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Best Free File Cleaner
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In a Hurry?
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 Go straight to the Quick Selection Guide |
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Introduction
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| Over time unnecessary files accumulate, which can be removed with a disk cleaner. |
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Discussion
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My first choice here is CCleaner, a product that started off as pretty basic but has continued to improve to the point where it is now very close to the best in its class regardless of price. It's very effective in freeing up disk space by removing unused and temporary files, cookies, Recycle bin entries, Windows hot-fix files, history and cache files in many applications such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari and hundreds of others. Note you can configure preferences for browser cookies that you want to keep during a clean (in case you don't want to delete them all), which is a convenient feature for many users. You can define custom rules to include or exclude files, folders or registry keys from cleaning (Temp folders are a good candidate to include), You can wipe free (unused) space from the disk (including MFT data), and CCleaner supports secure deletion of data (1, 3, 7 to Guttman 35 passes). There are options to extend CCleaner adding new programs for software that doesn't come with the base install. Some of these options are explained in the Documentation You can also remove options (programs) that you do not want to be cleaned from the list of available programs that can be cleaned. The options can include adding to or removed from the built in detections that come with the base CCleaner install. This flexibility I have not yet seen in any comparable file cleaning tool. CCleaner has been around for many years, and over that time it has been more actively developed than any other file cleaner software. (It's not unusual to see a new release every 4 weeks). Piriform release new versions to support new software when it comes out (like new versions of the major browsers) and with features to support changes to the operating system - eg. When Windows 7 was released support for cleaning "Taskbar Jump Lists", and even using "Jump Lists" and Windows 7 style progress bars in their CCleaner. The CCleaner Version History lists the new features and fixes introduced with each release Many other file cleaner products were developed for Win2000 or WinXP and haven't seen an update since. If you are running the latest OS, Browser or Office Suite etc - it is best to use software that was developed and tested with the latest software that you are using. I would like to see a tutorial or wizard for first time users when they run CCleaner. Too often the complaints that CCleaner deleted something it shouldn't, turn out to be the user isn't too familiar with what the options mean or what the impact of cleaning temp files and settings from their system. Even selecting every possibly option should still not damage windows in any way - as CCleaner is very conservative in what it will remove, but for some first time users, running CCleaner can seem to be a scary step to take. However, if simply freeing up disk space is your objective then CCleaner is hard to beat. A good companion to CCleaner is Empty Temp Folders. It's not as complete a product as CCleaner and it's been a while since it was last updated, but I find that it always manages to clean more temporary files than CCleaner. That's why I suggest you use both. Another cleaner with a solid following is Steven Gould's CleanUP!. It's compact, well designed and very well maintained and is a real alternative to CCleaner. In use I've had a couple instances which caused problems on my test PC, but this may have been specific to my setup. Certainly the feedback I get from users has been uniformly excellent. In a related category is PC Decrapifier. Its job is to remove unwanted trial versions of programs and services that come preinstalled on new PCs. You can remove all this stuff manually, but PC Decrapifier does this automatically. It can't remove every bit of junk from every computer, but the list of products it will remove is quite impressive.
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A portable version for installing on USB Thumb drives, and a "Slim" installer-only version with no toolbar are available at
http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/builds
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Tags
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free file cleaner, free disk cleaner |
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Comments
I appreciate MidnightCowboy's "beware of..." warnings. I just received a warning from security software vendor Bitdefender, which blocked access to the Temp File Cleaner web page "addpcs.com/software/tfc," stating that the page contains malware. Along with the TFC version 4 files I previously noted that seemed to have malware characteristics, it doesn't seem like a good idea for me to subject my PC to this risky software, despite other user's success with it.
Temp File Cleaner - TFC 4.0 has been released.
It adds redesigned cleaning engine and new gui plus bunch of other new features.
http://addpcs.com/software/tfc/
The previous version has been one of my favorite cleaning tools alongside CCleaner.
Would just like to add that there is a program called Ccenhancer that adds addisional cleaning of 770 entries/programs to Ccleaner. It adds a file called winapp2.ini, which Ccleaner supports by default, to the root of the Ccleaner installation.
The list is managed by "Robert Ward (Winapp2.ini) and Shane Gowland (TheWebAtom), with special thanks to all of the users of the Piriform Forums and TheWebAtom/SingularLabs Forums without whom this file would not be what it is."
You do not have to download and use their program to add the file. There is a link on their homepage (http://singularlabs.com/software/ccenhancer/) to where you can download the winapp2.ini file and add it manually to the root of yur Ccleaner installation: http://content.thewebatom.net/files/winapp2.ini
Intelligence
As has been mentioned before:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-file-cleaner.htm?page=1#commen...
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-file-cleaner.htm?page=2#commen...
Piriform do not provide support to users who run ccleaner with a custom WinApp2.ini - and I cannot recommend using these files without first checking the settings in WinApp2.ini thoroughly against your own system, to gauge the impact. While the settings might work on one computer, another computer may have different versions of software or it could be installed in a different manner/location, or have other dependencies (or programs) that the creator of the winapp2.ini file did not have.
Just blindly running ccleaner with definitions (winapp2.ini) created by someone else really isn't a good idea. You might be lucky and have no problems, otherwise...
Recently I had a mishap with Ccleaner, and I'm a repair technician. It's easy to do. So I think it's really a tool for skilled people, or those with regular image backups.
I created a junction point to an important folder on a second hard drive. Then I deleted it (experiment didn't work.) A few days later, before rebooting, I ran the file cleaner in Ccleaner. When I rebooted my computer insisted on doing a disk check. Once the OS booted my important folder was gone!
I am still reeling, and don't quite understand how this happened. The only thing I can say is I've been using Ccleaner for so long that I don't pay attention anymore to the files it's cleaning. Lesson learned!
PAY ATTENTION!
Junction points are an advanced technical feature of Windows. They're also called directory symbolic links which better describes their use as directory/folder aliases. They are mostly used by system administrators to resolve issues such as changing an install directory when the installer doesn't allow it.
By now, I guess that you've become familiar with Microsoft's usage advice for junction points. Any other user contemplating using junction points should read Microsoft's usage recommendations at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/205524
+ Use NTFS ACLs to protect junction points from inadvertent deletion.
+ Use NTFS ACLs to protect files and directories that are targeted by junction points from inadvertent deletion or other file system operations.
+ Never delete a junction point by using Explorer, a del /s command, or other file system utilities that walk recursively into directory trees. These utilities affect the target directory and all subdirectories.
+ etc
If you are going to use them - I say don't - you'll need to understand Access Control Lists (ACLs) as well.
I guess it's just a cautionary tale. I've never had problems with "hard links" before this. I also use Ccleaner unattended before weekly defrags. Scary! I, obviously, have some research to do before messing with those links again.
I have to say, though, that I've learned the hard way quite a few times with Ccleaner. Fortunately I keep regular image backups (EaseUS.) Many of those innocent looking options can screw with your whole system.
I DO wish they'd give us a log!
Just for the record. CCleaner is not free if it should be used in a business environment. I believe that you should always recommend a free program that will be legitimate to use in any business as well.
We cater to both home users, and business users here. We are concerned primarily with free software, whether free for home use, or free for business use as well.
Our primary focus is also on individuals and home users, because they need the free software more, as not all of us can afford to buy software for every category.
If we start to recommend only software which are free for both home and business, more than half of the categories would be empty.
ccleaner is free ok dont say its not but it is free ok
I've just started to use CCleaner on my private laptop and I'm impressed. But now I'm sitting with my computer at work and starting to wonder if I can use it here too??? It's hooked up with other networks and I'm worried to do some raical damage to anything here... But on the other hand, this pc could really use the treatment! Anyone who can help me with this? Tips?
Our recommendation is to contact your supervisor or systems administrator. Many employers restrict or prohibit the use of third party software on workplace machines and there may even be a clause in your Contract of Employment that refers to this.
Thank you very much :-)
What do you think about Wise Disk Cleaner?
Either wise disk cleaner and wise registry cleaner always try to call home even with automatic updates disabled, weird enough.
Also, a new version of both these great pieaces of software is available almost every day, forcing users to uninstall the previous ones to install the new versions.
Obviously, once installed, new versions promptly call home, to tell mom they're safely arrived...
Avoid them.
In this Wikipedia article on OpenCandy it's said CCleaner uses OpenCandy. There's no mention of it in the licence agreement when installing CCleaner, neither in the standard installer nor the slim version. http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/builds . What's going on? Does it actually have OpenCandy? The installer seems to recommend Google Chrome.
Hey George, I believe the slim version does not have OpenCandy, since nothing gets offered. I guess this is a good reason to wait for the release of the slim version.
Bo
There is no OpenCandy bundled with CCleaner. The Wiki information is false, or outdated, or something.
Agreed. I have just rechecked the full CCleaner installer (ccsetup313) - and there were no additional offers for Chrome or suggestions via Open Candy. Obviously this could possibly change in the future, but right now - there is nothing extra in the full installer.
I recommend waiting for a few days after release of a new build - and getting the "slim" build from the "builds" download page - http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/builds
What became of Toni Arts' East Cleaner? It seems as good as Ccleaner
Yes--what did become of that prog (Easy Cleaner)?? It rocked!!
Thx,
Keith
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It is still around:
http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/ecleane.htm
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/Registry-Tweak/EasyCleaner.shtml
Please note this though from the new website:
"www[dot]toniarts.com is no longer my web site, my web site now and in the future will be this (http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts). www[dot]toniarts.com (also .net and .org belong to this same group) is just cheating people for money, I've asked them to stop, repeatedly, with no luck. To get those auto-updates working on my programs you need to change the update URL from the options. Instead of www.toniarts[dot]com/EasyCleaner.ini use http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/EasyCleaner.ini."
[Some links above are broken because they are understandably red rated by WOT (Web Of Trust)]
the free version of CCleaner is no longer supported with updates. to get version updates, you need to pay even for home use now.
Wrong. The free version never had support except in forum. Updates are still available. Product page was just updated to reflect "differences" for versions. Except price and support, there is no "working differences" in Free, Home, and Business.
This is not correct - I updated my free version from v3.10.1525 (64-bit) to v3.11.1541 a couple of minutes ago.
I would also recommend these cleaners to your review:
PureRa (xp, vista)
http://raproducts.org/purera.html
Temp File Cleaner (98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, 7 and Linux)
http://software.addpcs.com/tfc/index.php
Both will free up more space than other cleaners.
Temp Files Cleaner is way too harsh and dangerous. It damaged my Goggle Chrome. Bleach Bit is much safer and does the job.
Why hasn't BleachBit been given a mention here?
Can CCleaner be configured to clean PaleMoon as it does IE or FF? If yes can someone explain how? Thank You very much
I think CCleaner recognises Pale Moon as Firefox, so should be doing the necessary cleaning. Pale Moon is an optimised version of Firefox after all. Although I have SpywareBlaster on a machine with Pale Moon on and that doesn't see any FF installed, which is a little odd. I use ATF cleaner as well.
http://www.atribune.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=25