If you’re battling with a slow computer, getting to the root of the issue can be a painstaking trial-and-error process.
Your machine could be loaded with junk files, running low on storage, hampered by outdated drivers and Registry errors, strangled by software conflicts, or hammered by startup programs. With so many potential causes for the slow-down, it’s useful to have one tool that can find and fix any and all issues throttling PC performance.
CCleaner from Piriform does exactly this. Our editors have been recommending this time-saving utility way back since the days of the PC Advisor Helproom, and since its release in 2004 it’s been downloaded more than 2.5bn times. Today, it tops our round-up of the best PC cleaners, having received a Tech Advisor Recommended award in our recent review.
With various new features including Health Check, Driver Updater and Software Updater added over the years, CCleaner has become the go-to optimisation suite for many Windows users, and there are both free and premium versions available.
CCleaner is also available for macOS and Android.
Fix PC performance issues with one suite of tools to optimise them all
CCleaner houses multiple optimisation and performance tools within one simple interface, making it easy to speed up your PC or laptop and have it running like new once more. You can simply click Start on the Health Check tab to quickly scan your computer for any issues, then follow the prompts to resolve any issues.
Its key goals are to protect your privacy and keep you secure, stabilise and speed up computing performance, and free up drive space. There are a number of ways in which it achieves this, from deleting your browsing history and cookies, to ensuring you are running the latest security patches and minimising crashes caused by software bugs.
In the free version of CCleaner, some of the optimisation tools available include:
- An Uninstaller app that can scrub unwanted or unused programs that even Windows can’t remove
- A Startup Manager for pausing the apps that try to run when you turn on the computer, making you wait before you can get up and running
- A cleaner tool for safely finding and fixing any errors in the Windows Registry
- Various utilities for analysing and managing disk space, helping you to clean out junk files and duplicates, and securely erase personal files
- Quick access to and management of System Restore points
- Browser plug-in management
Step up to Pro for ultimate PC optimisation
Additional optimisation tools are available when you step up to CCleaner Professional, which costs £24.95 for one PC for one year. A free 14-day trial is available, which you can download from the website or upgrade from within your existing installation by clicking on Options > About > Start Free Trial.
Driver Updater
A noteworthy addition in the Professional software is Driver Updater, which was introduced in the summer and already supports over 8m drivers in its database – from the very oldest for now obsolete hardware, which can be difficult to source online, to the most recent, with many new drivers being added to the database all the time.
With bad or outdated drivers responsible for making your computer vulnerable to security threats, and behind more than 70 percent of crashes, making sure your drivers are up to date is highly recommended.
CCleaner scans all its drivers for malware, and makes it easy to monitor and batch-update drivers on your machine. You can also easily revert to a previous driver if it refuses to play nicely on your computer.
Software Updater & more
The Professional software also introduces Software Updater, which monitors all the apps installed on your PC and alerts you to available updates. Adding convenience, it lets you update multiple apps with a single click.
You’ll also benefit from Smart Cleaning, allowing you to go beyond a simple scheduler and set rules for when cleaning is triggered, and priority support from the CCleaner team.
Is it safe to use a PC cleaner?
A common concern among users is that a PC cleaner utility might accidentally ‘fix’ something that isn’t broken, and cause more harm than it does good.
This can range from the inconvenient – for example, accidentally deleting useful cookies that can speed up login and browsing when navigating your most commonly visited websites – to the downright dangerous, such as deleting important files in the Registry that might prevent your PC from functioning correctly.
CCleaner allows even novice users to optimise their computers with complete confidence, providing control over what it scans, full analysis of any issues it finds, and the ability to specify what does or does not get deleted. Cleaning can be scheduled to run at a specific date and time, or you can do so manually.
Make your PC run like new with CCleaner
If you want a computer that is as fast today as it was new, CCleaner’s suite of optimisation tools can help even novice users to fix slow-down issues and speed performance. Download CCleaner now