Five apps to clean the Windows 10 registry + Tips and Tricks

The Windows 10 registry is a database where the operating system stores the information necessary for managing installed applications, hardware devices and the configuration of the user or users using the personal computer.

It is easy to understand that it is a fundamental file that the system, applications and devices use continuously and from which the operation of a PC is fully controlled, its appearance, behavior of its components or access to functions as we saw in the article on group policies. Absolutely everything is there, user profiles, the place where there are certain files essential for the operation of the system, the types of documents, all the hardware of the equipment or even the icons that are used.

How is the Windows 10 registry

The current registry was released in Windows 98 and remains with very little change until Windows 10 and the Windows Server versions. It came as a more efficient method to replace the text-based .ini files that were used in MS-DOS and Windows 3.x configuration files, such as the Autoexec.bat and Config.sys files that will remember the older ones in the place and that today would be insufficient to include the gigantic software and hardware ecosystem that Windows 10 occupies today.

As we said, this file contains information that Windows refers to continuously during its operation, such as the profiles of each user, the applications installed on the computer, the types of documents that each one can create, the configuration of the property sheet for folders and application icons, the hardware that exists in the system, the ports that are used and a very long etc.

The file is a hierarchical database (in the form of a tree) composed of groups of keys, subkeys and finally registry values ​​of different types. As you will see in the image, it consists of five large groups:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT: The information stored here ensures that the correct program opens when opening a file using Windows Explorer.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER: This information is associated with the user’s profile and contains the root of the configuration information for the user who is currently logged on, the user’s folders, the screen colors, or the Control Panel settings.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE: This group stores the specific parameters of the common computer for all its users.

HKEY_USERS: Contains all user profiles actively loaded on the computer.

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG: Stores information about the hardware profile used by the local computer at system startup.

Windows offers an internal application called regedit that allows you to view the registry file, make the pertinent changes in it or introduce new keys. In addition, it allows you to export all its content or that of a specific branch in a file with its extension .reg in case there is an error to be able to restore it. The System Backup utility also allows you to save the entire registry, as well as boot files and personal data.

Five free cleaners

The Windows 10 registry increases in size simply by using the operating system, installing / uninstalling applications, or whatever hardware components we add or replace. It is not unusual for all this to slow down the use of the equipment or to leave traces of faulty or corrupted entries, and inconsistencies that harm the user experience and cause everything from small errors to serious failures.

The industry offers specialized tools that are capable of scanning the registry and identifying broken or invalid entries and repairing them. This has the practical benefit of limiting / fixing errors and increase machine performance.

The use of these applications is not innocuous, as is not any manual change that we make to it. Taking into account the importance of this database, we recommend again We strongly recommend that before using them you make a copy of the registry so that in case of problems you can restore it and return it to a previous state. Being clear about the above, we leave you five free applications capable of ‘cleaning’ this file.

CCleaner

An application in its day outstanding that we used millions of users since the glory days of Windows XP as an ‘all in one’ for the maintenance and optimization of the PC. The software has been losing value the last few years since its current owner, Avast, incorporated a module that collected data without the consent of users, added advertising and installed the company’s antivirus without due transparency. A serious security flaw installed a Trojan in one version of the software and Microsoft added it to its ‘blacklist’ of domains, which ended up reducing its use.

All this does not mean that its great capacity in maintenance tasks has been reduced and knowing that it is not what it was, it cannot be used. Among tools of all kinds, keep highlighting your registry cleaner Windows 10, which examines shared DLL files missing from the system, unused file extensions, ActiveX and Class issues, type libraries, fonts, outdated software, startup items, and other issues that prevent the system from working properly.

CCleaner is available in a free version and other commercial versions with more functions for Windows 10, 8.1, and 7, with support for 32-bit and 64-bit versions. If you don’t want to have to deal with adware, we recommend the version that does not require installation, CCleaner Portable.

Auslogics Registry Cleaner

Compared to an all-in-one like CCleaner, this is an application exclusively dedicated to keeping the Windows 10 registry in tip-top shape, cleaning unnecessary, duplicate or corrupted entries. Very easy to use, it is capable of fixing various problems, including broken Start menu shortcuts, quick launch, recent documents and desktop items.

Its operation is typical in these types of applications, first with a complete scan where the software analyzes the system and reports problems in the registry so that users can select and exclude those they want or do not want to correct. In addition, it offers online information on each problem encountered and automatically create backups of the registry in a ‘rescue center’ to restore in case the changes cause more problems than the ones that it promises to fix.

Auslogics Registry Cleaner offers a free version although only the ‘Pro’ version scans all supported areas of the system registry. Beware of additional junk software you try to install, a pernicious rule that runs through freeware.

Wise Registry Cleaner

Another free cleaner that offers a clean interface and intuitive options. The program has three types of cleaning– Quick scan that only scans secure registry entries, deep scan that includes everything, and a custom area that allows the user to choose any part of the registry to scan, excluding the rest. Like the ones above, create backups before any changes and a restore point just in case.

The application checks for invalid registry entries when it comes to ActiveX and COM components, software paths, file types, firewall settings, fonts, shared DLL files, and others. Cleaning jobs can be scheduled to run automatically, and a small tool is available to defragment the registry, reduce its size, and make the computer run faster. It adds some optimization functions to speed up PC startup and shutdown, SSD optimization, network settings, and other parameters.

Wise Registry Cleaner ofrece full free version without ads, in addition to a premium version that allows cleaning the registry of multiple user profiles, something that most of them will not really need. It works from Windows XP to Windows 10 in 32 and 64 bit versions. It does not have a portable variant.

Glarysoft Registry Repair

Probably the simplest of this selection, as it starts scanning the registry as soon as it starts. Upon analysis it shows issues related to registry integrity, adware and / or spyware, outdated software, custom controls, file extensions, etc.

Can fix all problems with one click or check every single one of them, as decided by the user, being able to delete entries, leave them as they are or add them to an exclusion list to ignore them in future analyzes. It also creates backups automatically before making changes.

Glarysoft Cleaner is free and does not include advertisements or hidden options. It does try to install another application from the same developer, which you should discard if it is not of your interest.

Eusing Free Registry Cleaner

Don’t be scared by its outdated installer or interface, more typical of Windows 98. Inside it continues to be updated and is an old-school cleaner that does its job very well. It has three different parts, analysis, repair and restoration, where appropriate, of a previous copy that is made automatically before modifications.

It scans various parts of your system registry, including files and folders, software locations, fonts, invalid help files, shared DLLs, or startup programs, and displays them in their corresponding key. It also has a manager to manage the startup load in order to speed up the Windows startup sequence by disabling autorun applications.

Eusing Free Registry Cleaner has support from Windows 9x to Windows 10, through NT, 2000 and XP. Ad-free and adware-free.

Do you use Windows 10 registry cleaners? On other Windows? With what tools? Certainly they are applications with which you have to take extreme precautions taking into account what they ‘touch’, but they can be useful in some scenarios. And always, always, before making any changes make sure you have backup copies, the registry, a full backup or using the internal application of restore points.