Cross-platform tool for flashing OS images to drives
Overview
What CCleaner does
CCleaner removes temporary files, browser caches, cookies and unused registry entries on Windows and Mac, and manages startup programs. It is the most recognised tool in its category, with a very large install base. It also carries the most caveats. Registry cleaning has limited measurable benefit on modern Windows and carries a small risk of breaking things; the free version has historically pushed upgrade prompts; and a 2017 supply chain compromise distributed malware through an official build, which is worth knowing even though it was resolved.
What people use it for
- Reclaiming disk space from accumulated caches and temporary files
- Controlling startup programs on a slow-booting machine
- Bulk uninstalling software
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The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about CCleaner.
- Registry cleaning has little measurable benefit on modern Windows and carries some risk of removing something needed
- The free version prompts toward the paid one persistently
- A 2017 supply chain compromise distributed malware through an official signed build, which permanently changed how some administrators view it
- Much of what it does is achievable with the disk cleanup tools built into Windows
Pricing
What CCleaner costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Free
Free
- Core functionality
- Personal use
Capabilities
Features
Junk file cleanup
Temporary files, caches and browser data
Registry cleaner
Removes orphaned registry entries
Startup manager
Controls what launches at boot
Software uninstaller
Bulk removal of installed programs
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
Is CCleaner free?
There is a free version, with a paid Professional tier adding scheduled cleaning and real-time monitoring.
Does registry cleaning actually help?
Very little on modern Windows. The measurable gains come from clearing caches and controlling startup programs, not from the registry.
Is CCleaner safe?
It is a mainstream product from Gen Digital, though a 2017 supply chain attack distributed malware via an official build. That was resolved, and it remains a fair reason some administrators avoid it.
Keep looking
Where to go from CCleaner
- CCleaner alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- CCleaner pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- CCleaner badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Utilities softwareThe full category
- Best Utilities softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for CCleaner, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
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