Cleaning a Windows PC without breaking anything
Caches, temp files, old installers: what can go safely. Registry, "RAM boosters", drivers: what is better left alone. And the free tool we built for it.
To clean a Windows PC without risk, only delete what rebuilds itself: app and browser caches, temporary files, and installers you have already used. Leave the registry, drivers and your own files alone unless you look at them one by one. That is where 90% of the space is, and none of it can break your computer.
Why does a PC fill up on its own?
Every program you use leaves things behind. Your browser keeps copies of the pages you visit so they load faster. Spotify stores the music you listen to. Windows Update keeps the updates it has already installed. Discord keeps the images you have already seen. After a year, it is common to find 10 to 20 GB of files that nobody will ever open again.
What can you delete without risk?
- Browser caches (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave…): only the cache, never passwords, bookmarks or sessions.
- App caches: Spotify, Discord, Slack, Teams, Adobe media cache, npm or pip caches for developers.
- Temporary files older than 24 hours (younger ones may still be in use).
- Windows Update leftovers: updates already installed.
- Installers already used: the setup file of a program you have already installed is dead weight.
What should you never touch?
- The registry. “Registry cleaning” speeds up nothing measurable, and one wrongly deleted key can break Windows.
- “RAM boosters”. Windows already manages memory; emptying it only forces it to fill up again, slowing the PC down. If the PC is slow, close the app that uses too much memory.
- Old drivers and Windows.old when you might need to roll back.
- Your own files in bulk. Large files and duplicates are worth reviewing, but one by one, and through the Recycle Bin.
Is there a tool that does this properly?
That is why we built Kaury Clean, a free Windows PC cleaner: it only removes what rebuilds itself, shows every item before cleaning, never touches the registry and sends no data. It is 1.6 MB, has no ads and no account, and its code is public on GitHub, so anyone can check what it does.
- Download: clean.kaury.studio
- Source code: github.com/theoblondel/kaury-clean
How often should you clean your PC?
Once a month is plenty for most people. More often is useless: caches rebuild as soon as you use your apps again, and that is normal, it is what makes them fast.