In the era of Windows 10/11, what software for PC cleaning is really needed?

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M1ghty_boy@reddit

Windows media creation tool to reinstall windows every few years when my install gets inevitably fucked, occasional windirstat to find and delete old stuff that’s hogging space.

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Oh man I haven't reinstalled Windows in ages. Last time I did a fresh install was Windows 8 Pro, and I have been upgrading Windows to 10 then 11. I've upgraded my hardware twice during this period and the performance seems fine. I also moved the Windows drive to a larger SSD. I dread having to reinstall all the programs and settings I have.

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Reasonable_Degree_64@reddit

Lol same for me, I run on a Windows 8.1 pro install that was cloned so many times, but I've never really used Windows 10, I've used it only to upgrade and get the free license, 2 hours later I've upgraded to Windows 11. I've tried a couple of time to install a "Clean" Windows 11 version but I was discouraged from the first boot to see all the work it would involve to put everything back as it was, and it was not even faster at all.

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IamTrying0@reddit

People don't customize their computer so it's no loss to reinstall it, but old folks over the years we set things up and starting new seem like a mountain !

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Reasonable_Degree_64@reddit

Lol exactly

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nbfs-chili@reddit

I think wiztree is faster than windirstat. I switched quite a few years ago.

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M1ghty_boy@reddit

See I can’t wrap my head around the others, can’t remember if I gave wiztree a go but I remember I just really didn’t like the UI of treesize

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GreenDuckGamer@reddit

I've always used Windirstat just because it's what I'm used too, other than speed does wiztree have any other advantage ls to it?

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Jay-Five@reddit

Windirstat has a drive size limit. Don’t recall what it is, but wiztree is the same thing only worlds better.

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GreenDuckGamer@reddit

Thanks for letting me know, I'll be sure to try it out.

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nbfs-chili@reddit

It pretty much does the same thing. But it was surprising how much faster it is.

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IamTrying0@reddit

Need? Not sure as I am too using a cleaner, maybe once a week so don't know what it would be like without it. (Win10)
On the other hand the people who say you don't need it ..... they don't know what is left behind that the uninstaller finds . I do I see it.
Many talks about security and virus but that wasn't your question. Defender is fine, Malwarebytes (not cheap if you also use VPN sometimes like I do )
Some software really takes over your system (I tried IO some years ago :( ) which is why many comments that these are bloatware on their own. I think if you mess around with settings this can be minimised , depending on the software, version , even what year.
Defrag, not needed any more, but after installing and uninstalling program, apps, they leave stuff behind.
I use a software called Advanced Uninstaller Pro. Go directly to the site as there are similar and fake versions around. *.advanceduninstaller.C* I have been using this for 10+ years.
This somewhere is intrusive and doesn't use much of a resource (uninstall monitor enabled).
There is free and paid (under $10/y right now) and trial.
The company is called Innovative Solutions and they use 2checkout for payment, all legit just little confusing :)One click is paid, manually delete stuff is free. (I pay as I get the value)
This is not spyware , or virus etc.
The only problem I had over the years is like after a clean, a setting (cookies) gets deleted. I just wrote to the guy and we figured out that the program was putting the cookie into a folder it should not have and just disabled that for cleaning. So there is support.
I don't use the Virus part as it takes time and I have Malwarebytes so don't know how good it is.
I may try the MS one as well, but not sure if that finds the leftovers.
I I did try CCleaner some (probably many) years ago, seems it did more than I wanted to and broke stuff but it may not be the case these days. It seem to be trusted program.
Good luck.

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xiaolin99@reddit

This video has some information on the subject

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G-DByczbWA

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IamTrying0@reddit

Not bad, but he is talking about speed and gaming. Me and maybe OP is just looking for some maintenance.
I did try IO and he right about all the crap.

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Enigm433@reddit

Temp files, broken reg files, ccleaner is the best...problem is when people not dig into whole structure of windows...

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IamTrying0@reddit

Used CCleaner in the past, had some problems, but it was years ago. Probably Vista or something like that.
I have been using Advanced Uninstall Pro.

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Bradalax@reddit

I think you get tyhe idea from the responses so far. None really.

But one thing to bear in mind if you use SSD then tools like defrag aren't only unecessary, they can damage or shorten your ssd life.

But I do admit, back in the day there was something very satisfying about giving your PC a tidy up and defrag.

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IamTrying0@reddit

People who don't use a cleaner don't see all the stuff that is left behind. (not talking about defragging as that is not needed any more.)

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WWWulf@reddit

Non of those. They are literally more trash you have to clean with the addition of higher risk of one of them accidentally erasing a critical file and breaking your system.

You don't really need a 3rd party tool. There is a Storage sensor integrated within the Settings app and if you want to go further (although not really necessary) Microsoft provides an official PC Manager app (available on MS Store) that won't go as deep as the alternatives you are using but won't delete anything critical by mistake.

Other than that you would probably need only an advanced uninstaller to get rid of leftovers from non packed apps when you uninstall them.

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IamTrying0@reddit

"....need only an advanced uninstaller " I think that is what OP is asking for.

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DigitalJedi850@reddit

I haven’t used any third party software to this end in 20 years.

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IamTrying0@reddit

So when you use one, you will see how much is left behind.

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Kuiriel@reddit

I dunno about software, but I find programs leave a lot of junk in the appdata folder. Some programs live there entirely, like minecraft, or like nexus's vortex mod manager's downloaded Skyrim mods did, which pisses me off very much. I want to see what you got, I want it in the same place I installed you. I don't want save games or mods or any game or profile data split between my documents, my games, appdata and the folders themselves. I want to be able to grab a folder to back it up, not search multiple different spaces.

If I've uninstalled a program, I hunt down any folder by the same publisher lurking in appdata and remove it.

And temp. Some stuff wants to live there for ages. No! Empty! If it's not open now, shoo! You have your own folder, don't fake how much space you're taking!

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IamTrying0@reddit

Advanced Uninstaller Pro . Have been using it for 10 years at least.

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BHoss@reddit

Is there an easy way to go about this? It drives me insane too.

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Kuiriel@reddit

Remove as much as you want by backing it up to another drive, if you don't notice it a couple years later you're all good.

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IamTrying0@reddit

I have 3 drivers from the last 15 year waiting for me .... look them over. :)))))

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imonreddit55@reddit

Revo (Revoo?) uninstaller is great at finding and removing all the left over junk. Jayz2cents has a good video on it's features

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0pyrophosphate0@reddit

I don't want save games or mods or any game or profile data split between my documents, my games, appdata and the folders themselves.

Appdata is where that stuff is supposed to go. Why the folder is hidden by default, no idea.

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Kuiriel@reddit

Why is that where it's supposed to go? We didn't use to have games storing save files in appdata folder back in DOS days or early windows days - or did we?

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0pyrophosphate0@reddit

Microsoft has all kinds of places they "want" developers to put things. Here's a list. Appdata has been around since Windows 98.

Game devs rarely followed their guidelines until they made it mandatory for the "Compatible with Windows" stickers that games started coming with after Vista. Now that 90% of games are using just a few major game engines, and those engines have built-in functions to find the correct directory on each operating system, more and more games use those folders.

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getjayced@reddit

I use geek.exe to uninstall programs. It checks for any leftover files which you can then decide to remove

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_JustWorkDamnYou_@reddit

I've only played with Geek a few times. How do you think it compares to Revo Uninstaller?

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BaronB@reddit

Windows 11

Everything else is kind of pointless.

IObit software does technically work, for some things. And in other things (like gaming) it just makes everything slower. And in the cases it does make things faster, it's only barely faster than statistical error.

For malware and virus protection, the built in Windows Defender is actually one of the top performing tools out there, outside of Kaspersky and Bitdefender are slightly better, but Kaspersky is now banned in the US, and Bitdefender is only really better if you're very technically minded and want to customize how things work. When it comes to actually stopping things their about on par.

If you have an SSD, you should never defrag it. Files are spread around the SSD on purpose for wear leveling and it doesn't affect performance. Defragging an SSD actively damages it, which is why the windows built in Defrag tool (which is just as good as any third party defragger), won't actually let you defrag an SSD, but instead lets you manually run retrim to clear empty blocks... which you should never need to do because that's usually done automatically.

The only thing I would really recommend anyone use is maybe WizTree, and just use the free version unless you really want to get rid of the donation button in the corner. WizTree lets you figure out what's using up drive space quickly by giving you a visual representation of everything on a drive.

https://antibodysoftware-17031.kxcdn.com/images/wiztree_treeviewwithmap3.webp

And even that's only something you need to run when you start getting low on drive space and don't know what to get rid of.

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PianoCube93@reddit

WizTree lets you figure out what's using up drive space quickly by giving you a visual representation of everything on a drive.

Earlier this year I took a look with WinDirStat for the first time in a while (maybe I should switch to WizTree) and discovered my computer had been slacking off for over a year when it came to cleaning up temp files. The end result being roughly 20k folders with 1.8 million files, taking up over 230GB of space. Amusingly, Windows failed to clean it up itself when I tried to force it (and CCleaner was equally useless), until I had manually deleted a good chunk of it.

Similarly, my office PC once had over 100GB worth of backup files, filling up all available space and slowing the machine to a crawl.

It would have been annoying to try to figure out what's taking up all that space without such a tool. The visual representation makes it pretty easy to spot if for example there's 10,000 identical folders somewhere that is taking up a substantial amount of space.

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IamTrying0@reddit

Yeah these smart people say don't need it. I know how much crap an uninstalled program leaves behind and I think so does OP. Advanced Uninstaller Pro is what I have been using.

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Jay-Five@reddit

Love wiztree. Used to run windirstat, but wiztree kills.

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Xandrmoro@reddit

Im still using SequoiaView from 2003 or smth like that. After all these years, it just works, no updated, no ads, no donate button, no anything. Perfect piece of software.

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IamTrying0@reddit

I still using Spacemonger ! Windorstat just doesn't look right to me. too busy orsomthing.

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BigBunion@reddit

I was in your boat until a couple of months ago. WizTree works much better.

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JJJBLKRose@reddit

How does it compare? I’ve been using windirstat, curious if it’s worth a switch

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Captiongomer@reddit

It's nearly identical, but just like so much faster cuz it keeps a bit of a registry so it doesn't have to do a full scan but it's very accurate still

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BaronB@reddit

Time to process a 2TB drive with WinDirStat - several minutes

Time to process a 2TB drive with WizTree - 10 seconds

The resulting graph is almost identical

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TheFraTrain@reddit

Also works extremely well on network drives

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OofItsKyle@reddit

This pleases me, thanks for a new tool to try, I use windirstat at least weekly at work

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patrlim1@reddit

Wiztree is hella fast

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Spankey_@reddit

It's a ton faster.

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Jay-Five@reddit

Windirstat couldn’t process big drives, hasn’t been updated since 2016, and is slow as hell. Wiztree is far far better.

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Burnsidhe@reddit

CCleaner is helpful in maintaining Windows, but not as an active monitoring system that they try to sell a subscription for. Just run it every so often to clean out erroneous registry entries and remove traces of uninstalled programs.

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elderlybrain@reddit

No. Don't do that.

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Argomer@reddit

Why? I'm not using it, just wonder why cleaning the registry is bad.

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elderlybrain@reddit

Absolutely miniscule benefit of getting back a few Gb (which will refill anyway as you start using your pc) for the massive risk of introducing destabilising your os as the registry is a database of file interactions in windows.

I personally think windows should have made it harder to access the registry since windows 10 as there's really no need to do it any more, but it's a legacy tool and windows is a juggernaut of ever increasing complexity and letting users just randomly access an operating system database is apparently something that they need to keep.

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Argomer@reddit

Hmm, interesting, thanks!

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qtx@reddit

CCleaner is snakeoil. Don't use snakeoil.

Might've been handy to have a decade or two ago but not anymore.

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msherretz@reddit

I recommend Everything as well. Windows Explorer can be shit about finding files and folders sometimes (or simply take forever)

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monocle_and_a_tophat@reddit

"Honey.....why is a folder called "Cooking Recipes No Need to Open" taking up 400GB of space on our hard drive?"

Seriously though, I didn't know about this and will probably make use of it. Thanks for the post.

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Bust3r14@reddit

Any experience with TreeSize? I've had good luck with it since abandoning windirstat

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TacticalBeerCozy@reddit

Treesize charges for some features which is the only con, prompts can be annoying i guess

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BraveBG@reddit

I'm usi treezise..its great

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Spankey_@reddit

TreeSize is also good.

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BaronB@reddit

TreeSize appears to be slower than even WinDirStat. WizTree's party trick is it's almost exactly the same as WinDirStat from a functionality stand point (TreeSize appears to have some additional customizability), but is multiple orders of magnitude faster.

10 seconds to scan a nearly full 2TB drive.

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lucytaylor01@reddit

Default pc cleaner is capable for clean unwanted files.

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lucytaylor01@reddit

Try Advanced System Optimizer.

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Naerven@reddit

I have to be honest. I gave all that up over a decade ago and haven't had any issues.

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Judge_Bredd_UK@reddit

I just format my PC once a year

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obliviious@reddit

I used to do that like 15 years ago, but I just don't need to bother anymore.

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Captain_Nipples@reddit

Yea. I'd only do it now if I had some weird overlapping driver issue. Ive had 3 different PCs on my current hard drive with the same copy of Windows, and haven't had any issues

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namelessgodman@reddit

How does this work ?

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Captain_Nipples@reddit

What part? If you're upgrading, just pop in the Hard Drive, and Windows will automatically update your key embedded in your motherboard, and install the appropriate drivers. I've used the same copy of Windows on multiple PCs. Even 3 other PCs that other people are still using. After their motherboard was updated to Windows, I pulled out my old hard drive and installed a new one, and installed Windows on the new machine

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namelessgodman@reddit

So you're saying you can run Windows on multiple machines with the same license? Doesn't Microsoft detect these copied machines when they get connected to the internet?

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Captain_Nipples@reddit

Maybe? But I've never had an issue. There are for sure 3 of them running off the same copy at my house right now.

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Thefuckerofjesus@reddit

That s smart

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GTRagnarok@reddit

Same but I won't lie, using CCleaner's registry cleaner always felt satisfying.

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obliviious@reddit

CCleaner had a habit of removing things it shouldn't though.l

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gunner7517@reddit

Yup, best to just use the built in disk cleanup.

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OGigachaod@reddit

I use "Windows Cleanup" lol.

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AdolfHissler@reddit

IMO? I think the best way is to get a preactivated copy of Windows Pro Edition

W7 pro or whatever OS came prinstalled try to get a pro copy.. then upgrade that editon of windows to Windows 10/11 pro

Much easier to debloat cause its not really needed with pro copies they dont give you that BS

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complicatum_erectus@reddit

Is there a reliable windows 11 de-bloater and registry cleaner

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Hot-Interest-3968@reddit

There’s a script on GitHub for removing bloatware and other processes that aren’t needed that come with windows. I’ll find it, helpful to clear up resource usage

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Atgblue1st@reddit

I just wish I could completely remove freaking Microsoft edge.

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Hot-Interest-3968@reddit

https://github.com/Sycnex/Windows10Debloater

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tomoki_here@reddit

Is there a similar one for 11?

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Hot-Interest-3968@reddit

https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat

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AlgaeDonut@reddit

Good lord, like a cooling breeze through a congested window thank you! And following the script lines, there was a hella amount of shit I was not even aware of on the system!

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Hot-Interest-3968@reddit

My first thought too! All the keys left over and all the software I wasn’t even aware of. Super helpful script and I like to run it on low resource systems as you can lose performance quickly with all the bloatware on a system!

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Trungyaphets@reddit

Does it disable Windows Update?

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Hot-Interest-3968@reddit

No windows update can be disabled within windows but I can’t see why you’d want that unless you have software dependencies that require a certain version of windows

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Trungyaphets@reddit

I don't want it to prompt me to update in the middle of work, or forcing me to update whenever I restart my laptop. And in case you ask yes I enabled the option to avoid updates from 7am to 7pm but it still prompted me randomly at 10am or 3pm lol.

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Hot-Interest-3968@reddit

Hm, is it a work laptop for a personal laptop? Could be settings in the group policy your company has set up. You can also turn off automatic updates entirely. This will require you to manually update windows whenever you need to.

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Trungyaphets@reddit

Yes I asked because I was looking for a way to disable updates. Looked around on Google but those regedit tricks didn't work. Could you please guide me to one that will mostly work?

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Hot-Interest-3968@reddit

Windows 10 or 11? And your work doesn’t have a policy set up for your computer already does it?

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Trungyaphets@reddit

And yes, no policy set.

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Hot-Interest-3968@reddit

Windows key + R and type in and run gpedit.msc.
Go to computer configuration -> Administrative Templates -> All Settings and then open Configure Automatic Updates
Select Enabled (NOT DISABLED), the in the dropdown below you can pick which option you want, I personally use number 2, “Notify for download and auto install”.

Hit OK, and you are done! Your PC will still occasionally check for updates, you will get a notification in your system tray when they are available, but they never will install until you run Windows Update.

Found from another Reddit user u/froggypwns

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Trungyaphets@reddit

Doesn't work. "Windows cannot find 'gpedit.msc'. Make sure you typed the name correctly". You have to have windows 11 Pro or Enterprise to have that "gpedit.msc".

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---Dan---@reddit

Just read the page..

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c0mpliant@reddit

Would you want it to?

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Hot-Interest-3968@reddit

The original may work for 11 as well, haven’t tested myself.

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Immediate-Answer-184@reddit

It works on windows 11

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DaithiDevil@reddit

Thanks 👍

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tomoki_here@reddit

Thank you!

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D34thst41ker@reddit

How do you download this? Every time I try to download something from Github, that always confuses me, and when I click on the one I want, it just brings up a code window instead of downloading anything. Does the fact that it's Read-Only mean it can't be downloaded anymore?

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Kilgarragh@reddit

On the specific “code window,” look in the top right of the code block and select the download button.

Most repos, you’re looking for the releases tab(normally just off the right on the main page) but this repo does not have one

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sxgedev@reddit

Do you see the green "code" button? Click on that, it will give you an option to download as .zip

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D34thst41ker@reddit

Thank you. no idea why Github always confuses me like that.

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obliviious@reddit

It's made for developers and sys admins really. It's great but has a lot of features the average computer user would definitely find confusing.

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seropus@reddit

Thank you for wording it this way and acknowledging that people get easily confused when it comes to this level of computing!

Bless you!

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Xandrmoro@reddit

Github's interface is confusing even for developers. You get used to it eventually, but its still not a good UX by any means

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mediocre-referee@reddit

Agreed. Developers appreciate a usable UX, too!

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CovidOmicron@reddit

You're not alone. I don't think there is a lot of consistency between projects either so it can be confusing.

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SeriousPlankton2000@reddit

There is a download button on the top right above the code, but that's for the individual file. You want the .zip from the green button.

Sometimes you'll also find a "releases" section.

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SympathyMotor4765@reddit

Give exe smelly nerds flashback!

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noahdaboss1234@reddit

Is there a windows 11 equivalent?

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Hot-Interest-3968@reddit

https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat

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Hot-Interest-3968@reddit

Yeah I posted the link in this thread will find it. Also people have said the windows 10 version works for 11 but I haven’t tested.

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TheBlueCable@reddit

Thank you so much for this! +1

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Lizpy6688@reddit

Safe to use on installs that have been used? Or only when doing fresh install before adding anything?

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Warmyy@reddit

It's safe to use whenever, shouldn't ruin anything.

For the future try to run it as some of the first pieces of software on a fresh install though.

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getyourownwifi@reddit

There is a tool by chris titus tech (github link here) that allows you to select what you run some scripts to debloat some windows apps, disable some services like windows telemetry, set some of the unnecessary services to start manually instead of automatic etc..

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uulman@reddit

This and sometimes I use bleachbit.

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Son_of_Korhal@reddit

Literally none of that. Your PC does not need to be "cleaned" or "optimized" with third party tools.

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The_ProtoDragon@reddit

That debloat is probably exactly what OP is trying to get at.

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GreenMateV3@reddit

That's not what's in the post though

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denied_eXeal@reddit

WHAT’S IN THE POOSST!! WHAT’S IN THE POOOOST!!?

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captainwomble@reddit

..the cheque is in the pooost.

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Xcissors280@reddit

Ima need you to stop right there sir, this is a Wendy’s and thats not in the post

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eaglewarrier@reddit

I read this with Adam Bovines voice in my head gif

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Tashum@reddit

Your brand new bladed dildo sir, enjoy!

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Mysterious-Tackle-58@reddit

Brad Pit does not like this comment.
If he could, he would downvote this 7 times!

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ChrisKay0508@reddit

Idk why this got downvoted. I got a chuckle lol

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The_ProtoDragon@reddit

OP clearly doesn't fully understand what he's asking, so you have to infer his meaning.

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MarxistMan13@reddit

The best way to debloat is to reinstall Windows.

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arafella@reddit

And then remove all the bloat that's included by default

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stillpiercer_@reddit

Windows Education and Enterprise licenses are shockingly clean. Basically nothing at all pre-installed.

I have an Education license on my gaming PC that I got through the student licensing deal in college, and it has all of the features of Enterprise and zero bloat whatsoever.

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pureformality@reddit

Are there any features from the Win 10 Pro that are blocked, like playing with the system settings and whatnot?

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stillpiercer_@reddit

No, the idea with Pro/Education/Enterprise is that they can be managed by a business/education/etc.

There is more you can do in terms of local policies and a few more features included with those versions vs. Home.

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pureformality@reddit

Brilliant, next time my win10 has a BSOD and requires a fresh install i'll install win10 education. Cheers

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CtrlAltGeexster@reddit

Tiny 11. Windows 11 without the "bloat".

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Yomo42@reddit

You don't need to debloat either. Just install a fresh copy of Windows and you're set.

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IncorigibleDirigible@reddit

Want to look up how much telemetry Windows is sending in the background on a clean build?

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3xBork@reddit

Want to know how little any of that affects the functionality, performance and ease of use of your computer?

Like I get the privacy concerns but it's hardly a must on the level of AV protection or removing vendor bloatware.

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elwebst@reddit

Nah

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justpress2forawhile@reddit

I can't afford a monitor that big.

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Seiak@reddit

debloat is to get rid of all the stupid apps they preinstall nowadays.

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NascentDark@reddit

Is there somewhere reliable I can find a list of these apps? Different platforms say different things

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Aerhyce@reddit

Most of the junk can be found in the old control panel program uninstall list

It varies from brand to brand, each brand has their own suite of shovelware

Then in Task Manager, turn off the startup apps that you don't need (such as Edge if you're using another browser for example)

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GeigerCounting@reddit

Actually, at least in Windows 11, there's plenty of things visible in the new Apps and Feature settings menu that isn't visible in the old control panel option.

Isn't that neat?

BCUninstaller is pretty solid too.

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justpress2forawhile@reddit

I think it would be smart to add in cleaning up settings and getting rid of as much of the windows tracking you can.

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Synaps4@reddit

Windows IOT folks strongly disagree

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Anonymous_Hazard@reddit

Crap cleaner (ccleaner) I use from time to time

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Emerald_Flame@reddit

I would highly recommend against using tools like this, put especially CCleaner.

CCleaner has demonstrated a recurring lack of basic security principals at this point and should not be trusted. Back in 2017 from 08/15 to 09/12, they were actively distributing malware in their official installers. Hackers had infiltrated their network as early as 03/11 and then slowly expanded their access without being detected until they were literally injecting malware into the public builds that everyone was downloading. Those infected builds were on the official website for nearly a month before CCleaner pulled them down, and even then it wasn't because they themselves had noticed but because a 3rd party security firm noticed it and warned them.

More recently near the end of 2023, they were compromised again, and names, phone numbers, billing addresses, and other data for their paying customers was compromised.

Windows has a built in "Disk Cleanup" utility that realistically does everything you'd need to from within CCleaner. Instead of opening yourself up to security issues with a 3rd party tool that's demonstrated a lack of basic security practices as well as intrusion detection into their network, just use the 1st part tool you already have that does the same thing.

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Anonymous_Hazard@reddit

Thank you

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F4DedProphet42@reddit

What can be removed to debloat it?

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EvilDan69@reddit

This exactly. I have 30 years experience as a professional. Windows has all the tools built in.Just learn how to use them.

want more security? Get an excellent router/firewall/vpn. They'll block sites you really shouldn't be in, that are known for being hosts for malware/viruses etc.

[-]

Disastrous-Body6034@reddit

It absolutely does, using winaero to turn off most of the background programs got me about 15 more fps in cpu bound games

[-]

TheIhsaan7@reddit

A great free tool called windirstat shows you visually what is taking up all your space on your ssd or hdd. Pretty good for when you want to clean up your pc. As most people said nothing is really needed as a tool.

Something handy depends on your habits is scan every so often with malwarebytes. Be sensible if you are downloading or visiting odd websites increase the volume of times you scan your PC. As for antivirus. Windows defender is more than enough. Just make sure its set up correctly and not turned off or something.

My personal experience more than a decade is most viruses or malware can be traced back to negligence. There are exceptions but mostly as long as you practice safe online/offline etiquette you will be safe.

A extra tip. Press windows key and search for disk cleanup. Pretty handy to get rid of old windows update files that are no longer needed. They can take a lot of space.

[-]

alphahunter121@reddit

space sniffer so you know what's hogging all of your storage and pretty much nothing else imo

[-]

masked_danger_@reddit

Advanced systems is pretty good

[-]

NaethanC@reddit

Revo uninstaller. It allows you to fully remove unwanted software/bloatware including stuff like OneDrive etc.

[-]

CoreDreamStudiosLLC@reddit

Thanks for the tip! Going to install the free one for now.

[-]

_JustWorkDamnYou_@reddit

Also love that it makes it easy to uninstall Windows Apps

[-]

Forsaken-Thought@reddit

Revo is amazing. I've been using this program for 23 years or so.

[-]

chungisamongus@reddit

Revo uninstaller to keep bloat down and I use malwarebytes every few months out of an abundance of caution.

[-]

Akumu01@reddit

Bulk crap uninstaller

[-]

MyCarIsAGeoMetro@reddit

Right click on the c drive and go to Tools. Use disc cleanup. It is free.

[-]

nejmdjedouani@reddit

None

[-]

TehDucky@reddit

CCleaner and super anti-spyware. Used them for years and I do IT for a living. Just my go to. Never had issues

[-]

SoupyRiver@reddit

Just for the purpose of seeing what's eating the most space on my drives, I like to use WinDirStat. Gives an easy to read format of what's on my system.

[-]

ian_wolter02@reddit

Format and install windows from 0

[-]

breadatolivegarden@reddit

Honestly the best thing to do is just stay away from all that junk altogether.

I personally keep malwarebytes installed at all times, only the free version, but I haven't even done a scan in like 3 months

[-]

ThatOSDeveloper@reddit

Balena etcher and Debian net install iso

[-]

Lobanium@reddit

Nothing

[-]

Kenny1408@reddit

You dont need anything additional to the already built in functions from windows. I consider any antivirus software as malware nowadays. Your best antirvirus software is your smart brain. And please, do not use any "cleanup" software. They tend to just mess things up with no real gain. Also windows "debloat" software might just brick your computer without you knowing it. You have to be really carefull what your doing.

[-]

silcerchord@reddit

Ninite for first setting up and installing things like chrome, steam, windirstat, etc

[-]

fluxleet99@reddit

WinToys is a great software for that.

[-]

skizatch@reddit

Avast and AVG are garbage, stay away from that

[-]

Robot1me@reddit

On default settings it's intrusive for sure. Interestingly, when you do a custom installation of Avast and disable all the negative aspects of it, it doesn't annoy and doesn't hinder I/O performance nearly as much like Windows Defender does. The unfortunate thing is that barely anyone tests such things themselves, and only repeats what everyone else says. And then everyone is surprised when a Youtuber discovers that Windows' CPU scheduler caused reduced gaming performance on AMD for so many years. For example, if you ever see the "verifying installation" window of Steam despite that you use a SSD, chances are that Windows Defender is throttling it. I have seen it on a few PCs myself.

[-]

BanditSixActual@reddit

Just create your bootable media with Rufus and uncheck anything you don't want. Set up Windows Defender and enjoy.

[-]

TheRealBummelz@reddit

None - that stuff is snake oil. MS defender is all you need - and common sense

[-]

ClearlyNtElzacharito@reddit

Go to task manager and disable some autostarting services you don’t need. It’s going to make a much bigger difference.

[-]

Hatta00@reddit

Any Linux install media will clean that malware right up.

[-]

UchihaTuga@reddit

Best debloater I have come across is Chris Titus Tech Winutil. You should watch a tutorial on YouTube before using. You can get it on GitHub, or you can call for it from PowerShell.

[-]

appcr4sh@reddit

None. All softwares are bullshit. With an SSD you don't need cleaning. When you PC starts to slow downs it's time to do a clean install.

[-]

dem_titties_too_big@reddit

Why?

And who told you you had to use "Avast" during the XP/7 time?

[-]

TLunchFTW@reddit

There's really no "cleaning" that needs to be done. Windows Defender is good enough for malware generally. MAYBE have a portable malware bytes handy for if something happens, but honestly, defender has been great the past 5-10 years. All of that stuff is junk. Don't defrag unless you're using a mechanical hard drive. Every so often, if things seem kinda slow, go into task manager and see what may be running at startup. That's probably slowing you down a bit. As far as registry junk, my reg cleaners are all kinda junk. Get yourself revo uninstaller. It's free (for now), it's portable, and it can remove registry entries. Learn how to use it (it's not hard, but like, I don't do system restore) and remove stuff you may not need anymore. Don't leave chrome open. It'll slow you down. Right now I got a bunch of chrome shit open and i'm sitting around 54% memory usage, with roughly 4gb JUST from chrome, and 1gb from steam. That's at idle. But I have a bad habit of saving tabs so I don't lose shit. This really isn't the way. Just have good habits. PCs are kinda self maintaining for all that shit from the 90s.

But I repeat DO NOT DEFRAG SSDs. It's actually bad as they don't operate as HDDs do and thus don't need it, and the reading and writing will put wear on the SSD and defragging just uses up life you don't need to.

[-]

0pyrophosphate0@reddit

Get rid of all the garbage you installed to clean up garbage and you'll be fine. You really don't need anything.

[-]

SwordsAndElectrons@reddit

Windows Defender and the other built-in security featurs being turned on is all you should really need these days.

Honestly, most of those things were always unnecessary bloat if you had some common sense. A decent anti-virus has been all you really needed for decades, and these days there isn't a lot of advantage to using a third party one.

Smart Defrag

Especially don't use this. That goes double if you only have a SSD. They do not need defragging, and it's actually detrimental to their lifespan if that utility is really trying to perform it. Best case scenario would be that it is "smart" enough to identify the drive type and literally does nothing.

Even if you do have a mechanical drive in the mix, modern Windows has built-in features to automatically keep fragmentation under control, and they should be more than sufficient for the vast majority of use cases. (And those features should also be automatically disabled for SSDs.)

[-]

Ok_Exchange_9646@reddit

None of that. They're bloatware/scareware/junk.

[-]

TechaNima@reddit

None. It was all just barely better than bloat ware to begin with. Then again Windows is full of Spyware these days, so the better question would be: What software is necessary to kick Microsoft to their balls and to clean up their crap?

[-]

Zechtan@reddit

None

[-]

imclockedin@reddit

I just use https://www.folder-size.com/ to scan my drives from time to time to see whats taking up the most space.

[-]

Fun-Psychology4806@reddit

None. Do not install and of that kind of garbage. Get rid of all of it.

[-]

Smile_1841@reddit

http://www.hibitsoft.ir/Uninstaller.html

HiBit Uninstaller

[-]

Stryker218@reddit

The days of CCleaner are long gone.

[-]

AllanIsKing@reddit

I run Directory Report all the time to see where my disk space is going

[-]

mofomey@reddit

revo uninstaller to actually uninstall programs including registry entries. its free and portable.

https://www.revouninstaller.com/revo-uninstaller-free-download/

[-]

fixjunk@reddit

I created a folder named "30 day folder"

and "software" in the form of a batch file scheduled to run daily that deletes everything older than 30 days.

it's the best program on my PC.

@echo off
timeout 3

REM ***** Delete first dirs, then files with .ext then files with no extension. then create a no backup fike.*****

forfiles /p C:\ONEDRIVE\30DAYF~1\ /m * /D -30 /C "cmd /c rmdir /s /q @PATH"
forfiles /p C:\ONEDRIVE\30DAYF~1\ /m *.* /D -30 /C "cmd /c del /f /q @PATH"
forfiles /p C:\ONEDRIVE\30DAYF~1\ /m * /D -30 /C "cmd /c del /f /q @PATH"
echo nobackup > C:\ONEDRIVE\30DAYF~1\.nobackup

[-]

Forward_Cheesecake72@reddit

Windows Defender is all you need honestly which you already have it.

Sometime i use WizTree to locate file when some app left their "trash" upon uninstalling.

[-]

analcocoacream@reddit

Bcuninstaller is really good too

[-]

radu_rc90@reddit

Revo Uninataller for uninstalling programs and deleting every file they created.

[-]

qtSora@reddit

This or iobit unistaller?

[-]

porcomaster@reddit

And just to be extra clear, windows XP and 7 also didn't need all those programs.

Maybe in the beggining of XP era, but on the end of XP era and before 7 it was not needed anymore.

[-]

Apprehensive_Lab4595@reddit

Linux

[-]

EmuofDOOM@reddit

All of that was a fad from a bygone era. The only real cleanup tool there is is bloat removers and factory reset.

Dont ever download a "system cleaner" again. You dont need it.

[-]

Morriganev@reddit

All antiviruse solutions are kinda garbage. For them to really protect you, they need to scan every new file, new pid created, active process etc. And all that kinda fucks up your pc. Use regular windows defender, might use malware scans(malware scan and antivirus program aren't the same) e.g malwarebytes, hitman pro etc. Don't download random stuff, use virus total to check suspicious files.

Regarding optimization programs, driver updates, cleaning stuff etc. They are all trash and at best don't do anything, in most cases they actually slow down your pc. Delete all that shit.

Defrag. As folks already said, don't defrag ssd. Anyway windows already does have its own defrag. No need to use 3rd party stuff.

Ok and now to what actually can be optimized, its windows itself, a bunch of bloat, spying stuff and unnecessary shit comes pre-installed with windows. There you have two options - check out autounattended.xml, its windows configuration file. There you can make windows not install a bunch of crap. Choice two - use debloaters, e.g sophia script or similar. I prefer using configuration file

[-]

elderlybrain@reddit

Ugh. When i saw multiple separate videos that said 'there's no magical antivirus that will be enough you from doing stupid shit' i realised what that meant and just uninstalled all the 3rd party tools and just was more thorough with websites and emails.

[-]

Morriganev@reddit

The best av is your brain. Don't download random stuff, even if you do use virus total to check those random files.

There are stuff that can actually protect you, f.e nod32 with all protection turned on. But its a damn nuisance to work with it. It scanned every file, process etc before you open it. Constantly checks reg chances and etc etc.

I'd rather reinstall windows, that have to deal with actually working av

Tbh, you always better reinstall windows if it was infected.

[-]

JohnMc_UK@reddit

The only things i use are revo uninstaller, wise registry cleaner and 'process lasso'. The latter to control (stop) win11 eco mode

[-]

Snoo_47841@reddit

I think with how far Windows Defender has come I wouldn't bother with a third-party anti-virus (which is often bundled with a cleaner). I would say the best one to go for would be CCleaner and just make sure you've got it set up so it's not annoying you every 5 minutes and if you notice storage is getting low you can run it if you feel the need. CCleaner lets you have pretty granular control of what it 'cleans', and it has some handy features for other things as well (like start up programs/scheduled programs). If you're running hard drives you could use the built in Defragger if you're worried about that.

[-]

awdrifter@reddit

Depends on what you need. I use O&O Shutup 10 to disable some of the Microsoft built-in tracking.

[-]

virtual9931@reddit

scannow sfc - cmd command for system files integrity check

chdsk - cmd command for drive health

Windows 10/11 debloater - available on GitHub

if you like also nvidia debloater - available on Guru3D

also free version of Process Lasso is great

u can google them all with better explaination. overall using any cleaning app just makes your computer more bloater with their ads/tracking etc.

[-]

AejiGamez@reddit

None.

[-]

GobWrangler@reddit

People can say "you don't need anything" all they want.
Crap builds up, big time, all over the place that disk cleaner does not find.
Then, there's a bunch of windows dirs that you can't even access or clean, due to security policies - which just sit there and grow... none of which contain anything useful, other than previous revisions and installers and junk that was last accessed/created in 2020

[-]

hugues2814@reddit

Nothing ! A lot of these « cleaning » utilities will load you’re pc with junk

Just like avast or mcaffee, these things run 24/7 and are almost like viruses.

[-]

grandmapilot@reddit

Soft cloth, maybe dust blower.

[-]

dank_imagemacro@reddit

If you started from a clean Win10 or Win11 install, you don't need anything. If you bought a computer with tons of crap installed by the manufacturer you might need to either run a debloat tool (I see some already mentioned in other comments) or, better in my opinion, reinstall windows and use your digital key from the initial install, but don't keep anything else from the initial install. This option, of course, is only a really good one when you either just get the system, or are going to do a clean reinstall anyway.

There is one more program that I will mention, because it is sort of a cleaner, but you only use it in one specific situation, when you are changing graphic cards, especially if you are changing to one that uses a completely different driver.

In this case you will want to use a program called DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to make sure the old graphics drivers are cleanly uninstalled before you swap GPUs and install a new GPU.

[-]

ThePi7on@reddit

Ublock origin with Firefox
windows defender for active protection
Malwarebytes for occasional scans on-demand

[-]

ThePi7on@reddit

None

[-]

Pierre_1000@reddit

I save some things, empty the drive and just reinstall windows once every year/two years. I know it sound extreme but once you're use to it it's very easy and guarantee a smooth experience. The whole system always feels brand new and faster after a fresh install. Forget about third party scans or factory resets, do it yourself and clean everything at once.

[-]

TurboFasolus@reddit

If you are not into debloating but just want to keep junk away from your pc:

Clear all temp folders including Windows and apps folders
Use a built-in Disk Clean-Up utility to get rid of Windows junk
If you need an antivirus to check a suspicious file or are already infected with malware - try Malwarebytes

In terms of registry cleaners - please don't mess with them. They usually do more harm than good. Especially if you have SSD (SATA or NVME), you wont suffer a bit with the registry having unused keys.

[-]

simagus@reddit

Ccleaner, but not so much for the cleaning. It's just a very accessible way to get to my list of programs for turning off all the auto-starts and uninstalling. It's what I'm used to using for that.

I'll run a clean-up including registry after I uninstall a program, and that's about it. No prompts, no pop-ups, no running in background, no scheduling auto anything.

Bottom line, same as all of those programs and every "security" program money can upgrade want you to believe the program is not only doing "something" but doing something important, so if you like getting spammed with useless "alerts" and prompted to upgrade to the "Pro" version you'll be very happy with that kind of software on your PC.

I've watched at least one big tech YouTuber demo and test these programs, and yeah, some have potential benefits, but technically not much you can't do if you are vaguely well versed in Windows built in tools.

Not everyone is, and having a few things compiled under one tool with a unified GUI is enough of a convenience for me to leave Ccleaner installed (running only when I launch it, to cut the spam and nags to minimum).

[-]

ButterscotchBig2485@reddit

Microfiber cloth, compressed air, vacuum maybe.

[-]

pat8u3@reddit

I use a third-party file manager but that's because I hate explorer for managing disk space

[-]

Menithal@reddit

The only de-bloat i do is a reformat. All the other "software" been imo unnecessary and most likely are the sources of bloat nowdays.

Clean Reformat makes sure i have nothing i need and want my PC, and that my all my backups are update.

I personally do it every year at-least once, but could do it ever 2 years.

[-]

JayPag@reddit

Same as always - nothing. It is all bullshit. Same for phones by the way, there it is even more bullshit. The only thing you could use would be something to disable all the tracking stuff, O&O Shut up 10 is free, works for 10 and 11.

[-]

F-Lambda@reddit

cleanmgr.exe is the only program you need. it's part of windows, and cleans out old drivers and temp files.

[-]

Kuski45@reddit

All that software is bloat in itself

[-]

Barrerayy@reddit

None

[-]

LegendNomad@reddit

You don't even need a "debloater". They often break your installation. That said, on a fresh installation, what you do is you go into Settings -> Apps -> Installed Apps and if you see something you don't like/don't want, uninstall it. If you can uninstall it in Settings, not having it won't break your system. Make sure to also turn off all the telemetry options.

As for antivirus software, just use Windows Defender, but if you like having a third party antivirus I recommend Malwarebytes. It's free (doesn't even require an account if you use the free version), does a good job, and isn't intrusive or a resource hog. It also works alongside Windows Defender unlike many third party antivirus programs.

[-]

patrlim1@reddit

Wiztree to find what files you have that are large

[-]

Warcraft_Fan@reddit

Eh I'd rather just backup files, do a full wipe and reinstall of Windows, reinstall of apps, and restore files. It'd be much thorough at debloating junk like residual files from uninstalled apps, excess drivers clutter from that old devices you got rid of, etc.

[-]

RoleCode@reddit

Windows cleaning is era of HDD main drive.

[-]

Smooth-Function5678@reddit

I would suggest windirstat if you are having space problems. Other than that like everyone’s saying you don’t need anything else.

[-]

madewithgarageband@reddit

You should uninstall all of that junk. Then your PC will be free of bloatware

[-]

greggm2000@reddit

For debloat/tweaking, I’m fond of Chris Titus’ WinUtil, it’s in active development.

WinAeroTweaker is pretty nice and basically does what is says “on the tin”.

I don’t like Edge, so I neuter it as much as I can, set firewall rules to block it, turn off Javascript, etc.

I strongly suggest you use an adblocker and script blocker with whatever browser you use, not only will it make your web experience tons better, but it also prevents some (or most) malware from entering your system, via problematic javascript exploits or compromised ad networks.

You don’t need a separate antivirus than what’s built into Windows, though people do have their favorites, and some outright disable it.

[-]

Milios12@reddit

This ain't the 90s or 2000s anymore grandpa. The default OS is fine.

[-]

system_error_02@reddit

Bloatynosy is good on a fresh install bit that's about it

[-]

TomatoInternational4@reddit

I disagree with most everyone. The OP is asking for a cleaner not anti malware. These are different things. A windows machine will always be creating temp files and there will be junk files from everyday use. These files need to be cleaned every once and awhile and windows default storage cleaning solutions are inferior in many many ways. I use a program called hibit uninstaller. It's free and there are portable and install options and it has no ads and no bundleware.

First use it to uninstall any programs you don't need .then go and do a junk scan. Then confirm an advanced scan but don't auto delete anything. Make sure you manually look over all the excess it picks up. Warning. Be careful when you use this program it is powerful. Again make sure you Review over all the junk files it picks up to make sure it didn't get anything it shouldn't have.

[-]

SACBALLZani@reddit

Lol

[-]

macybebe@reddit

Bleachbit?

[-]

deepakdinesh13@reddit

you need to remove windows and install linux

[-]

Nathanymous_@reddit

Nothing.

I recommend Treesize if you really want to get a more detailed look at your storage.

Other than that. Just use windows search to Defrag and all that but your computer should be doing it on its own.

[-]

TwinTalesXXII@reddit

Chris Titus Utility Script and nothing else. It's not even a program — just a powershell command. Surprised no one mentioned it yet.

[-]

Andrewskyy1@reddit

all of the software you listed is now commonly known as bloat. You dont need any of that. All you need is common sense when it comes to internet browsing and other basic usage, and Microsoft Protector. If you want to get fancy you can uninstall all the non-essential crap modern Windows comes bundled with, either manually or with someting like Revo Uninstaller. But even Revo Uninstaller isnt necessary.

For me, the only programs you need to fix potential problems are: Chrome/Mozilla/Brave with the uBlock Origin extension, and a reputable VPN if you value anonymity.

[-]

Snoo_95743@reddit

Delete %temp% every month or so.

[-]

KirillNek0@reddit

MicrofiberCloth.exe, Duster.msg and FewHours.ini

[-]

Ok_Stomach_6857@reddit

Get PC Manager from the Microsoft Store.

[-]

PowderMaze@reddit

dont

[-]

Even_Routine1981@reddit

What about "broken registry entries". Anything for that? Avast keeps trying to sell me tools to "fix: them.

[-]

JJJBLKRose@reddit

Registry keys are just that, a registry. If there are keys that aren’t being read by anything it’s not really a big deal, just a few bytes on the drive. You would probably have to try to cause problems with it to do that.

If you’re really concern, just reinstall windows every year or two. I always keep windows on a separate SSD than all my files and games, so all your stuff is still there minus your installed apps.

[-]

vomaufgang@reddit

The registry is architected in such a way that size has no effect on how fast it is to access it.

Any tool that tries to sell you the idea that "slimming down the registry speeds up your PC" is a scam.

[-]

RepulsiveSong2048@reddit

Avast is malware itself

[-]

chippinganimal@reddit

Windows has a built in Disk cleanup app that can clear up temp files and downloaded windows updates that have been installed, which is handy if you upgrade from 10 to 11 on a PC or laptop with a small SSD or boot partition, as I've found after the upgrade it can clear up around 20-30gbs.

[-]

dulove@reddit

I just clean %temp% and check all boxes on disk cleanup

[-]

Drenlin@reddit

Microsoft PC Manager is the safest bet. Chances are you don't need it though.

[-]

Alarmed_Active_9239@reddit

The cleaners were never needed, most times more dangerous than their worth, especially nowadays.

Defrag - defrag was a way to order data on spinning platter hdds so that you could get faster reads. SSDs don't spin and can just pull whatever data from wherever they need it, order has no real impact and you actually hurt ssds doing this because you can only read or write so many times.

Malware scanners can be handy, but honestly I just stick to Bitdefender for some of the remote monitoring features and overall good scores.

Registry cleaners have been irrelevant since at least windows XP, if not sooner. They were helpful when computers were too slow to read the registry, but modern computers this isn't the case.

Optimizers and cleaners tend to be either snake oil or a fancy User Interface to run disk cleanup and/or uninstall or software.

I remember CCleaner over 10 years ago being pushed by people, but it was just shake oil, then later malware/data harvesting. I've also seen these kill windows installs by being too heavy handed.

In reality, don't install random shit and you won't have as many problems.

[-]

DifficultySilver9750@reddit

I just delete my web browsers history and cookies