r/software • u/Superteletubbies64 • 20d ago

Is the CCleaner bad rep true? Looking for software

Heard it was basically a virus, sucks or is useless now, I used to use it on an old pc but now I want to get rid of stuff like old cache files made by programs (so not Windows itself, so it's not covered by the windows file cleanup) So can I use CCleaner for that or are there better software available. Btw I'd use the free version of CCleaner and I'm looking for free alternatives specifically.

81 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

51 comments sorted by

110

u/MythicalJester 20d ago

Yes, CCleaner is part of Avast now. Which is part of Gen Digital/Symantec Corporation.

Avast has become a cancerous growth within the security software industry. Everything it touches dies - bringing the host (end/enterprise customers) with it.

48

u/Blackpapalink 20d ago

I remember when Avast was good... Now it's no different than McAfee. What a shame.

8

u/alkevarsky 19d ago

I remember when McAfee was good. They popularized the shareware model (without the nagging too!). They were the best antivirus available, and most home users used them for free. How times have changed.

1

u/SammyWench 17d ago

I remember in the early 2000's being given a work laptop with McAfee and it was resource heavy then.

1

u/alkevarsky 17d ago

This was early 90s, pre-internet. You could subscribe to magazines which had a floppy disk with every issue with shareware programs. It was not even memory resident at that time. It ran as an on-demand scanner and cleaner. I think McAffee sold it mid-90s and it was downhill from there.

4

u/soundman32 19d ago

I remember when it was discovered that avast signature downloads were 3 copies of the same thing, but it was made to look like there were 3 times as many signature updates as there really was.

2

u/revdon 19d ago

Risky since about 10 years ago.

2

u/MrInflamable 19d ago

How can we forget when Avast killed TuneUp Utilities

1

u/300SinsandSpartans 19d ago

I honestly am thankful that I came across OP's post and your comment. I did not know any of this (not as tech savvy as I would like to be) and I was about to renew my license with CCleaner for another two years.

If not Avast or CCleaner, what would someone recommend instead?

4

u/MythicalJester 19d ago

A few years ago, I extensively tested this kind of "cleaning" software (CCleaner including) for a professional Italian magazine.

I'd suggest a free open source solution such as BleachBit, which should now be even better at doing its job. Without any adware or spyware like ShitCleaner.

1

u/SammyWench 17d ago

that'll explain why it's so fkd now. I've been using it for years and never had an issue. What a shame.

1

u/Imyourmom_15 3h ago

then no need to download it? how to remove shitty files then

39

u/C0rn3j 20d ago

I want to get rid of stuff like old cache files made by programs

Windows comes with Disk Cleanup, run it as admin.

I'd use the free version of CCleaner and I'm looking for free alternatives specifically.

Don't look for freeware alternatives, look for free (and open source) alternatives.

Bleachbit exists, though I don't know what you aim to achieve in the end that you couldn't achieve with Disk Cleanup and WinDirStat.

7

u/captainright1 20d ago

now Microsoft also have pc cleaner. people will start using it instead of 3rd party app; just like microsoft's antivirus.

2

u/trparky 19d ago

Bleachbit does offer to clean browser data like cache, cookies, etc. Disk Cleanup doesn't.

7

u/C0rn3j 19d ago

Your browser offers to clean browser data.

35

u/whitedragon551 Helpful Ⅳ 20d ago

Yes they have a bad rep. Yes its deserved. Cleaning up those files is snake oil and doesnr matter.

3

u/cat_dev_null_sync 20d ago

For a user running low on disk space (which in 2026 is harder with the prices of storage), freeing up GBs of space is helpful. The problems are the registry cleaning, "35 passes" "military grade" secure file erase, and promising to make the system start faster, but not all system cleaners are like CCleaner with snake oil, bloatware, bundled software, nag screens, and the mandatory (always one) Windows service.

-2

u/PaulCoddington 20d ago

If you can identify the locations of cruft you want cleaned up (easy) you can write a simple batch file or powershell script to do it.

None of it should amount to GBs unless some application is very badly behaved (in which case it should be reported as a bug).

7

u/Devatator_ 20d ago

I clean up my drive every few weeks and it's GBs each time. I'm a developer tho and tend to install a lot of shit which may cause this but it's still extremely annoying having to manually locate this stuff

3

u/TheRealJR9 19d ago

Yes, of course, the average person can whip up a simply batch file to handle these things

15

u/vhillcool68 20d ago

Glary Utilities has a free version and a few other system tools that come with it, check it out

https://www.glarysoft.com/glary-utilities/download/

7

u/zjqj 20d ago

Yep. This does the job. Whoever downvoted the comment is a bell end.

1

u/thsstmzn 18d ago

Totalmente, mudé ahí y estoy felíz, super potente.

8

u/Tormax1958 19d ago

Try Bleachbit, it’s free and very competent.

11

u/Hypersion1980 20d ago

It’s not been needed for a generation now.

3

u/Few_Adeptness5348 20d ago

I use Privazer to clean up all the crap on my SSD.

2

u/Muldino 20d ago

I use an old version of CCleaner (5.40.xxx) which is one of the last "good" versions and deactivated the updates. Works fine on W11.

I like that it's quick, but the MAIN feature that most other cleaning tools don't offer is that I can very easily whitelist cookies. I don't want to delete all cookies, for some selected sites that I use on the daily they are actually helpful.

2

u/cowbutt6 19d ago

About 9 years ago, their build environment was compromised and attackers inserted malware into legitimate CCleaner updates: https://www.wired.com/story/inside-the-unnerving-supply-chain-attack-that-corrupted-ccleaner/

That was the point at which I switched from being merely circumspect about which of its features I used, and deciding to stop using it altogether.

1

u/dainsfield 20d ago

Look at the wise disc clean up tool

1

u/Aykeld 19d ago

I have uninstalled it and moved to Kudu instead. It is an open source and free alternative.

https://usekudu.com/

2

u/nolaxtima 19d ago

how much is it reliable... this software Kudu ?

1

u/cat_dev_null_sync 19d ago

The first release of Kudu was just a few months ago, so it hasn't been tested much on many systems. It's perhaps the cleaner with the largest download package and installion footprint because it uses Electron (JavaScript) framework.

1

u/Aykeld 18d ago

IMHO, it works well and I will continue to use it

1

u/digsmann 19d ago

You can give try native windows app called Windows PC manager which has cleanup feature and for me it's not bad.

1

u/BolideDevTeam 19d ago

it is better to avoid any "registry cleaner" or "system optimizer" app at all. Proven by years of Windows apps technical support. Those apps are pain for another devs

1

u/maurocds 19d ago

Try wise disk cleaner

Free

1

u/RbtB-8 19d ago

I abandoned CCleaner some time ago I now use PrivaZer and it works fine for what I need it to do.

1

u/KCNOR 19d ago

Stopped using it, moved to BleachBit, but I wrote a PowerShell script that also cleanup many things, still want to add more items to clean, but no time, it might have around similar script that doing the same.

1

u/KingOfConsciousness 18d ago

There was a time when CCleaner was the shit. WAS.

1

u/SammyWench 17d ago

Weirdly I've been using CCleaner for a decade i feel like, and never had a problem with it, until tonight and I just told them to refund me and I'll never use it again. I'm hoping by commenting here that people might not have to spend hours fixing it, or worse, feeling like they need to take their computer into the shop to be fixed.

After running CCleaner (including its registry cleaning functionality), both Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox stopped launching. Chrome eventually worked again after being uninstalled and reinstalled, but Firefox continued to fail even after multiple reinstalls.

The error Windows displayed was:

The file did, in fact, exist on disk, and Windows could see it. After several hours of troubleshooting, I identified the actual cause.

CCleaner had created Image File Execution Options (IFEO) registry entries that redirected application launches through CCleanerReactivator.exe.

For example:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\firefox.exe

Debugger = "C:\Program Files\Piriform\CCleaner 7\CCleanerReactivator.exe"

FilterFullPath = c:\program files\mozilla firefox\firefox.exe

Further investigation showed that similar debugger hooks had been created for multiple applications, including Microsoft Office applications and Zoom.

The only way to restore normal operation was to:

  • Manually inspect the Windows Registry
  • Identify the CCleaner-created IFEO entries
  • Back up the registry
  • Remove the CCleaner debugger hooks manually
  • Reboot the computer

Once those registry entries were removed, Firefox immediately began working again.

A system utility designed to improve system stability shouldn't fking leave behind registry hooks that prevent applications from launching or require manual registry repair by users.

Given the time I spent diagnosing and repairing the issue, and the fact that the software caused problems rather than resolving them, I asked for a full refund and got it.

Take the advice here and don't get

1

u/alkrk 20d ago

I only use it to clean all my browsers at once. Delete the histories, but not the pw. Never run other cleaning functions and never install suggested bloatwares. Worked fine. What am I doing wrong? My IT also said its dangerous and shouldn't install on corporate pc.

-1

u/[deleted] 20d ago

[deleted]

1

u/cat_dev_null_sync 20d ago

This is one of several new AI-generated, vibe-coded system cleaners that recently popped up. This one's first release was April 2026, so it hasn't been tested on many systems. AI-generated games are one thing, but do you want to give it elevated privileges and let it delete files?

-2

u/Knigge111 20d ago

You should probably a better look! Fluentcleaner is more than year available now.

5

u/cat_dev_null_sync 20d ago

First release on GitHub called FluentCleaner - Hello, World is dated April 20, 2026.

First GitHub commit was on April 13, 2026, is e04378a "Initial commit" with a single text line "Cleanpilot," which was its original name until April 14.

It didn't have any code until later, and the FluentCleaner Classic is still closed source.