary software logs files, etc.

Nowadays our computer's C drive can easily go over 100G in size. Storing stuff is not an issue any more but performance wise storing a lot of unused and temporary files can slow down the computer. In addition, your personal privacy is another concern that should be considered.

CCleaner's cleaning tool makes the removal of temporary computer as well as internet files such a blessing. It thoroughly checks and removes all the unused files by either Windows or by Applications of your selection.

When CCleaner deletes files, it can do it in either faster way or slower way. Faster way is normal file deletion just like what normally Windows deleting files. Slower way is much secure where the deleted files can't be easily recovered. Secure file deletion can overwrite the file with 1 pass, 3 passes, 7 passes, or 35 passes. The more passes it overwrites, the less likely that the deleted file can be recovered by special file recovery tools.

Another feature I like is that you can define you own files to delete and/or folders to empty, as well as your own files and/or folders to exclude in the cleaning process.

Tip: To test if CCleaner's file deletion is effective, use the following two file recovery tools to test:

1. PC Inspector's File Recovery program
2. Recuva - file undelete program

2. Removes unneeded registry entries so CCleaner is a registry cleaner as well.

Over time, your computer registry is cluttered with invalid entries when you install and uninstall software. You need to clear out these garbage to speed up your computer and reduce potential problems.

Tip: Sometimes if your computer's registry has not been cleaned for quite a while, you need to scan it multiple times to fully fix all registry issues. Just scan it again after you have clicked the button Fix Selected Issues.

3. Uninstall programs just like the Add/Remove Programs function within Windows' Control Panel but CCleaner is a lot more faster to start up with.

Displaying of currently installed programs with CCleaner is super fast. In addition to uninstalling, you can also rename a program's name in the list. But with Windows Add/Remove Programs, it's not possible. Another nice feature I like about CCleaner's uninstall tool is that you can save the list of installed programs as a text file. This comes really handy when you want to reinstall your operating system but don't want to go thru the programs list to find out what programs you need to re-install after the operating system rebuilt.

4. Manages programs that start with Windows.

CCleaner's startup management function displays information about programs that start automatically when Windows starts. Most of these startup programs are hidden and essential, but sometimes a startup program takes long time to load and so you have to wait for quite a while before your computer can be used productively. If that's the case, you can use CCleaner's Startup tool to check what programs start up with Windows and disable the ones you don't really need. You could see your PC's startup time is dramatically improved by just simply disabling one to two programs.

5. System Restore

System Restore Point is a Windows snapshot of a stored state of your computer. Restore point is created by System Restore at specific intervals and when System Restore detects the beginning of a change to your computer. Also, restore point can be created by you manually at any time.

This tool within CCleaner displays information about all the system restore points created by either system or by the user manually. Information shown includes date and time the restore point created and descriptions about it. If you don't need some of these restore points, use CCleaner to remove them. Removing restore points can free up disk space usage of the removed restore points.

Please note that, you can also change the amount of disk space allocated to System Restore within Control Panel -> Systems -> System Restore. Decreasing the disk space may reduce the number of available restore points.

The above are the five most useful tools within CCleaner. It may introduce more useful functionalities in the future.

To download CCleaner, visit CCleaner download page.