Windows slowing down over time is so common that it has become an accepted and normalized part of owning a computer — but it doesn’t have to be that way! There are many things you can do to breathe new life into your computer and make it run as smoothly as before.
Windows includes a number of tools and utilities that can help optimize your system, and there are plenty of techniques for manually cleaning up and speeding up your computer — but all of that takes time and effort. If you like the idea of making your life a little easier (and who doesn’t like the sound of that?), you can turn to a third-party app.
But there are so many optimizers and cleanup tools out there that it’s impossible to know where to start. Which ones are good? Which do what they say? Are the free tools as good as the paid ones? To answer the third question first, yes, free utilities can be just as good as paid alternatives.
And to answer the first two questions, we’ve created this roundup of the best free tools you can use to clean up and speed up Windows.
Fortect tries to be more than just an application that aims to speed up your computer. Namely, in addition to fixing problems with your registry and system files, it also focuses its attention on junk files and malware damage and offers performance tweaks. It is obvious that the developers have tried to focus on solving all the common problems that can cause the computer to slow down or even crash. Thanks to its lightning-fast scanning speed and in-depth repair, it manages to identify problems or missing DLLs and fix them within seconds.
Fortect’s main advantage lies in its ability to cleanly replace damaged files, ensuring that your personal data and installed applications remain intact. Furthermore, Fortect significantly improves your computer’s performance by removing unnecessary junk files and fine-tuning your system settings. Thanks to its extensive database of Windows components, it ensures that the correct files are used every time it performs a repair. Whether it’s a minor or major malfunction, Fortect can diagnose and potentially fix the problem without wasting days, weeks, and sometimes months of research and diagnostics.
The price of the one-year plan is 30.95 euros and covers one year of service. In contrast, the multi-device plan, from €37.95 per year, includes additional functions such as disk defragmentation and automatic updates. The Ultimate plan, priced at €53.95 per year, goes a step further by providing superior customer support and enhanced malware detection features.
IObit Advanced SystemCare takes a two-pronged approach, targeting both general PC clutter and security threats.
The free version of the software covers the basics, with a quick system scan, one-click hack protection, performance monitoring, and the ability to automatically capture potential intruders’ faces using FaceID.
These are all great tools – well-designed and easy to use – but to take full advantage, you’ll need to invest in a premium edition of the software. IObit Advanced SystemCare Pro is one of the most affordable cleaning tools. A one-year license costs US$23.99/AU$17.71/US$30.64 and brings with it a host of additional features including startup optimization, automatic updates and performance monitoring.
For just a little more, Advanced SystemCare Ultimate offers a complete security suite to protect your computer from malware and viruses. It includes ransomware protection that detects unauthorized file changes in real-time and blocks them before your data can be encrypted – even if it’s a new type of threat that’s never been encountered before.
Some of the IObit Advanced SystemCare tools will have a negligible effect on system performance unless you’re really scrambling, but their deep scans will throw up many potential improvements that can make a tangible difference to system performance. We especially appreciate the clear labeling of scan results so that users can make an informed decision about what to keep and what to discard.
Ashampoo WinOptimizer (so named because it cleans your computer ‘like shampoo’) is one of the most affordable tools for speeding up your computer and is a great choice if you’ve never used a system optimizer before.
Click ‘Start Scan’ and it scans your drives for potential problems and divides the results into three categories: cleanup (junk files), optimization (Internet settings) and protection (history and logs). You can fix it all with one click, or click the ‘Details’ button for more information.
This is where Ashampoo WinOptimizer really shines. Instead of just presenting you with an endless list of file names, it walks you through each problem individually, offering a brief description, an explanation of how it might affect your computer’s performance, and a recommended course of action. It’s refreshing to see an interface that’s been so carefully designed with accessibility in mind.
There’s also the usual suite of defrag, uninstall, and startup tools (grouped under the “Modules” tab), but the main scanner is where this software really shines.
At the time of writing, premium Ashampoo WinOptimizer 15 has been discounted to $9.99/£8.74/AU$17.49 for a one-year license for one computer. This includes an additional game booster, faster scanning, Windows 10 privacy controls and SSD setup wizard.
Whether you opt for the free or premium edition, Iolo System Mechanic is one of the best tools to speed up your computer and delete junk files.
System Mechanic offers two types of scans: quick and deep. The first option identifies the most common problems (including temporary files, browser history, and registry entries). A deep scan goes deeper and has the potential to yield more results, but takes a few minutes. Your results may vary, but in our experience both have shown a similar number of issues.
Clicking on the ‘Details’ link gives you plenty of information about the problems identified and why you might want to remove them, although it’s not as straightforward as Ashampoo Winoptimizer.
Iolo System Mechanic Professional is the most expensive of the PC speeders here, at $69.95/£69.95/AU$89.32 for a one-year license, although that covers all the computers in your home, not just one. It’s also much more than just a system optimization tool; includes double anti-malware protection, data recovery, secure file deletion and many other extras.
If you’re considering buying an anti-malware tool to complement your antivirus, it’s worth adding Iolo System Mechanic to your shortlist.
Please note that you will be asked to submit an email address during registration, but Iolo does not share it with third parties.
Piriform CCleaner is incredibly thorough, scanning every piece of your hard drive or SSD for unnecessary files that could be slowing it down. However, unlike some system speed-ups, it is never overwhelming. Search results are organized into sensible categories (such as temporary files attached to web browsers and those associated with Windows), and any files you want to keep are marked by default.
CCleaner doesn’t offer a description of all file types before it offers to delete them, but if you select any file under the “Advanced” heading, it will tell you why you should think twice before removing them. It would be nice if all the notes were in such plain English, but we appreciate the effort.
CCleaner’s registry scanner is excellent; most system speedup tools only give you a one-click option, but CCleaner lets you choose what types of entries you want to search. This is ideal if you’re having trouble with something specific (if you can’t reinstall a program because of entries left after you uninstalled it, for example).
You also get the usual tools for defragmenting, wiping drives, and system restore, though they’re all easily accessible through the Windows 10 Control Panel.
When you install CCleaner Free, you will also be offered to download Avast Free Antivirus. It’s one of the best free antivirus apps out there and worth a look if you’re looking for a new security suite, but otherwise be sure to uncheck the box before proceeding.
A CCleaner Pro license costs $24.95/£19.95/AU$29.95 and offers you convenient real-time monitoring, scheduled cleaning, automatic updates and premium support. The free cleaner is great, but the Pro version will save you time and hassle in the long run.
Both the free and premium versions of Glary Utilities promise to make your computer up to eight times faster. Its main attraction is the one-click cleanup, but there’s also a suite of add-ons including a disk space analyzer, a process manager, and a context menu manager (an unusual but welcome addition).
Glary Utilities also provides a handy estimate of your computer’s startup time, and the free edition includes automatic updates—a time-saving feature you’d otherwise have to pay for.
Its one-click maintenance option checks all common system debris, including invalid and missing registry entries and temporary files. Some of his descriptions are a little strange. For example, its history cleaning tool is listed as Tracks Eraser – a strange term you won’t see elsewhere. If Glary Utilities finds problems related to them, you can click ‘show details’ to find out what the problem is, otherwise it will remain a secret.
Regarding the scan results, we’d like to see more information about what each identified problem actually is instead of just a list of file names and locations, so users can make an informed choice about what to keep.
A one-year Glary Utilities Pro license normally costs $39.95/£38.84/AU$67.13, but keep an eye out for special offers – especially during the festive season.
One caveat: When you install the free version of Glary Utilities, you’ll get the option to add a desktop icon for Maiagames – a developer of free puzzle and adventure games. The checkbox is unchecked by default, but it’s worth paying attention to if you want to avoid any plugins.