Is CCleaner safe? As a safer alternative to CCleaner, the software that is going to be talked about helps you move unused apps and programs from the system drive to another data drive efficiently and ensures you a smooth user experience.
“Recently, I find my computer runs really slowly and think that’s due to the C drive that’s almost full. So, I’m now asking for some sort of software which helps free up space. I heard that CCleaner was hacked and made to contain malware. Is CCleaner safe and if not, is there any better alternative to CCleaner?”
CCleaner is a piece of software that is used to optimize Windows registry entries, erase cookies data, cache, and browser history. Users can also use it to clean .tmp, unwanted and potentially invalid files.
Is CCleaner safe? If the question had been asked before 2017, the answer would have been “Yes”. However, the answer now is not quite sure for several major issues appeared since CCleaner was hacked at the end of 2017 which put 2.27 million PC owners at the risk of being infected by malware. Although, after several patches were released, the problem was fixed, there’re still some issues remaining.
1. Update without users’ permission.
2. Enable collection options by default in the latest version.
3. Monitor users’ system information.
4. Hard to exit.
5. Contain malware.
So, in all, CCleaner is no longer as safe as before.
As far as we’re concerned, CCleaner is used to free up space for your system to let it run more smoothly. But since CCleaner is not safe anymore, it’s imperative to find another alternative to take its place. We can find plenty of similar software on market claiming to clean junk files like cookies and cache but usually, the result turns to be disappointing. So, this time, I’ll recommend a piece of highly efficient Disk Management software – AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional – to make more space for the system drive.
With this powerful CCleaner alternative, you can move any unused apps including Microsoft Office, OneDrive, and video games from the system C drive to other data drives like D, E, and F to free up system space. Usually, you can regain hundreds of GBs’ free space by doing this. More than the feature of app mover, this software also enables you to allocate free space from 1 drive to another and merge 1 partition or unallocated space to another.
Try this impressive disk manager to give your system more space when CCleaner is no longer safe!
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. Then, you’ll see all disks and partitions appear on the main interface.
Step 2. Right-click the drive you need to move the applications and choose "APP Mover".
Step 3. Select the C drive and hit “Next”.
Step 4. Tick the apps and programs you want to move and preset a destination for them
Step 5. Click on “Move” and then, hit “OK” to start the transfer. Wait several minutes patiently before it’s completed.
Factually, there’s re also many other ways to free up space for your system in case of issues like the C drive full. So, here, I’ll list some of them.
Run Disk Cleanup
Disk Cleanup is a Windows inbuilt utility used to clean cookie data and cache clogged up in drives. It’s totally free to use but usually, not as efficient as third-party software.
1. In the search box on the desktop, input “disk cleanup” and hit “ENTER” to bring up the dialogue.
2. Select the C drive and hit “OK”.
3. Tick the files you want to clean and hit “OK”
4. You’ll be promoted to confirm the operation. Confirm it to proceed.
Delete unwanted apps in Programs and Features
If you ever accidentally installed 1 or more apps on your C drive, then, they may take up lot of space. In this case, apart from moving it to other places with AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, of course, you can just directly delete them from your PC.
1. Go to “Control Panel”.
2. In the popup window, click on “Programs”.
3. Select “Programs and Features”.
4. Then, all apps and programs will be listed on the right part of the window. Right-click on the app you no longer need and hit “Uninstall” to remove it from the computer.
Note: You are not allowed by the publisher to uninstall apps like World, Excel, and PowerPoint that come with the system and in this case, you must use the third-party tool I recommended above.
Run antivirus software
If you’ve tried all solutions above and they don’t help, maybe you should consider the insufficient system space is caused by virus that keeps generating adverse files. Then, you should fully scan your system with antivirus software like Windows Defender.
Is CCleaner safe? This is frequently asked by PC users after 2017 when CCleaner was hacked. In the post above, I introduced a better alternative to CCleaner that shares a similar feature in freeing up disk space. Meanwhile, some other tips are also given.