Cleaning Temporary and Registry Files

CCleaner is a program we use when a computer is running very slow. It is free to install and quick and easy to use. Simply follow the instructions below to download, install, and run a temporary file clean on your computer.

Step 1)

Navigate to https://www.ccleaner.com/. This is the official website for CCleaner and you should only download it from this source.

Step 2)

Locate the download option. At the time this article was written, the main page of the website from Step 1 had a green “Free Download” button, as shown in the image below.

The layout of the page may change in the future, but there should always be a button or link to the download page.

Step 3)

You will be taken to a page different download options. You will want to select the free download option and not any of the paid versions of the program. At the time of writing, the options are as shown in the image below.

 

Step 4)

You will be taken to a new page. Your web browser should automatically start downloading a .exe file.

Once the file is finished downloading, open it. Your computer may ask you for permission to continue with the operation, select the “Yes” option.

Step 5)

The installation program should start. You will be given a window that looks like the one pictured below.

Make sure you remove the check mark from the box near the bottom of the window, as leaving it checked will install another program that you may not want or need. Once you have unchecked that box, click the “Install” button.

Step 6)

The installation program will then install CCleaner. When it is finished, you will be taken to a window like the one pictured below.

Remove the check mark in the box labelled “View release notes” and click the button that says “Run CCleaner” to start the program.

Step 7)

The program should start and give you a window like the one pictured below.

All you have to do to is click the “Run Cleaner” button in the bottom right corner. You will get a prompt like the one below. Do note that files will be deleted from your computer, including your Recycle Bin contents and your Internet history and cookies.

Click “Continue” if you are sure you are okay with the files mentioned above being deleted.

You may receive additional prompts depending on any other programs you have running. Accept them at your own discretion. Once the program has finished running, you will be taken to a window like the one below.

Once you have this screen, you are safe to close the program. You can let a few months pass until you run the scan again, unless you notice your computer running slowly.

Step 8)

There is a more advanced scan that you can run with CCleaner. This scan will go through the computer’s registry files and remove unneeded files, including potential viruses that might be hiding in the registry.

To run the registry scan, click on the icon labelled “Registry” in the side panel.

On the new window, click on “Scan for Issues.”

The scan will run and the list on the right side of the window will be filled with any errors that are found. Once the scan is complete, click on the “Fix selected Issues…” button.

You will be prompted to backup changes to the directory. This can be done at your discretion, but is not normally necessary. After you make your choice, you will then get a new prompt like the one pictured below.

You can go through each file one by one, or simply click on the “Fix All Selected Issues” box. For most general users, the “Fix All” option will be fine.

It is recommended you repeat the registry scan until it no longer finds any issues.