CCleaner has long been one of the web's most popular PC cleanup tools, but after it was acquired by Avast and suffered a serious malware attack, many people have begun seeking alternatives.
Running out of hard drive space is less of an issue these days thanks to the plummeting price of storage, but there are still many reasons to use a tool like CCleaner to purge unwanted files.
As well as simply being good practice, it helps to keep your drive in good health, and many of the files you have stored can reveal a great deal of personal information about you; you might want to consider getting rid of anything you don’t need.
We're not just talking about the documents you have manually created, but also those that are created for you in the background, such as cookies and registry entries.
With that in mind, we've put a host of PC cleanup tools to the test and curated our own list of the best alternatives to CCleaner.
1. BleachBit
A quick and convenient alternative to CCleaner, with hidden depths
BleachBit is open source – something that helps with transparency (the source code is publicly available) and also speed of development (users are free to make their own contributions and fix any bugs as they're identified).
BleachBit is a very simple CCleaner alternative, but that works to its advantage. There's a portable version available for those looking to build up a USB toolkit, and there are also different editions for various operating systems.
Although simple and lightweight, BleachBit certainly gets the job done. There's support for a massive range of programs meaning that BleachBit is able to take care of your privacy no matter what you use your computer for.
Everyday maintenance tasks are quick and simple, but there's also a more intensive Deep Scan option available that plunges deeper into your system files.
Outside of the main program interface you'll find a new Shred option in the Windows context menu. This deletes unwanted files securely by overwriting them several times so they're impossible to recover – a nice touch in an already excellent program.
Download here: BleachBit
2. Glary Utilities
A popular CCleaner substitute that promises to deliver faster performance
Glary Utilities is one of the best-known names on this list, and for good reason. This is a collection of tools which work together to help improve the health and performance of your computer, and part of this is the cleanup component. The Disk Cleanup tool can be used to free up space, while the Tracks Erase and Temporary Files Cleaner both help to maintain your privacy and security.
There's a startup management tool that can be used to take control of startup items to improve boot times, and a defragmenter that will improve the performance of your drive once you've deleted the clutter.
Browse through its options and you'll also find a file encrypter, file shredder memory optimization, disk checker, duplicate file finder, and many other tools you'll recognize from CCleaner.
You'll be offered an additional malware-removal tool while installing Glary Utilities, but it's deselected by default so it's easy to avoid if you'd rather skip it.
Download here: Glary Utilities
3. Wise Disk Cleaner
Convenient and well designed – a free CCleaner alternative for everyone
Whether you're an advanced user, or just someone who wants things to be as simple as possible, Wise Cleaner has something to keep you happy.
At its most simple, you can use the Common Cleaner mode to clean up after your web browser, Windows itself and the programs you have installed – this can also be run on an automated schedule.
Then there's the Advanced Cleaner, which weeds out additional unwanted files, and the Slimming System section, which strips out unnecessary components such as unused Windows installation file – a great way to claim back astonishing amounts of space.
Finally, when you've got rid of anything you can live without, there's a great defrag tool to speed up your drive (provided it's not an SSD).
You can create a desktop shortcut for easy access to the quick cleanup tool, and if you want a more tailored result, you can create a list of exclusions so you can ensure that certain cookies are never deleted.
Download here: Wise Disk Cleaner
4. KCleaner
Thorough drive cleaning with automatic scanning to protect your privacy
Despite the cheeky similarity in the names, KCleaner isn't just a CCleaner clone – in many ways it's a far simpler tool.
At its heart, this is a disk cleanup application which will scour your hard drive for files that are not needed and are simply wasting space. You can claw back megabytes or even gigabytes of space, and the program can clean up after a wide range of popular programs, including web browsers and messaging tools – notorious for leaving behind very revealing files.
KCLeaner can be used on a manual basis, but if you really want to keep on top of things you can have it start automatically with Windows and run a cleanup on a schedule. This is particularly useful for protection your privacy, and is supplemented by a secure deletion option which will overwrite deleted files with random data so there's no chance of recovery.
Download here: KCleaner
5. PrivaZer
Protect your privacy with deep scans and secure deletion of personal data
This CCleaner replacement is designed to protect your personal information from interception and abuse – hence the name.
PrivaZer offers both advanced and basic modes, and whichever you opt for, you'll be presented with a wizard-like interface to configure the software to your liking. After answering a few questions about the sort of cleaning up you want to perform, the one-click clean option will get things tidied up in record time.
For a more thorough purge of sensitive files, there's a Deep Scan option for local or network drives, removable media and connected devices. Confidential data can be overwritten up to 35 times to render it completely undetectable and unrecoverable.
PrivaZer gives you a great deal of control over your file cleanup, and we particularly like the option to run a scan whenever a browser window is closed.
Download here: Privazer
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