How to Clean Your Windows Computer: The Ultimate

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Dan Price

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Over time, computers slow down. Of course aging hardware plays a part, but for most
people, a more common cause is poor operating system maintenance 7 Windows
Maintenance Mistakes You Should Never Make 7 Windows Maintenance Mistakes You
Should Never Make If you want to keep your Windows PC running smoothly, you need to
avoid making these big mistakes. They could shorten your computer's lifespan and make
your experience frustrating. Read More .

If you’ve ever done a clean install of Windows How to Reinstall Windows 10 Without
Losing Your Data How to Reinstall Windows 10 Without Losing Your Data Using this
option allows you to reinstall Windows without losing the files, personal data and
programs you already have on the system. Read More , you’ll know what we’re talking
about. Getting rid of all the accumulated junk and starting afresh instantly makes your
machine run faster 10 Quick Fixes to Make your Windows Computer Faster 10 Quick
Fixes to Make your Windows Computer Faster Advice for speeding up your PC abounds,
but not all methods are equal. Here are ten quick tips for making your Windows
computer a little faster. Read More and smoother.

However, you don’t need to take such drastic steps. Spending some time cleaning up
Windows can yield almost identical results. Sure, your five-year-old laptop might never
be able to play the latest AAA game, but you’ll still see vast improvements.

Here’s the ultimate checklist for cleaning your Windows computer.

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1. Delete Unused Software
Let’s begin with an obvious one. The first step on the road to a clean computer is
removing all the old software you no longer use. If you’re not a “diligent deleter,” you’ll be
amazed at how much unnecessary stuff you have installed on your machine.

To see all the apps on your computer, go to Start > Settings > Apps > Apps and
features. Scroll down the list and click Uninstall on anything you don’t need.

Clearly, you need to exercise a touch of caution. Don’t just get rid of stuff you don’t
recognize — run a Google search first to ensure it’s safe to delete!

2. Run Your Antivirus

Next, you should run your antivirus software The 10 Best Free Antivirus Software The 10
Best Free Antivirus Software No matter what computer you're using, you need antivirus
protection. Here are the best free antivirus tools you can use. Read More . One of the
most common causes of slow computers is viruses.

The precise instructions for running the scan vary from app to app, but you should try
and locate an option called Full Scan, Deep Scan, or something similar. The scan will
take much longer to complete, but you can be sure it won’t overlook anything.

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It’s also worth downloading the free version of Malwarebytes. Rather than focusing on
viruses, its primary goal is protecting users against the latest trojans, backdoors, adware,
and spyware.

3. Disk Cleanup
Windows 10 offers a Disk Cleanup tool. It’s been part of the Windows operating system
for many years, and it’s still just as effective at cleaning unnecessary files and improving
performance.

To run Disk Cleanup, either type the app’s name in the Start Menu or go to Control
Panel > Administrative Tools > Disk Cleanup.

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Before running the scan, click
Clean up system files. It allows
the app to run a more thorough
scan by checking for old
Windows Update files and log
files.

Generally, you can delete all the

files the scan finds. Mark the
checkbox next to each type of
result and click OK. Note,
however, that when you choose
to clean up Previous Windows
installation(s) using the Clean
up system files option, you
won’t be able to roll back to the
previous Windows version Free
Up Disk Space by Removing
Windows.old Folder Free Up
Disk Space by Removing
Windows.old Folder Windows
prepares an automatic backup
before you re-install. The
Windows.old folder includes user profiles and personal files. Here's how to restore the
data and remove the folder to free up space. Read More anymore.

4. Defragment Your Hard Drive

In Windows 10, the operating system runs disk defragmentation when it senses it is
required. However, as we’re doing a thorough clean of your computer, it would be remiss
not to run it manually.

You can find the Defragment and Optimize Drives tool by running a search or by going
to Control Panel > Administrative Tools.

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To use the app, highlight your primary hard drive and click Optimize in the lower right-
hand corner of the window.

5. Delete Old Drivers

Windows retains old drivers. The logic behind the retention is sound: you’ll never be
stuck if a new driver doesn’t perform as expected. The offshoot, however, is that your
machine might be full of drivers from devices that you stopped using years ago.

There are two easy ways to remove old drivers from your computer: the command
prompt or environment variables. For more information about the specifics, check out
our in-depth guide How to Easily Remove Old Drivers From Windows How to Easily
Remove Old Drivers From Windows Not only does Windows retain previous driver
versions for current devices, it also stores drivers for devices you stopped using long ago.
We'll show you how to clean up old drivers from your system. Read More .

6. Refresh Your Startup List

Any seasoned Windows user knows that the operating system lags way behind macOS,
Chrome OS, and Linux when it comes to boot times 6 Ways to Fix Slow Boot Times in
Windows 10 6 Ways to Fix Slow Boot Times in Windows 10 If your Windows 10 boot time

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is slow, you aren't alone. We've compiled the most common solutions to help you fix
slow startup on Windows 10. Read More .

Typically, the problem is caused by the number of programs Windows tries to launch
when it first starts. The majority of them are unnecessary.

To clean your startup list, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and select Task Manager. On the
new window, click More Details, then choose the Startup tab at the top of the screen.

You should now be looking at all the apps Windows tries to run at boot. To disable an
app, highlight the appropriate row and click Disable.

7. Clean the AppData Folder

When you uninstall an app, you’ll often find remnants of its former presence dotted
around your machine. One of the most common locations is the AppData folder.

By default, the folder is hidden. You can find it at C:\Users\[Username]\AppData or by

typing %AppData% into Windows search.

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Within the main folder, there are three subfolders: Local, LocalLow, and Roaming.
Make sure you go through all three folders to find any traces of old software. Again, don’t
delete anything unless you’re sure it’s safe.

To prevent these remnants from being left by any apps you delete in the future; you can
use a dedicated uninstaller tool. One of the best is Geek Uninstaller. The app is so good,
it’s one of our “must-have” free maintenance tools Top 5 Free Computer Maintenance
Tools You Should Know About Top 5 Free Computer Maintenance Tools You Should
Know About Treat your computer right and it will stay fast and responsive for many
years. But neglect proper maintenance and your system will suffer. So where do you
begin? With the five apps we recommend here. Read More .

8. Remove Old Program Files

The other place you’ll often find trace elements of old apps’ files is in the Program Files
folders.

On most machines, there are two Program Files folders. You can find them at
C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files (x86).

As with the AppData folder, work through the contents of each folder carefully and
delete any files and folders that are no longer in use.

9. Clean the Registry

You’ve probably heard horror stories about registry cleaners. Even the best-in-class,
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CCleaner, has a less-than-subtle approach to clearing your registry junk Top 5 Freeware
Registry Cleaners That Improve PC Performance Top 5 Freeware Registry Cleaners That
Improve PC Performance Cleaning the registry will rarely improve Windows performance
and it's risky. Yet many swear by registry cleaners. You too? At least use one of these
tools because they're the safest you will find. Read More .

But it is essential to keep your registry reasonably tidy. Think of it as a library: the bigger
the library, the longer it takes you to find what you’re looking for. Similarly, the more junk
in your registry, the longer it takes Windows to locate the entries it needs.

Why not take matters into your own hands? It’s easier than it sounds. Run a search for
regedit and press Enter. Then, go to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE
and Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software. Within each folder, slowly work
through the list and delete entries for software you no longer use.

Warning: Deleting the wrong registry entry can have grave consequences for your system.
Ensure you make a complete backup of your registry data How to Back Up and Restore the
Windows Registry How to Back Up and Restore the Windows Registry Editing the Registry
unlocks some cool tweaks, but can be dangerous. Here's how to back up the Registry before
making changes so they're easily reversed. Read More before proceeding.

10. Clean All the Caches

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Windows 10 is full of caches. Without getting too bogged down in technical jargon, a
cache is a non-permanent file that Windows might need again in the future.

But what if Windows doesn’t need it again? You’ve got all those files lying around
cluttering up your hard drive.

In an article elsewhere on the site, we’ve introduced you to several hidden caches 7
Hidden Windows Caches & How to Clear Them 7 Hidden Windows Caches & How to
Clear Them Cached files can take up a lot of bytes. While dedicated tools can help you
free up disk space, they might not clear it all. We show you how to manually release
storage space. Read More and explained how you can clean each one individually.
Working through all seven will take a while, but it’s time well spent.

How Do You Clean Your Computer?

In this article, we’ve introduced you to 10 crucial steps if you want to give your operating
system a spring clean. By processing all 10, you’re guaranteed to see a performance
boost.

How do you prevent clutter from accumulating on your hard drive? Do you use any
unique apps or tools? What other tricks would you add to this list? Share this
article with your followers on social media.

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