Home > Blog > Automation Software
If you’ve been looking for an easy way to keep your PC running like new, CCleaner Professional is your go-to PC cleaner and optimizer. Whether you’re cleaning out junk files, securing your privacy, or speeding up boot times, this software is designed to be easy to use and effective.
With CCleaner’s Professional edition, you can clean your PC, remove browser junk, and optimize for peak performance.
Let’s dive into the 17 best practices for using this powerful tool to get the best user experience and keep your PC’s performance in check.
Key Takeaways Automated Maintenance is Essential : Utilizing features like scheduled cleaning and real-time monitoring ensures your PC remains clutter-free and performs optimally without manual intervention.Customization Enhances User Control : CCleaner Pro allows for tailored cleaning settings, enabling users to exclude important files and customize what gets cleaned, striking a balance between performance and data protection.Regular Updates and Monitoring Improve Security : Keeping software up-to-date and monitoring system performance are crucial practices that help protect against vulnerabilities and ensure your PC runs smoothly.Space Management is Key to Performance : Identifying and removing duplicate files and analyzing disk space can free up valuable storage, leading to improved system speed and efficiency.Data Backup is a Smart Practice : Backing up important files before performing deep cleaning or using advanced features, like the Registry Cleaner, is a vital step to prevent accidental data loss. 1. Schedule Cleaning to Automate Your PC Maintenance Scheduling regular cleanings with CCleaner Professional is an easy way to keep your PC free of junk files and unnecessary data. By using this feature, you don’t have to worry about manually running the software to delete browser files or temporary files.
To set it up, open CCleaner’s interface, head to the Schedule Cleaning option, and customize the days and times for cleanups. This feature ensures your PC always has ample disk space and runs without clutter slowing it down.
With the Professional edition, you can even schedule specific tasks like clearing browser cache, managing startup programs, and deleting tracking cookies.
The automated cleaning not only frees up disk space but also improves battery life on laptops, which can extend the time you have to work uninterrupted.
2. Real-Time Monitoring for Ongoing Optimization Real-time monitoring is like having a virtual PC assistant . CCleaner Professional’s real-time feature keeps a lookout for junk files and browser junk to remove them before they pile up and impact performance.
When enabled, this tool will alert you when it’s time for a scan, helping you stay proactive in keeping your PC’s performance in check.
Real-time monitoring scans your system’s health, removes resource-hogging files, and improves your PC’s boot time.
When it’s time for cleanup, simply click to start, and your CCleaner Professional will handle the rest, making it an easy-to-use and trusted utility for regular maintenance.
3. Customize Cleaning Rules for Specific Needs With CCleaner’s Professional Plus or Professional edition, you have complete control over what gets cleaned. Customize Cleaning lets you decide which temporary files and cache items to remove or keep.
For instance, you might want to keep passwords or cookies for frequently visited sites while removing browser history for privacy.
This feature is perfect for those who need a tailored approach—especially if you want to keep certain web browser data while clearing junk files .
Whether you’re targeting files in a specific folder or fine-tuning your registry cleaner options, customized cleaning makes it easy to balance speed with online privacy.
4. Manage Startup Programs to Improve Boot Time One of the biggest slowdowns for Windows PCs is the number of apps set to launch at startup. CCleaner Professional provides a simple way to manage this, allowing you to disable unnecessary programs, making your PC boot time faster.
This is especially helpful if you have programs you rarely use starting up automatically, which can drain resources and extend the time it takes for your PC to start.
Head to the Startup section within CCleaner to see what’s running on boot. Disabling unnecessary items not only improves boot times but also frees up RAM and processor power, letting you get the most out of your PC’s performance optimizer. By making these adjustments, you can keep your PC faster without sacrificing functionality.
5. Update Outdated Software for Security and Performance Source: Canva Pro
Keeping your apps up-to-date is key to avoiding vulnerabilities and bugs. With CCleaner Professional’s Software Updater, you can ensure all programs are running their latest versions. Outdated software can be a security risk and cause compatibility issues, so using the software updater regularly is essential.
To access this, go to CCleaner’s interface, navigate to Software Updater, and check for updates. With this feature, you don’t have to manually visit each app’s website for updates; CCleaner automatically does it for you, making it convenient and easy to use.
With your PC’s software up-to-date, your online privacy is better protected, and your system remains secure, stable, and fast.
6. Check for Duplicate Files to Free Up Space Duplicate files can sneak into your system, taking up hard drive space without adding any value. With CCleaner Professional’s Duplicate Finder, you can easily identify and delete duplicate files, reclaiming valuable storage.
This feature is particularly useful for those working with large media files or graphics, where duplicates often consume massive amounts of storage.
To use it, open CCleaner and navigate to the Duplicate Finder under Tools. Here, you can run a scan to locate and delete duplicate files securely. This tune-up not only saves disk space but also keeps your system organized, making it easier to locate files without clutter.
Please note: CCleaner provides options to preview duplicates so you can be sure of what’s being deleted and maintain control over your files.
7. Use Health Check to Keep Your PC in Top Shape The Health Check tool in CCleaner Professional is a great one-click solution for analyzing and enhancing your PC’s performance. With a single click, Health Check scans your system for junk files, privacy risks, and tracker data.
This scan not only locates unnecessary files but also recommends the best steps to keep your PC running smoothly.
By running Health Check regularly, you can ensure that your Windows 10 or 8.1 system stays in top shape. After the check, CCleaner provides a graphic summary, giving you a clear overview of your PC’s health.
Health Check optimizes your PC with minimal effort, making it an ideal tool for those looking to get a quick tune-up without getting into complex details.
8. Fix Broken Settings in the Registry Over time, broken settings and entries can accumulate in your system’s registry. These can slow down your system, cause errors, or even lead to crashes. CCleaner Professional includes a registry cleaner that scans for errors in your registry, fixing issues that could impact your PC’s performance.
Using the Registry Cleaner is straightforward. Simply open CCleaner, go to Registry and click on Scan for Issues. Once the scan is complete, CCleaner provides a list of detected issues. You can then choose to fix these problems securely by clicking Fix Selected Issues.
Please note: The registry cleaner is a powerful tool, so CCleaner automatically prompts you to back up your registry before making changes. This ensures you can restore previous settings if needed, providing peace of mind while optimizing your system.
9. Restore Deleted Files with Recuva Accidentally delete an important file? With CCleaner Professional Plus, you get access to Recuva, a powerful recovery tool that can restore deleted files. Recuva is perfect for recovering browsing data, documents, graphics, and even emails that were mistakenly removed.
To use Recuva, download and launch it from within CCleaner’s Professional Plus version. The tool will guide you through a simple process to scan your hard drive or any external storage for files that can be recovered.
Once the scan is complete, you can choose which files to restore, allowing you to quickly retrieve anything important you may have lost.
Whether you’re dealing with accidental deletions or unexpected file loss , Recuva gives you a chance to recover important data securely and efficiently .
10. Monitor PC Performance with Speccy Source: Canva Pro
Another valuable tool included in CCleaner Professional Plus is Speccy, a powerful PC monitoring utility that provides detailed information about your PC’s hardware. With Speccy, you can check the temperature of your CPU, hard drive, and graphics card, helping you stay informed about your PC’s health.
Using Speccy is simple—just open the tool and browse through your PC’s hardware data. Speccy’s interface gives you a breakdown of each component’s health, making it easy to spot potential issues before they become major problems.
This feature is particularly useful for those running resource-intensive programs or games, as it ensures your PC stays cool and performs at its best. For tech-savvy users, Speccy offers the advantage of tracking hardware stats over time, helping you detect patterns and prevent future issues.
11. Back Up Important Files Before Deep Cleaning It’s always a good idea to have a backup of essential files, especially before running a deep system clean. CCleaner Professional is reliable, but to prevent any accidental deletion of important data, consider backing up files or creating a system restore point. This is especially important if you’re using more advanced features like the Registry Cleaner.
To create a system restore, open your Windows settings and set up a backup for peace of mind. While CCleaner is tested and trusted, having this backup in place ensures you can restore your system if needed, offering an extra layer of privacy protection and security.
This step is optional, but it’s a useful safety measure for anyone doing extensive system cleaning.
12. Analyze Disk Space for Optimization Opportunities Over time, unnecessary files can clutter up your hard drive, taking up valuable disk space and slowing down your PC. With CCleaner Professional’s Disk Analyzer, you can scan your system to identify the files and folders that consume the most storage.
This feature provides a clear picture of how space is used, allowing you to target large files or unused data for removal.
Disk Analyzer makes it easy to sort files by category, like graphics, videos, and documents.
By removing files you no longer need, you’re freeing up space, which can improve overall system performance. If you’re running out of space, especially on a smaller drive, this feature is a quick and effective way to make your PC faster.
13. Exclude Important Files and Folders from Cleaning Sometimes, you have files or folders that you never want to delete, like essential documents or app data. CCleaner Professional allows you to mark certain files or folders as “excluded,” so they aren’t touched during routine cleanups. This is especially useful if you work with specific files that CCleaner might otherwise flag for deletion.
To set exclusions, simply go to the Exclude section in CCleaner and add your chosen files or folders. This way, you can maintain control over your data and avoid accidental deletions. Exclusions help you feel confident about running CCleaner’s powerful cleanup tools without risking your important data.
14. Enable Smart Cleaning for Automatic Junk Removal Smart Cleaning is one of CCleaner Professional’s standout features, allowing you to automatically clear out junk files when they accumulate beyond a set limit.
This enhancement keeps your PC running smoothly without requiring constant monitoring or manual cleanups. Smart Cleaning can alert you when it’s time for a cleanup, or you can set it to run automatically without prompts.
To enable Smart Cleaning, open CCleaner, navigate to Options, and set up the Smart Cleaning rules based on your preferences. This feature is great for staying on top of browser files, temporary files, and other junk that builds up while you work or browse online.
With Smart Cleaning enabled, your PC will stay clutter-free, and you’ll experience faster response times, even during extended sessions.
15. Try Out the Software for Free with a 14-Day Trial Source: Canva Pro
If you’re still on the fence about CCleaner Professional, you can start free with a 14-day trial to see how the tools work for your needs. This free option allows you to test out key features, including Smart Cleaning, privacy protection, and Disk Analyzer, without any commitment.
Simply download CCleaner from Piriform’s website, select the Professional version during setup, and enjoy a two-week test period to experience the difference. During the trial, you’ll get access to advanced cleaning and privacy tools, making it easier to decide if CCleaner Professional is right for you.
With this free trial, there’s no risk in trying out the latest version on Windows 10 or other 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
16. Set Cookie Retention for Frequently Visited Sites If you’re like most people, you probably have a few websites you visit often, whether for work, online banking, or shopping. CCleaner Professional gives you the option to keep cookies for those sites, while clearing out unnecessary ones that can compromise your privacy.
Setting cookie retention ensures you don’t have to keep logging back into favorite sites every time you clean your system.
To set this up, simply open CCleaner, go to Options, and select Cookies. From here, you can mark specific sites as “safe,” meaning their cookies will be retained. This is a helpful option if you’re tired of having to sign back into trusted sites while still clearing out tracking cookies that could impact your privacy.
By using cookie retention, you balance security and convenience, keeping your browsing experience smooth without compromising privacy protection.
17. Review Items Before Deleting to Prevent Data Loss One of the most effective habits when using CCleaner Professional is to review flagged items before finalizing any deletions.
Even with advanced software, it’s always wise to double-check what’s about to be removed—especially if you’re cleaning up files that might be important. CCleaner makes this simple by listing out the junk files, temporary files, and other items it’s targeting in each scan.
This approach allows you to maintain full control and avoid any accidental data loss. Whether you’re working with the free version or the Professional edition, taking a moment to review flagged files before deleting helps ensure that only truly unnecessary files are removed.
Once you’re confident, you can proceed with the cleanup, knowing that you’re safely and effectively optimizing your PC.
Final Thoughts Incorporating the 17 best practices for using CCleaner Pro can make a big difference in keeping your computer in top shape. These simple steps help you get the most out of CCleaner Pro, ensuring your PC runs smoothly for all your daily tasks.
Also, don’t forget to check out our Top 10 Website Security Software
Want to get ‘Deals and Promotions’ on CCleaner Pro and other great ‘Product Reviews ’? Subscribe to our website for the latest offers!
Frequently Asked Questions About CCleaner Pro What Is CCleaner Pro? CCleaner Pro is an advanced version of the popular system optimization tool that offers additional features for cleaning, maintaining, and protecting your computer.
How Does CCleaner Pro Differ From The Free Version? CCleaner Pro includes features such as real-time monitoring, automatic updates, and priority support, which are not available in the free version.
How Often Should I Use CCleaner Pro? It’s recommended to run CCleaner Pro at least once a month or more frequently if you notice performance issues or regularly install/uninstall programs.
Can CCleaner Pro Improve My PC’s Performance? Yes, CCleaner Pro can enhance your PC’s performance by removing unnecessary files, cleaning up the registry, and optimizing system settings.
What Files Does CCleaner Pro Clean? CCleaner Pro cleans temporary files, browsing history, cache, log files, and unused registry entries, helping to free up disk space and improve speed.
