Do NOT use Registry Cleaners

[@Randgalf]

Show don't tell. Not claiming you're wrong but can we at least get a case study of what actually happens to a system running a reg cleaner instead of just "Don't use it because it's bad"?

[@xSavedSoulx]

Clickbait

[@faithunshaken2612]

They really aren't as bad as he's claiming. Even when it's a fresh install, 98% of the times, those files get left over because they don't remove properly. When they aren't removed, they can still cause problems. Those are commonly known as rogue dll files.

[@DeadPixel1105]

I've been using CCleaner's registry cleaner on all of my PCs for about a decade now and I've never had any noticeable issues as a result. Also, I notice that whenever I uninstall any software or games, there is ALWAYS registry entries left behind. Why not get rid of these? Though, I do understand that if you have a mid-high end PC, you're not going to experience any noticeable slowdown on your PC even if you haven't cleaned the registry in years. So I do understand that cleaning the registry is really not necessary. There really is no practical benefit from doing so if you have a decent PC. I just get a bit 'OCD'-ish with my PC and it bothers me to know that there are junk files and registry entries on my PC. Even if the registry entries and junk files are NOT causing any sort of issues or decrease in PC performance, it still bothers me just knowing that they're there.

[@unforgeable7808]

I used to do the same thing. But one time I decided to run it. And I essentially bricked windows and had to basically wipe my drive and start again. Not saying you need to stop. I totally understand why you feel the need to do it. But at least ensure you have appropriate backups in case anything goes wrong.

[@malachkah]

@@unforgeable7808 Was it a laptop ?

[@slishnevsky]

I think it's baseless clickbait for the believers (the category of people who blindly believe everything). Why is he so sure that "the way it was meant to be" (by Microsoft, the Microsoft that installs tons of useless bloatware) is a clean thing? Don't create idols. I usually do a massive cleanup after installing Windows. At the very least, I remove ALL preinstalled apps via Powershell with one simple command, turn off all privacy settings. Not selectively, all at once. If I need something, I turn it on later. Personally, I have never had any problems using CCleaner. From what I understand, it does a simple typical recursive removal of broken registry keys that point to dlls and files that no longer exist in the system. If there is no physical file in the system, why would there be registry references to it, why would there be broken UI elements like context menu items that point to nothing and don't work?

[@VSN-wb2ly]

Fixing registry can often fix many bugs and glitches that you experience or will experience

[@Graygeezer]

I have to wonder how many of those legacy entries are simply abandoned in place rather than being removed rather than intentionally placed there for a current need.

[@I.____.....__...__]

Windows is a _massive_ bloated beast. To think that Microsoft is aware of every line of code that goes into it and that every part of it is intentional would be absurd. A lot of it is just leftover stuff they never noticed or bothered with.

[@n-i-n-o]

@@I.____.....__...__ thank you, 99% of the user just delete everything by a scan.

[@One.Zero.One101]

I've been using Revo Uninstaller for more than a decade now and everything's fine. Sometimes the program itself does a good job of removing its own folders and registry entries, but there's a lot of programs that are terrible at removing itself from the system. I feel more confident when removing a closed-sourced program that I don't want anymore. I don't use system-wide cleaners like CCleaner though.

[@BlazeingGoldReviews]

I was always told to use revo to uninstall games to get rid of the extra registry stuff. Guess it was all a lie

[@LuisGustavoCP]

​@@BlazeingGoldReviews I use Revo for the remanescent programs files and it is pretty been good

[@ProctoLogic]

I use Geek for uninstall and remove dead links

[@zaleskar]

Revo and Geek are actually good. But as you said they're not system wide cleaners, they are "extra" program uninstallers. IMO, they are fine to use if you want to be sure that program just doesn't exist in your system anymore.

[@ZorMon]

Revo uninstaller is fine if you check manually what files the program offers you to remove. Usually is very acurrate but in some cases it fails and can cause massive damage if you simply clic te remove button.

[@stuartgibson9755]

I use CCleaner with CCenhancer at least once a week. Been doing it for years and I have never had a problem. I also make backup images of my Windows 10 & 11 boot drives every day (just in case).

[@maltesetony9030]

CCleaner is now itself full of crap. Honestly, best to uninstall it right now!

[@mithrillis]

I used to run CCleaner not to clean registry but as a lazy way to disable auto starting applications, because there were so many ways in Windows to autorun on boot (start menu, msconfig, registry, ...) and Windows wouldn't let you manage them at the same place. These days you can stop most apps (at least non-malicious ones) from running using the startup apps setting.

[@I.____.....__...__]

You mean in Task Manager? That's not good enough, it doesn't show everything. It's better to use Sysinternals' Autoruns, that shows most startup locations. (But not EVERYTHING; I still can't figure out how InputPersonalization.exe starts up. 🤔)

[@nenume00]

better alternative is Autoruns and/or Process explorer

[@xXVibrantSnowXx]

Revo uninstaller solves all my problem (the verson with one life time license) i hate newest revo because they force you to pay monthly

[@Neko6000]

Man I'm so glad you said that! I've done it one time back in the day when E-machines were around. Not saying it was a an E-machine I done it on but regardless it screwed everything up. I've never done it again. What really kills me is I've been a long time user of Norton Antivirus which is fine. But now days their trying to bundle more of their stuff together and if you just have the basics. Every time you turn around when booting up or after a scan. A window pops open talking about so many Registry Errors have been found trying to get you to upgrade and pay more money for BS! So thank you for setting the record straight.

[@ghostofdre]

I use soap.

[@matt.w]

PC soap.

[@USARealityCheck]

You must smell divine. 😂

[@tps125]

CCleaner used to be a goto for me; in the Win 7 days, I would run into system that were very slow to load the add / remove software list, and cleaning the registry would resolve this. Also lots of applications that would leave behind a ton of registry entries when uninstalling (Intuit, I'm looking at you). While never quantified, systems would often feel noticeably more responsive after a registry clean. While I almost never use registry cleaners in the Win 10/11 world, I also have never run into an issue using one. The fact that a fresh Windows install has entries that a registry cleaner says should be cleaned up doesn't inherently mean anything about the usefulness or safety of using the cleaner; isn't it possible for Microsoft to still have entries in a default install that are broken or no longer relevant? I keep hearing this advice, and while I agree that their relevance has diminished and there are reasons to stay away from the current crop of registry cleaning tools, I don't think that negates their usefulness wholesale. If there is a registry entry pointing to a dll or other resource that no longer exists on the system, does it need to stay around? Especially if it causes Windows to spend unneeded cycles trying to load something that isn't there. What I have yet to see is for someone to evaluate the changes recommended by one of these cleaners and then show how the changes are problematic to the system. So far, most of what I have seen are that they could hypothetically cause issues; which is true, but that could be said of literally every application that you install on a system.

[@nivektseb]

Exactly.... All I see is personal opinions and no examples of issues caused by registry cleaners or recreatable errors...

[@craigconway4093]

Apparently it's hip to hate on Ccleaner. Trendy. I still like it. Long time user. No problems with it for years.

[@nivektseb]

You do understand that CCleaner is not just a registry cleaner and has other functions that are useful. He hasn't made a strong argument for not using it other than "I don't like it". Showing examples of what it cleans but gave no clear explanation to back up his claims... I've used System Mechanic 5 up until WinXP and CCleaner from 7 up to 10. Works very fine... Next time give us recreatable examples and issues that can occur and not random babble full of personal opinion.

[@NickSky-e8u]

he dont know what hes talking about

[@GYTCommnts]

CCleaner became almost spyware. On the other hand, I've been using Wise Registry Cleaner for years without any issues. If you only do the "safe entries" they propose, most of them are just temporary stuff that can be safely deleted and, in a long time, may clog your registry. I find your argument about "default intended" of Windows a contradiction while we use your AWESOME tool (THANK YOU! 💪) to clean the system and make it snappy, far from "default" or what MS intended. Wise Registry Cleaner have been helping with that too, if you know what you are doing with it, IMHO.

[@oldtiger8181]

Deleting registry entries CAN be dangerous if you don't use the programs uninstaller, but your very mistaken if you think all programs delete the registry entries that are created during that programs install. What still happens over time even in Windows 11, is all of entries that are not deleted adds to the "bloat" issue. I've used the free version of Revo Uninstaller for a few years now and I rather truly know that all registry and file remnants are truly gone, then to just "guess".

[@ussul6524]

yep, I remember. Uninstalling AOL was harder then getting rid of virus. That free CD was really dangerous.

[@MichaelWilliams-lr4mb]

I've broken Windows before using a registry cleaner (CCleaner specifically), and this was a long time ago. I can't remember what version of Windows I was on, but it was before Windows 10. I haven't trusted them since then. I'm a Linux user these days, though.

[@ionamygdalon2263]

Thank you for making this video! I know of so many people who use them. They feel "reassured" after using them when in fact they are potentially harming the stability of their operating system.

[@slishnevsky]

Are you just repeating him? Have you personally ever experienced any harm done by registry cleaner? I have never seen any harm, the opposite, actually. Do you know how registry keys are built and why cleaning them is actually a good thing, because many programs don't clean up after themselves after they are uninstalled?

[@ionamygdalon2263]

@@slishnevsky Are YOU aware of the risks of messing around with the registry?

[@slishnevsky]

@@ionamygdalon2263 No need to capitalize words. I can read just fine. Well, I have been working as Software Engineer on Windows platform since 1994 (starting with Windows 3.1 :) until now. I have worked with COM/DCOM/COM+/WIn32 API etc... and the rest of registry-dependent frameworks for decades. I think I do :)) What about you? CClenaner in this business for many years. They know what they are doing very well. You are writing about messing with the registry. Well, don't mess with it if you don't know what you are doing. I asked to give me an example when running CCleaner ruined your system. Still waiting...

[@funtimeexe6563]

@@ionamygdalon2263 We could Maybe be aware if we would Know the Real issues, the Core of Why is it bad, What exactly breaks and such?

[@avaliausd.]

​@@ionamygdalon2263I don't know. I haven't used a registry cleaner in about 6 yrs. My computer was getting really slow. I used one today and now my computer is as quick as its ever been. For ME, the registry cleaner was super necessary. I had about 1452 registry errors.

[@walter_lesaulnier]

Sometimes it seems like half the computers I repair were screwed up by registry cleaners, 3rd party "optimizers" and/or 3rd party anti-virus. One of the worst is driver updaters- they sometimes install beta BIOSes or don't get the proper update from the manufacturer's website. I've even had them install older drivers in place of newer ones because the list it used was outdated.

[@malachkah]

What about snappy driver installer origin? Has that also caused issues?

[@arandomcomp2427]

Windows itself is pretty good with finding and installing drivers these days

[@walter_lesaulnier]

@Aqua Fyre So true. I eventually made a laminated sheet of computer tips that I gave to customers- near the top was warnings about not clicking on crap! LOL The sheet helped a lot- so many customers said they had no idea how bad that stuff was.

[@walter_lesaulnier]

@@malachkah I'm not familiar with that one specifically. I would ONLY install drivers from Windows update, manufacturer websites like Intel, AMD, motherboard makers, video card makers, etc. If Windows update and the manufacturer's driver for something have different dates, I'd go with the newer one.

[@fantasypvp]

​@Aqua Fyre make them use Linux with first party repositories only 😂

[@xion637]

I work in IT and I think CCleaner is actually a really great program. I only use the registry cleaner for driver entries. No need to clean the entire registry. Most program uninstallers clean up after themselves pretty good nowadays. However, proprietary and specialized software DOES NOT. It's often necessary to remove the registry keys when fixing installations. So I can't fully agree with "not using registry cleaners in 2023". You've worked in IT so I'm sure you understand almost no company is completely modern with their infrastructure.

[@kouavang7819]

I use Wise Registry Cleaner as my games couldnt find dll files and after I ran it my games(including modern warfare 2019) are able to find and launch without any dll errors on windows 10. Most programs registry dont get deleted after uninstalling and you can confirm it by visiting the registry so it just depends on if the user wants it or not. Been having Wise for 4 years and no issues with PC. The things with those cleaners that will harm and break your system is the "system tune ups" so I would avoid using tune ups section.

[@rwx-zach]

The only "cleaner" I use and trust is BleachBit, but that is because it specifically isn't a registry cleaner. Good for cleaning VERY VIP email servers, with a cloth or something. ;)

[@Revenant483]

Thanks for the PSA Chris! I know these things are still being touted to speed up your system but like you said they would do more damage than good. I am sure this will also make people think they have viruses because of the weird issues they would cause.

[@piotrbiedowicz1602]

Im using ccleaner for years and NEVER had problems with the system🤷‍♂️

[@I.____.....__...__]

B-b-b-but people keep saying that's dangerous, so I guess you must be wrong. 🤷

[@piotrbiedowicz1602]

@@I.____.....__...__ B-b-b-but some people keep saying that the earth is flat🤷‍♂️

[@craigtegeler4677]

I always examine the said checklist that is to be cleaned and uncheck the possible unknowns before commiting. I also backup the registry full tilt ahead of time before even attempting to run said registry cleaner(s). Seldom, however, do not have problems to speak of and yet, I've used registry cleaners ever since 2005. I will take the time to examine every registry entry that is called out to be removed, even if it should take me upwards into 1.5 hours worth, just because!!

[@johnnyb0001]

i remember using regcleaner back in the day. i still have CCleaner on my system but dont use it for reg cleaning. also not for driver updating. only to remove browser or empty folders

[@Kneedragon1962]

I'd also note (with mild amusement) that Chris made a debloat tool for Windows 10, which I still use, and every subsequent version of that tool has gotten a bit more toothless, leaves more stuff alone, because taking it out will break some things for some people in some settings... I don't use his current version, I have got an older more ruthless one, which I plan to run though this latest windows 11 install, but I haven't done it yet. The Windows 10 version does work perfectly fine on Windows 11, and it rips a heap of stuff out that the newer one leaves well enough alone. I'm not saying everybody should run the older full strength Debloat tool ~ but I do. If you WANT to keep and use OneDrive, then don't click the button that says to remove it. It's not all that hard ... If you WANT to completely disable Cortana ~ click the button. If that will spoil your day ~ don't click that button ... For MOST things ~ there is a reset button, which should restore it all to standard condition, but I'm not sure that works for everything... Personally, I've never wanted to put GigaBytes of bloatware back into a copy of Windows ... But then I'm not a typical Windows user. My copy of Pro is a guest, in a VirtualBox, on a host of Linux Mint. it sits alongside (stop to count) 9 other guests, which are the most popular and talked about Linux installs. ~ Let's say the most talked-about ones... Just so I can say "I use Arch, actually." That's true on one level, i do have it, both several Arch installers like Manjaro and also a stone stock standard Arch install ~ just so I can say I have it. But those are not the dog-houses I live in ~ Mint is said to be a "beginner distro" ~ Ok, if you want to see it that way. That means it won't rip your hands off for placing them near the keyboard. It doesn't have as many random teeth as some of the others. And it isn't owned by Mister Shuttleworth who is trying to take over the world... And nor is it talking constantly to Microsoft.

[@markh.6687]

Who are YOU to insist people actually pay attention to what they are doing when using software??! 😁 As a former Mint user, I agree Mint is pretty user-friendly for beginners these days, although quite powerful if one is more advanced. It may once again be my daily driver, after running MX with KDE; I love the MX tools (some of which can be imported into anything Deb-based), but as a whole MX isn't quite what I'm looking for. And STOP using my pickup line with women by bragging about running Arch! On second thought, go ahead; I'll lie and say I run Linux on an M1 Mac! Hmph!

[@markh.6687]

@@edgytryhard I'll only say it to women. Modern problems require modern solutions.

[@PotaraP]

What does Linux have to do with windows registry cleaners????

[@SK-me9by]

I disagree, you are making assumptions based of your feelings. I have been using Wise Care 365 since day one on a brand new Win10 machine (now 3+ years old) and not one issue was caused by clearing out useless reg. entries. Do some real world testing then lets talk.

[@KhriszB]

And what are the benefits to using it?

[@whitepaperkat67]

I used to have a problem with my registry files but then I installed a Linux distribution and never had to worry about that

[@SeraTaru-i8w]

Good for you for a useless post. No one is here to listen about Linux...this video is regarding Windows. Go away

[@technerd020]

What I do is use BCUninstaller (Bulk Crap Uninstaller) to remove remnants of software I no longer need, and for cleaning the registry, I normally perform a clean installation of Windows once every three months, works out pretty well.

[@ZOMBIEONTHE6]

I always use similar programs to clean the registry and I have never had problems in my Windows, for my part I will continue using them

[@CorrosiveCitrus]

Many people make many bad decisions and have yet to see the consequences; doesn't mean they shouldn't stop. Counter-point; many people do not use similar programs and have never had any problems.

[@seventheaven]

Many years ago I tested many registry cleaners, from Glary Utilities, Auslogics, CCleaner, and even the obscure one. I gotta say that CCleaner registry cleaner is one of the safest. Though, registry cleaner in general is pretty much useless.

[@rockumo]

What's about revo uninstaller? It dose clean registry entrys for the specific program that your are uninstalling whit it.

[@ChocoRainbowCorn]

I use it, but Pro version. It's perfectly safe, as it only touches registry entries related to the program it's deleting - Still, it's better to check what it offers to remove, just in case.

[@aggrojim6555]

in 10 years there will be a video : do NOT use revo uninstaller

[@renderedpixels4300]

You should do a clone of the main VM and run a registry clean. Id be intrested to see what happens lol! My pcs windows install has been going on for years itd probably have 5k-10k "problems" with it

[@TheCocoaDaddy]

I agree!

[@synchro-dentally1965]

saw a few people mention Glary. What's your opinion when you compare it to the other two you mentioned?

[@Ness_and_Sonic]

You might be onto something, but it is worth pointing out that it could be picking up Microsoft's mistakes with Windows 11 as they dropped the balll with it in many ways.

[@KrunoslavStifter]

I disagree. I think this is false flag. I used them for years and often and a) never had a problem because of them and b) sometimes they do solve problems of problematic leftovers, especially if un-installation programs are not cleaning up registry themselves. Revo Uninstaller is great for that, but sometimes it either misses something or there are programs I don't use it for because I want to do something manually and later clean up registry.

[@I.____.....__...__]

Yeah, the fearmongering people do about registry-cleaners is unfounded. Yes, they CAN cause problems, but so can removing the wrong files. There's nothing special about the registry more than files. The only thing that makes the registry more dangerous than the file-system is there's no SFC for the registry, but even SFC doesn't necessarily always protect files.

[@KrunoslavStifter]

@@I.____.....__...__ Yes. I agree.

[@ordinaryhuman5645]

I never really felt the need to clean out the registry. Yeah, it might be a bit awkward if someone sees remnants from hundreds of eroge programs that have been run on the system, but people probably shouldn't judge when they're dumpster diving anyway.

[@dazdaz11]

Speaking of breaking games, back when I used to use Ccleaner it eat stuff related to The Sim 2 complete edition, completely bricking it forcing me to do a full reinstall of the game. But now I know better then to use these anymore.

[@act.13.41]

Some of us have to learn our lessons the hard way. I am glad to see you learned. 😀

[@bes12000]

lol, I don't know, been using these cleaners and windows disk clean up for years all through windows xp to Win11 without any issues, everything works, even all my games work better than most people that report stuttering and other weird stuff, all my game just work normally. I also have my OS stripped down and customized with NTlite, custom dedicated virtual memory swap space, custom start up also. I just do a weekly disk and registry cleanup and I made a batch file for DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth and sfc /scannow so I can run that weekly just in case. Consider my system as clean as it's going to get.

[@stewartthompson72]

I stopped using things like cc cleaner a long time ago, I am glad to hear I made the right decision. Thanks for the PSA Chris.

[@kairon156]

CC was useful maybe up tell early windows 7. but after a fashion it becomes more of a problem than helpful.

[@nivektseb]

What exactly did you hear??

[@wisnia2737]

Hi, could you please remake your debloating Windows video in 2023? I'm planning on using your tool, but it looks a bit different now than in your previous videos and I'm interested to know what every function does. Maybe a comparison between Windows 10 and 11 after debloating would be nice too? Thanks in advance.

[@wskellington]

Run the script as administrator and hover the pointer on the options and you'll get feedback of what does what. On the list of programs you can install, a simple Google search using the name of the applications will tell you what you yet don't know about some of them. The tool also can tell you what from that list is installed and you can upgrade using it.

[@repairman2be250]

"I'm interested to know what every function does" - That is going to be a day's long video!

[@repairman2be250]

I want to know "exactly" what you are trying to do. I mean what Windows you really want to use, your computer specs and so on.

[@jesusojeda7850]

Questions- is this in particular about CCleaner? (which is well known as a no-no nowadays anyway). Glary utilities is included in your CTT powershell command tool, so what about it?

[@WAGNERMJW]

Yeah, well how about addressing the reasons for using a reg cleaner such as crap that's been bundled into the system like Adobe or McAfee stuff and when deleted leave a bunch of digital cholesterol in the Registry AFTER you delete them?

[@-AnyWho]

if there not a problem then why are they there? can you prove your 3k entries are still useful and still serve a purpose and therefor should not be removed? how did the cleaner find it in first place if its still needed? ... I'm not necessarily doubting you but quite honestly you really didn't explain anything, you just told everyone not to do it without explaining why it was there in the list in first place and where it relates to something that may still need it ... having said all that i really don't use them anymore. i have everything setup just so that i can and clean install every 3-6 months so at that point registry gets reset so to speak ...

[@CorrosiveCitrus]

This WAS a clean install. That's the point.

[@-AnyWho]

@@CorrosiveCitrus his 3k entries was on his system that was not a clean install, he said that in video ... The first one he showed that only had 89 or so entries was the clean install...

[@repairman2be250]

Looks Chris installs a lot crap on his PC also and then uninstalls it. Uninstallers do no work very well in the first place.

[@CorrosiveCitrus]

@@-AnyWho fair enough, but even the clean install had entries that the reg cleaners wanted to "clean." Truth is, if there is something in a database that doesn't get referenced, it will never cause any harm, because it's literally not doing anything. The disk space used by a few invalid keys is extremely negligible, and more disk space doesn't mean better performance, just more disk space. There's no reason to run these regularly and risk them removing keys that are actually useful, needed, or even set yourself when there is 0 benefit.

[@I.____.....__...__]

@@CorrosiveCitrus And Chris assumed that those entries on the clean install were _intentionally_ put there by Microsoft, but as others have pointed out, they're probably just leftovers from previous versions that Microsoft never got around to cleaning. Windows is huge and full of junk. Also, it's not just about disk-space. They DO incur a performance hit. Just fire up Process Monitor and watch all the disk and registry enumeration commands…

[@jdsguam]

I can't believe I am just now running across this information. I've been working with PC Level computers since around 1980 and I can't remember a time that I did not want to clean the registry. I've always thought that was necessary and smart. I can't even remember how I used to do it; but, I've been using CCleaner for years for two sole reasons, delete unwanted programs and then clean up the registry. I'm actually shocked and stunned by this video. How could I not know?

[@CoMmAnDrX]

Actually Glary Utilities Registry Cleaner is the least evasive one. I only run it after i made major changes to the system and I scan through before committing. Oh and I make sure the registry has been backed up via system restore and Registry Backup by Tweaking.

[@michealrosen]

Interesting i used to use ccleaner back in windows 7, it was good back then, i use mint and fedora now, but its interesting to see how bad ccleaner is now.

[@RockyAllenLane]

I install and test utility programs by the dozens. After testing, to uninstall them I use Revo Uninstaller. After uninstalling the app, Revo gives you the option to do additional scanning to remove files and registry entries the app has installed. Never had a problem.

[@UteGirlz]

Any real world examples of what specific issues registry cleaner can cause? Apps crashing? Windows blue screening? Driver errors? Slow frame rates? Increased chance of ransomware? I've kept on using CCleaner to this day on multiple win 10 and 11 machines just for the hell of it. I haven't really noticed any issues. But if I do have an issue how would I know if it has anything to do with registry cleaners?

[@j.d.3269]

Indeed!

[@emirhanunalan4621]

I still find them useful in certain cases, I wouldn't say they are always bad tbh. They are in fact particularly good if you have actually uninstalled a software(still leaves stuff behind even with Geek Uninstaller) or a piece of hardware. I agree I wouldn't touch framework or unused extensions or COM files but. I just deleted like 300 AMD/ATI entries that was still in my PC even though I'm using NVIDIA GPU now. Not sure why DDU didn't get rid of those but yeah, one small useful case.

[@gabrield3627]

I need someone to make this kind of video in my native language, cause nobody talks about it and I never can convince anyone in my family that these things don't work

[@repairman2be250]

How often do they ask you fix their computer after having used what they use?

[@PenguinRevolution]

Even back in the 2000's, I never suggested that a normal user use a registry cleaner. I always told them to call me and have me run it so they didn't screw up their PC's by deleting the wrong entry by mistake.

[@iceManSwag]

Using CCleaner with CCenhancer & Ashampoo Uninstaller. Yes you can break things. If you don't know what you are doing. I also use Driver Booster Pro after I do all the manual driver installs I run Driver Booster Pro & it can find some drivers newer then what I have found. Also I can delete all the attached devices I have attached but no longer will reattach them any time soon. I also run registry CCleaner. Also in the settings of СCleaner I turn off "ananymous data collection, auto update & "smart cleaner". Also by using CCleaner often you actually make your PC slower because the files that you delete some off them will reaper or be downloaded again since you deleted the precache the program has made before.

[@boban250]

Now I feel much better. I've also called it CC-Cleaner for absolute ages, only recently I've heard someone call it C-Cleaner 😁

[@othername2428]

I'm convinced it always was CC-Cleaner, just another Mandala Effect thanks to CERN screwing with the sub-atomic galactic registry files. 🙄

[@salapolivalenta77]

I have an old CCleaner portable version which I use once at few months but only for clean temp files, on registry cleaning was very bad even 15 years ago when I first used it. For registry just use revo uninslatter and when uninstall a program, make sure to pay attention for what you are deleting, nothing is perfect.

[@TazzeOptical]

I have a friend that ended up a busted Windows Update application twice, no amount of troubleshooting would fix it, sfc, DISM, anything, it just wouldn't work again, both times I had to reinstall Windows 10 on his machine that had a mechanical hard drive, so basically I spent two whole friday afternoons/evenings babysitting his PC, both times I saw he had CCleaner installed, I told him "hey, stop using this crap, we're not using Windows XP anymore, you don't need it" it's never happened to him again

[@Jenworo]

I had to reinstall my Windows 10, because I broke the registry with another deep registry cleaner, but with Ccleaner, never had any problem.

[@repairman2be250]

Another one of those not backing up their PC regularly.

[@Jenworo]

@@repairman2be250 learned in the hard way.

[@blx9670]

I've ran a registry clean not too long ago on a 5 year old, messy win 10, it cleaned about 6000 entries and was totally fine afterwards. Not that I notice much difference in performance, nothing really, but I also did not notice any downside to it. Used the cleaner in Glary.

[@MichaelVx]

i cannot blame you for worry about registry clean at all but as far as my testing and doing these things there is no harm at all from Ccleaner until now i do clean up a lot because im lazy to re install windows that clean does help a bit to make windows keep running

[@peterschmidt9942]

I used to use Wise registry cleaner back in the day (probably Win7). But once I installed Win10, I really didn't feel the need as I never found it slowed down enough to warrant a clean. That being said, if there's a piece of software that was garbage I always search the registry and remove all traces where I can. Doesn't take too long with pressing F3 a few times.

[@76netg]

There is plenty still left behind unfortunately all Uninstallers don't get everything. Even on the fresh copy you placed, is that with updates installed? Good chance, it's old updates that wasn't removed. Good on you anyway for putting it out there, some people don't know how to wipe or fix issues and you may save them.

[@mf-wg1qi]

Marketing... You've got that right. By using my Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx scan it comes back with "5545 performance issues found" - System Junk: 3589 issues/1857 MB, Broken Registry items: 1476 issues, Browser Junk:473 issues/410 MB and Broken Shortcuts: 7 issues. If I wish to fix this I can purchase their utilities program for $49 for the remainder of my current subscription and then $60/year, added to my current subscription’s renewal price. What a ripoff. It should come free with the main program due to its already high cost.

[@cosmic.generator]

I had no idea the cleaners clean until the computer literally inplodes. Good to know 😂

[@totojejedinecnynick]

1 - what makes you so sure that stock windows is totally debugged, flawless and optimized from the get go? Hilarious to think so :D 2 - what exactly gets borked when you run a register cleaner? Any proof that unused or de-referenced, orphaned, forgotten entries will cause issues when they get removed? Any sample to show us? Or just second hand evidence? 3 - make a system snapshot (or clone a drive) on your main system, run the cleaner and show us how it broke. Otherwise I am missing any credibility in that claim. 4 - CCleaner used to have a feature of backing up registry before making any changes. Just in case. Not saying it won't break things ever. Odds are that things were already fubar to begin with when you *had* to use registry cleaner in the first place. I have been using registry cleaners since winXP days and honestly nowadays I use them on clients PCs only if something is really effed up to the point that apps are crashing or can't be installed. Truth is that win10/11 can live with really, really messed up registry entries - until it can't. So it either somehow works despite all potential issues - or it straight up refuses to boot. That is my experience. Also, for some reason, Adobe likes to be pain in the ass even with registry cleaners and sometimes good old regedit comes to rescue...

[@CorrosiveCitrus]

If something isn't broke, there is no reason to remove reg entries; there is 0 benefit. I'd argue it's been that way since way before windows 10 even. You're simply risking harm for no gain. If you're trying to troubleshoot a specific issue, then ofc, use whatever tools necessary. Though I still wouldn't use a reg cleaner, just go into the regestry yourself, make a backup, and fix the offending entries. I've seen lots of average Joes fall for the marketing that they will have their PC running 8x faster if they run these reg cleaner tools. I've seen it, because I've had to fix their systems many times.

[@totojejedinecnynick]

@@CorrosiveCitrus exactly valid point. Like I said, windows can handle lot of mess nowadays, most of the time - because it is a mess on its own. Computers are fast enough that bloated registries don't cause any real issues in terms of performance anymore. But when customers PC is borked already (and you ruled out trojans/malware/viruses, hardware issues, driver issues, memory problems), you will eventually want to risk it for the biscuit... and run that cleaner :D

[@I.____.....__...__]

@@CorrosiveCitrus > If something isn't broke, there is no reason to remove reg entries; there is 0 benefit. I'd argue it's been that way since way before windows 10 even. You're simply risking harm for no gain. That's just false. "Not broke" does NOT equal "good". And there IS a benefit even if it's slight. Now if you had said LITTLE gain, that would be one thing, but to claim "ZERO", that's just wrong.

[@CorrosiveCitrus]

@@I.____.....__...__ there is no measurable gain besides a tiny amount of disk space, but these days people aren't running them for an extra 4mb of disk space.

[@thelamb288]

What about programs that DO NOT remove registry enteries when you uninstal them? I might instal tons of software, legit free stuff, to "see" how the applications; looks, feels and works. Just for fun. Now, what do I do after I get rid of them? Cheers.

[@darthslackus499]

What about Registery defragmenations? It's not removing any entries but sorting it.

[@metawolf987]

When it comes to stock Windows, "how it was meant to be" is usually shit these days. I use AME btw, and I run Wise Registry Cleaner regularly.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Yes, Windows should have had some form of quarantine/virtualizer built in by default years ago. Each program should get its own sandbox as far as the system is concerned. It shouldn't be directly interacting with the system files except in very specific situations. I get why it wasn't done on the '90s, RAM and disk space were much more limited. Nothing outside of Windows itself should be directly installing to system folders, and drivers should have their own installation folder if they're not ones being delivered by MS. It's the 2020s, there's no reason for most of this silliness.

[@gwgux]

Yeah, the times have changed for the most part. The only time I would use one is with something like Revo Uninstaller as some applications are bad about cleaning themselves up when you uninstall them to reinstall them for troubleshooting only to find out, their left over registry keys break the fresh install. That's still a thing here in the 20s, but generalized registry scans to "fix issues" like we used to back in the day...nope. Not going to touch them. My work laptop has enough BS going on with it already with the agents we have running, Microsoft breaking crap, etc. that I don't need to help Windows breaking. It's capable of doing that on its own.

[@repairman2be250]

Since you are so scared something happens to your work laptop, I assume you backup your laptop several times a day.

Would you make a video about simplewall? Its a simple firewall that i use for years to block windows telemetry and any application or service accessing to internet. So more people can know about it.

[@ricardogonzalez8700]

I have been using CCleaner for many many years and I NEVER had any problems with it. Other cleaners I had problems.

[@targetbot3507]

nice update Chris quick question whats the best free driver updater for win 10/11 please many thanks

[@codylopez2158]

I learned this lesson during XP and again with Win 7 and 8.. but after that, never again.. same thing with driver software, like driver booster or snappy drivers.. don't use them, unless you have like 1 or 2 specific drivers.. don't just update everything.. bad things "may" come..

[@GreenyX1]

I've been telling people for decades to never use it and I delete it as soon as I see it. Oddly I do keep it on hand to remove registry entries for software that failed to uninstall for nefarious reasons, leaving crap all over the registry. Then again, I know what I'm doing and looking for. I don't let it go wild in the registry deleting what it wants.

[@nevermindmeijustinjectedaw9988]

you have a fresh install of a virtual machine and make fun of how you can only imagine what'd happen if you ran these registry cleaners, yet you dont use them on sth as inconsequential as a virtual machine. what are you, a microsoft shill? show us what would happen! i bet literally nothing of value would be lost

[@dianaalyssa8726]

I believe it. I remember years ago, it was a thing, it was good probably years ago, maybe windows 7-8 era. CCleaner became bad I think once it was sold.

[@dorediskin9365]

Good to know. I use ccleaner and used to clean regigstries only to wonder I had to do so many reconfigurations later on. I'd stick to regedit when need to specific things, from now on.

[@i6j6g6]

Should use RevoUninstaller (I use this for work & personal)!- Any issues with that!??

[@heman248]

In the 2000s I was using tune up utilities when it was not part of avast, then I switched to Ccleaner and since then I have never had a single issue when cleaning the registry. I only run it on personal computers never on servers as I'm scared it will break them. But maybe I will stop using it I was not aware of this.

[@I.____.....__...__]

Ooh, thanks for reminding me, I haven't run NTREGOPT in a while. My registry hives are almost 400MB now.

[@firstlast187]

Is there an actual example of it breaking something? Or is this more of a "probably" shouldn't use it

[@KevinDesRoches]

You are the best Chris thanks for everything !!!

[@kodiak4777]

Chris I was wondering what you think about things like CCleaner or other softwares not for registry cleaning but cleaning up old files and temp data that just bloats up a hard drive. I have noticed over time the HD will just fill with crap. What can be done about this?

[@laszlokocsis5862]

Wow! Good to see you Chris.👍

[@UltraZelda64]

I used to use CCleaner back in the XP days. Quite often I used it for its ability to remove other crap, like various data created by various web browsers. I didn't use it as often to "clean" the registry. Haven't used it in forever, but I haven't really used Windows since XP either.

[@noteimporta2880]

They work though, everything runs super crisp, sharp and responsively after i run AVG cleanup and CCleaner after, (i bought avg internet security with the cleaner) and as a 25 year pc user, i jknow the power of defragmentation and registry cleaning and it still matter 100%. However if there are cons then so be it lol.

[@DevilbyMoonlight]

Good advice I've never liked the idea of using registry cleaners, its better to learn the hive structure and how it works and manipulate it yourself than trusting a canned tool to do it for you, if you don't know what it is then leave it alone.. if you think you know what your doing then back up the key before fiddling with it so you can restore it back if something unexpected happens... they were useful for a lot of people back in the win9x days I suppose but have seen the result of over zealous use of them, and back in the day the path of last resistance was to restore from a known good backup thankfully the OS footprint was a lot smaller back then.

[@I.____.....__...__]

Agreed. I prefer to just do things manually so that I know what's happening. Using tools like registry- or file-cleaners is fine if you use them to do a scan then examine the results. Running their "cleaning" function blindly is bad for either the registry or for files, there's nothing special about the registry versus files.

[@rayzeq]

@@I.____.....__...__ Tbh, I don't think it's possible to clean the registry properly manually. There are far too many entries.

[@davidezequielchamorro2618]

Heyo Chris, what do you think about Microsoft PC Manager?

[@DontFollowZim]

Been running CCleaner for nearly a decade and never ran into an issue with the registry cleaner. Granted, went a year without it and didn't have any issues either

[@noahneutral7557]

Didn't avast buy ccleaner a while ago? I remember it being somewhat decent ages ago.

[@Mynameisjaredgates]

Yeah they bought it in 2017.

[@somesalmon5694]

I don't mean to be annoying or a troll, I would just like to put out my own little PSA being that it's not "CC-Cleaner" there's only one 'c' at the beginning of their name -- CCleaner, thank you for your time. I personally would rarely if ever recommend any of this software either way. Then again, it's been quite a while since I've maintained a Windows system so I'm not really up to date with best practices.

[@davidb1630]

They do still work, it's just that anyone who is a tech will know, whether it was 20 years ago or yesterday, CCleaner is an abomination of a registry cleaner.

[@Prateekyzf]

It means we do need to care about or clean Registries in Win10/11 ?

[@zBones762]

I haven't used a registry cleaner in a very long time, but when I did, I've never seen one break anything, I'm not saying it can't... I've just not seen it.

[@lkzMini]

In the past, u compared CCleaner vs BleachBIT. What is your opinion regarding BleachBIT? Would you recommend it either? Im not using any of these programs btw, just curious.

[@nellynelson965]

Yep. I had a big argument with CCleaner as I found some stuff on there that was running all the time. COuld not gett shot of it after installing the program. Could nto be sure but as the CPU was being used when idle I was suspecting a miner. Reported it to CCleaner. They didnt want to help.

[@JoeGP]

I use CCleaner more for it's other functions, like cleaning up temp files, recycle bin and cache, but I am also guilty of cleaning the registry from time to time, I wonder if that's why my PC's ability to sleep always breaks after 1-2 years after a fresh install?

[@warplanner8852]

During my Windows 11 "hell month" (new Acer with W11 image factory fresh burn), I noticed a lot of the debloat hacks and tweaks involved creating new keys and values to started or implement a feature. I got zero heartburn about using an install utility that takes the leftovers out of the registry. But, I'm heading to Linux so that's all in the rear view, innt?

[@tinotirry871]

So if u dont use registry cleaners, how do clean registries in the best way?

[@bigsketchyburrito]

Remember Windows before the registry? Sure back then it was bloated, full of attack vectors .... so yeah, same thing really. Was easier to trick the shareware though. ;)

[@vasudevmenon2496]

I sparingly use registry cleaner just to remove uninstalled games or apps which leaves leftovers until i use program uninstallers or even incorrectly showing removed apps needed update.

[@fredashay]

IMO, the only purpose of a Registry should be to list all known file extensions and tell the system what program to run for each.

[@pierrebroccoli.9396]

Exactly and all programs should have any required info files installed in the programs install directory. The countless times one has to hunt through Windows folders to ensure a program has been removed from one's computer..... Heck companies like Native Instruments can't even get their apps to update correctly without one having to run their own reg app cleaning software. It's pathetic in this day and age.

[@I.____.....__...__]

@@pierrebroccoli.9396 Windows is an organically-(over)grown behemoth of a monstrous bloated mess. There are data, program, configuration, and other kinds of objects strewn ALL OVER the place. You might have to search over a dozen directories AND over a dozen registry locations to find a single thing. It's insane, absolute MADNESS! 🤦 Even running Process Monitor to find the right object could be a nightmare. 😒

[@teddym2808]

Your video is WAY too general. Registry cleaners still absolutely have use to clean up leftovers from uninstalled or deleted apps. You forgot to mention you can add exceptions.. For example, on a clean windows install when I run CCleaner, I select everything it finds and right click add to exclusions. That's it, it will never find those registry entries and claim they are a problem again. I periodically run it if I have deleted files just to see if they have left over location entries in the registry, or after uninstalling an App. Anyone with even moderate windows knowledge can work out what is safe to remove or not. And you create a registry backup before you do so, so if it causes an issue just double click the backup to put those entries back. So to me, either you are not the best at explaining things or actually don't have the expertise on this matter, because all I watched was 6 minutes of rambling without ANY detailed info, other than initially saying that modern apps don't make as many registry entries as old apps used to. That was the entire video. Wow. How about, what does Win 10 do differently now that makes registry cleaning redundant? Why isn't a bloated registry a problem anymore? Why should we NOT remove leftover registry entries from deleted or uninstalled apps? Explain SOMETHING. Yet you have 3.2K upvotes. Idiocracy the movie is not that far off. 🤦🤦‍♂🤦‍♀