As you use your gaming PC more and more, it can really start to accumulate some junk. There are many things that can clutter up a computer such as registry errors, a virus, spyware, junk files, or hard drive fragmentation. This clutter can really cause your computer to run much more slowly than it should be running. In this article, we look at a few of the best free programs that you can use to help clean up your computer.
Benefits of Cleaning and Anti-Malware Software
Before we get into the list of the best free programs to keep your PC clean, let look at a few reasons why it is worth using.
- Malware can wreak havoc on your PC, keeping your PC malware free is crucial to keeping your PC running fast.
- Freeing up storage space on your device can improve performance.
- Cleaning software can improve the speed and stability of your gaming PC.
- Some cleaning software can remove traces of your online activity.
- In general, cleaning software can improve the overall PC performance.
- Cleaning software can fix common errors and crashes.
- Cleaning software can improve security by removing unnecessary and sensitive information.
Windows Defender
Windows Defender is the free anti-virus package that comes standard with Windows. Malware can cause your computer to run quite a bit slower. Along with the performance issues, you don’t want a virus on your computer for a plethora of reasons. Windows Defender is 100% free and it does a great job finding and eliminating malware and viruses. It also provides 24/7 protection to help keep your PC clean.
Windows Defender has really improved over the last 5 years. Many top tech bloggers consider Windows Defender in the top 5 anti-virus software packages on the market today. These top lists usually include paid anti-virus software as well, so it is quite impressive that Windows Defender cracks into these lists while being 100% free.
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes is another free program that specializes in removing malware and viruses. This program is one of the best programs on the market today when it comes to finding and removing any malware. Malware can be very destructive to your PC and your data. Hopefully, when you run Malwarebytes, it doesn’t find any issues. However, if it does, you will be happy that you took care of the problems. I would highly recommend this tool to help keep your computer clean. Another positive thing about Malwarebytes is that you can have Windows Defender active and still use Malwarebytes at the same time. As a side note, it is a great idea to run these malware and virus scans in safe mode for a number of reasons.
CCleaner
CCleaner is another solid Windows tool to help keep your computer clean. CCleaner really does a ton of things. It will clean up your temporary Internet files, clean the registry, clean your windows log files, clean temporary Windows files, and more. This program works fast and has a 100% free version. After your computer is malware free, cleaning up all the other junk is the next step to a faster, cleaner, and more efficient PC. One thing I want to mention is that CCleaner was hacked a few years back, so, use a secure, unique password if you decide to sign up for an account.
Glary Utilities
Glary Utilities is another all-in-one PC cleaner much like CCleaner. Glary Utilities can help you clean your computer by cleaning the registry, removing temporary Internet files, removing temporary Windows files, and more. Along with the cleaning tools, Glary Utilities also comes with other PC optimizing tools. A few of the top ones are the startup manager, memory optimizer, and the file shredder. Overall, this is a solid and easy to use tool that I would recommend.
A Note of Caution
It’s important to note that cleaning tools should be used with caution, as they can also delete important files and settings if used improperly. It is always recommended to create a backup before using any cleaning tools.
The tools above are a few of the best, free tools on the market today to keep your gaming computer clean. By using them often, you can be assured your computer performance stays top notch.
Do you use or know of another free tool to help keep your gaming PC clean and running at peak performance? If so, let me know if the comments!