Top 6 Best Disk Cleanup Software in 2026

People often overcomplicate disk cleanup and end up doing things that are just a waste of time and resources. Disk Cleanup is straightforward, and your operating system is well-aware of what is essential and what isn’t. However, it is good to make it as easy as possible. In this article, we will discuss the best disk cleanup software for Windows computers. Some of these might be available for other operating systems as well, but we will focus mainly on Windows.

Windows 10 and 11 come with the Storage Sense feature that automatically frees up disk space by deleting temporary files, emptying the Recycle Bin, and removing other unnecessary files. It is good to enable it, but for deep cleanups, you will need to use dedicated software. While working as a PC builder, engineer, and writer, I have tried, tested, and reviewed many software programs. You can also check my guide on freeing up SSD space in a Windows PC.

Windows tends to hoard temporary files, caches, cookies, browser leftovers, log files, crash dumps, update remnants, installer leftovers, Recycle Bin debris, old restore points, and thumbnail caches. All of these files can quickly fill up your SSD or HDD and may soon start to appear red.

The Problem

Apps like WinDirStat and SpaceSniffer are good for finding the files or folders that are using the most of your disk space. You can even do that manually. But I am not going to mention all that stuff here.

The real issue is that when your operating system has been running for years, you don’t know what isn’t essential to you now. Also, in most cases, various small files accumulate, making them hard to locate even with this specialized software. Disk cleanup software is best suited for this job because it is designed to find unnecessary log files, caches, temporary files, app data, and more. These are hard to find and delete manually. So, for those who think these cleanup programs are just a waste, they are not really, and some people really need them.

1. Windows PC Manager (Well Integrated with Windows)

I was thinking of adding the Windows Disk Cleanup utility here in the first place because it handles basic cleanup for you. However, I am adding Windows PC Manager because it is Windows’ own product, so it is perfectly integrated with the cleanup features Windows offers.

For disk cleanup specifically, this program offers basic features such as a large-file finder, duplicate-file detection, and the option to delete downloaded files. It links directly to your system’s Direct Sense menu, which doesn’t mean anything special. However, Deep Cleanup is the most important feature here. Just like any other cleanup program, it finds all the potentially unwanted data that you can delete with one command.

How to do disk cleanup with Windows PC Manager?

1. Download, install, and open the Windows PC Manager. It is available on the Microsoft Store.
2. Click the Storage tab and go through all the available options.

3. Go to the Disk Analysis section and run a routine scan if you want. You can also check the total occupied space in your drive and what type of data is there.

4. I would recommend running a Deep Scan from the primary storage menu for better results. It would take some time, depending on the amount of data on your drive.

5. The scan will find the data that can be deleted, like log files, temporary files, cache, etc. You can check or uncheck things as you want. Once done, click Proceed and all those files will be deleted.

Once done, it will show you how much data has been cleared from your system.

For me, the Windows PC Manager does the job because I generally do basic cleaning and do not mess with things like the Windows Registry. Also, I manually clean unimportant files. However, some people are big fans of deep cleaning, and for them, this program might not be enough.

2. CCleaner (The OG)

CCleaner is probably the most popular general-purpose cleanup tool. It removes junk files, clears browser caches and cookies, empties the Recycle Bin, deletes temporary and system files, trims Windows Restore points, and helps manage startup-program clutter. It comes with a free version that includes all disk cleanup features, but the paid version offers additional benefits.

CCleaner isn’t specifically a drive cleaner. It comes with many other features, such as a health check, a performance optimizer, a driver/software updater, an uninstaller, a startup manager, and a duplicate finder. For drive cleaning, only the Custom clean feature is suitable. It scans for all the files that are unnecessary or necessary in some cases, and then you can uncheck them if you don’t want to delete them. For example, it can

How to do disk cleanup with CCleaner?

1. Download and install CCleaner on your computer. The free version is enough.
2. You can choose to run the Health Check scan if you want. Otherwise, click the Custom Clean tab.

3. Choose the junk files you want to scan in the Junk, Browser, and Registry tabs and click Scan now to proceed. It is best to keep the Registry option unchecked if you are not aware of what you are doing.

4. Once the scan is complete, carefully check the things you want to remove. Uncheck everything that seems important to you.

5. Once you are sure about your selection, click Clean and fix. Wait for the cleanup to complete.

3. Bleachbit (Simple, Sleek, and Open-Source)

BleachBit is the simplest yet most effective disk-cleanup software for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The user interface is very minimal, with only the features you really need. However, it is made for its job, and it does that perfectly.

It’s beneficial if you want to securely remove files so they’re hard to recover (for example, before selling or handing over a PC to someone). However, it is advised to use a good secure erase software for that. Bleachbit is good to reclaim disk space from temp files, cache, browser junk, logs, etc. It also removes sensitive traces, browser history, cookies, and cache for privacy.

How to do disk cleanup with Bleachbit?

1. Download and install Bleachbit from the official website. Choose “Run as administrator” for deeper system cleaning

The main interface

When BleachBit opens, you’ll see:

• Left pane: a list of applications and areas (e.g., Firefox, Chrome, System, Windows Explorer, etc.).
• Right pane: description and details of whatever option you click.
• Bottom buttons:
  • Preview – dry run; shows what would be deleted.
  • Clean – actually delete things.

2. You do not get any option to run a scan. The software will scan for the file structure, and you can then clean those files selectively. Also, you can opt to preview, which is kind of a double-check of the files inside that folder.

3. Before you select the items or folders to delete, click Preview to see what you are going to delete.

4. To remove the files or folder, just check them and click Clean. Wait for the cleanup to complete.

4. IObit Advanced SystemCare (With AI Mode)

IObit Advanced SystemCare is another all-in-one system performance utility with a dedicated disk cleanup feature. It includes features such as registry cleanup, large-file finder, app/extension cleaner, duplicate file finder, and temp file deletion. It also comes with a special AI mode that smartly finds and deletes unimportant files without you having to look into it. However, you can switch to manual mode at any time.

Some other features are Speed Up, Protect, and Software Update. From these, I found Speed Up a little helpful, and the others are just extras for you. The software offers spyware removal, shortcut fix, registry defragmentation, privacy sweep, and more. You can check or uncheck them during a manual scan. However, in an AI scan, all these things are selected automatically, and you have no control over them. For cleaning, you can always select or not select a file or folder type.

How to do disk cleanup with IObit Advanced SystemCare?

1. Download and install the program from the official website.
2. On the home page, choose either AI mode or manual mode, where you select what you want to scan.

3. Wait for the scan to complete. Depending on the number of files, it can take a good amount of time.

4. After the scan finishes, you will see the total size and the number of files. In the left pane, you can select or unselect the files you want to delete. Choose them carefully. Wait for the cleanup to complete.

5. Glary Utilities (With Most Features)

I like Glary Utilities’ functionality a lot, but I am ranking it lower because of its aggressive ads, which might appear no matter what you are doing. It includes essential cleanup features, including disk cleanup, registry repair, duplicate file finder, empty folder finder, and an uninstall manager. You also get additional features such as memory optimizer, shortcut fixer, 1-Click Maintenance, uninstall manager, and registry restore. Some features, like Deep cleaning and privacy track erasure, are paid.

How to do disk cleanup with IObit Advanced SystemCare?

1. Download the program from the official website and install it on your computer. Our main focus will be on the Clean Up & Repair tab.

2. Click on the Disk Cleanup option and let the scan complete. It may ask you to close some program in order to scan them. You can refuse if you want.

3. Click the Start Cleaning option to remove the scanned items. You can uncheck the items in the left pane if something seems important to you.

In the same way, you can explore other options like Registry Repair, Shortcut Fixer, Uninstall Manager, and Duplicate Files Finder.

4. One Click Maintenance is also worth a try if you want to perform a quick system-wide clean.

6. Avast Cleanup Premium (Best Paid Cleaner)

Avast Cleanup offers a 30-day free trial, but it is best to opt for the paid plan. For a single computer, it costs $2.49 per month. Its interface is the simplest and most modern of any program I have tested while writing this article. It is available for Windows, Mac, and Android.

This software comes with dedicated sections for junk cleanup, program management, disk optimization, and data management. However, all these things can be performed with a single click with a scan at the home page. The software finds broken registry keys, unnecessary data, temporary files, browser cache, broken shortcuts, etc.

The software also comes with a file shredder feature, a process manager, and some data recovery tools. However, after 30-days, you will have to pay for it to keep using. In my opinion, if you want to spend money on good software, this one is a good pick.

How to do disk cleanup with IObit Advanced SystemCare?

1. Download and install the program from the official website and run it.
2. In the main menu, click Start Scan.

3. Once the scan completes, you get this type of report with different files to clean. you can just choose to Clean now or See data and clean things manually.

4. Optimize Disk feature is also worth trying and I would recommend you using it once if your drive is filled more than half. This feature looks for issues that may cause crashes or data loss.

Conclusion

I have tried and tested all the programs for multiple days on my computer, and this article just tells what I have observed. All these programs include many extra features I might not have mentioned, since they are not related to disk cleanup.

I also recommend performing manual checkups of unwanted files and cleaning them up. However, it is best not to mess with your C drive and Windows installations if you are not aware of what you are doing. Even with these programs, it is best to do a little research if you not sure whether you should check a folder or file before cleaning it up. In my opinion, for most users, free disk cleanup software like Windows PC Manager and CCleaner are more than enough. But, if you can spend some money, you will always get something extra.