CCleaner Professional
Version 6.41.11567 · Piriform Software · Windows 7 / 8 / 10 / 11 · ranked #46 in the library
A cleanup and maintenance tool that clears cached rubbish, tidies the registry, manages what starts with the machine and uninstalls the things the control panel struggles with, in one window.
Read the installation section below before you start. The order of the steps matters on this release.
About this release
Overview
The core function is simple and still useful: find the temporary files, browser caches, log files, thumbnail databases, crash dumps and installer leftovers that accumulate on every machine, show you how much space each category is holding, and clear the ones you tick. On a machine that has been running for a couple of years, the first pass usually returns several gigabytes, and on a small system drive that is the difference between working and not.
The rest of the window is the part people underuse. The startup tab lists everything that launches with the machine including scheduled tasks and context menu entries, with the ability to disable rather than delete so a mistake is reversible. The uninstall list is faster and more reliable than the system one and will remove entries whose own uninstaller has broken. The registry tool finds orphaned references and offers to back up before it removes anything.
The archive covers the professional, technician and business editions, which differ mainly in the automation. Scheduled cleaning, real time monitoring that clears as things accumulate, driver and application update checking, and the portable technician build for working on a machine you do not own are the additions over the free version. All of them are available here without any online component.
What it does
Feature breakdown
Cached file cleanup
Temporary files, browser caches, logs, thumbnail databases, crash dumps and installer leftovers, itemised by category with the size each is holding.
Registry cleaning with backup
Find orphaned references and broken entries, with a mandatory backup prompt before anything is removed.
Startup and scheduled task control
Everything that launches with the machine in one list, including tasks and context menu entries, with disable rather than delete as the default.
Uninstall manager
Faster than the system list and able to remove entries whose own uninstaller no longer works.
Scheduled and monitored cleaning
Run a clean on a schedule or continuously as rubbish accumulates, with per category rules about what is never touched.
Drive wiping
Overwrite free space or an entire drive so deleted content cannot be recovered, with selectable pass counts.
Changed in this build
Version 6.41.11567
- Cleaning rules updated for the current browser versions after their cache layouts changed.
- Startup list now shows the publisher and the file path for every entry, making unknown items identifiable.
- Faster analysis pass on drives with very large numbers of small cached files.
- Registry scan made more conservative, with fewer entries flagged that were never actually orphaned.
- Health check summary reorganised so the actual space recovered is shown before you run anything.
Installation
Follow these in order
- Extract the archive and read the readme to identify which edition you want.
- Disable real time protection for the licensing step.
- Run the installer and decline any additional component offered on the setup screen.
- Complete setup without launching the application.
- Apply the included licensing step as described in the readme.
- Open the application, confirm the edition shown in the corner, then restore protection.
Release notes
From whoever packed it
- Review the tick list before the first clean. The defaults will clear saved browser sessions and cached logins.
- Take the registry backup when it offers. It is one file and it has saved a lot of machines.
- Turn off the update check. An update replaces the licensing state.
System requirements
Minimum and recommended
| Operating system | Windows 7 through Windows 11, 32-bit or 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Processor | Any x86 or x64 processor |
| Memory | 1 GB |
| Privileges | Administrator rights for registry, startup and drive operations |
| Storage | 150 MB of free space |
Questions about this release
Answered before you ask
- Will it break anything?
- Not with the defaults. The registry tool is the only part worth being careful with, and it backs up before every change.
- What is the technician edition for?
- It is portable and runs from a stick without installing, for working on a machine you do not own.
- Does cleaning actually speed a machine up?
- It recovers disk space reliably. The speed difference comes from the startup tab, not the cleaner.
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