BleachBit is a free program for Microsoft Windows and Linux devices that helps users delete temporary files to free up disk space. Often compared to CCleaner, BleachBit has not gone down the route of commercialization.
The program is free and does not contain locked tools that need to be unlocked with a purchase. Users on Windows may download and run a portable version, if they prefer that.
BleachBit serves several purposes: from freeing up disk space to removing traces of files for privacy.
This review looks at the features and functionality, but also how the software compares to CCleaner, which is still the most popular cleaner on Windows.
BleachBit: the interface
BleachBit’s interface is streamlined. The app may take a moment to load. Once loaded, it displays supported cleaning locations in a sidebar on the left. This includes, usually, one or more web browsers, the operating system and some other apps.
A click on an entry expands the selection. You can select any category or entry to get a description; useful, in case you are unsure if you should delete found data.
Selecting an entire category may sometimes include sensitive or important information. When you select a browser, BleachBit informs you that passwords may also be removed. The option to ignore certain data types is provided.
One useful feature of BleachBit is its preview option. Select preview to check the selected locations for temporary files without running any cleanup operations. BleachBit returns the number of files and the disk space that it will free when you run it for real.
All files are listed by the app, which can be intimidating at first. A click on clean deletes the selected files and frees up the disk space.
BleachBit features
BleachBit’s main focus is web browsers, the operating system, and several core apps, e.g., Windows Defender or Explorer on Windows.
Before you run the program, you may want to open the Settings with a click on the BleachBit icon and the selection of preferences. There, you find several interesting options:
- Enable overwriting file contents to prevent recovery.
- Disable confirmations before deleting.
- Disable Dark Mode.
- Download and use community cleaners using winapp2.ini. Note that you need to restart the application to include the extra cleaners.
- Add custom cleanup files or folders.
- Whitelist files or folders to avoid deletions.
It is highly recommended to enable the winapp2.ini option, as it extends BleachBit significantly.
A click on the BleachBit icon displays additional options. These include options to delete files or folders permanently, wipe free disk space, and to display system information.
Comparison to CCleaner
BleachBit lacks many of the extra tools that Avast added to CCleaner. While some users may miss those options, others may like the program’s focus on cleaning. With winapp2.ini loaded, BleachBit does not have to hide behind CCleaner when it comes to the cleaning part.
Free users especially may like the approach, as they won’t run into “please upgrade to use this tool” messages when they use the application.
To sum it up, if you are just interested in the cleaning bits, then you may prefer BleachBit because of its lack of fluff.
Closing Words
BleachBit is a useful tool to delete temporary files on supported operating systems. Its effectiveness increases with the addition of additional cleaners, but it does get more complex at the same time.
Still, if you want to delete temp files quickly, BleachBit is an excellent option for that job.
Now You: do you use a cleaner?
BleachBit is another of those apps I want to use, but have had repeated experience of it causing problems even with vanilla settings. I haven’t been able to figure out the exact cause. I recommend setting a System Restore point before running it for the first time (I’d suggest this for the first run of any “cleaner” app)
So I am stuck with CCleaner, which annoyingly phones home and offers to update even if I have that option turned off, or Privazer, which does a good job but lacks the winapp2 option.
It’s worth mentioning the CCleaner Enhancer app for updating winapp2 files.