CCleaner for Windows INI files:
This page explains CCleaner's INI files, what they are for, and where you can find them on your Windows operating system. Here is the full list of topics:
- What CCleaner INI files are for
- Where you can find CCleaner's INI files
- 6 types of INI files and what they do
Note: This page's contents are for advanced users of our app and may require a certain level of technical knowledge and expertise.
What CCleaner INI files are for:
These are internally-stored settings that CCleaner uses to figure out which apps and Windows settings it can clean.
Where you can find CCleaner's INI files:
These files are made in C:\Program Files\CCleaner in Windows by default. You can create an INI file by checking the Save all settings to INI file.
You can find this in Options > Advanced. By default, no INI files exist when you first install the application.
6 types of INI files and what they do:
Note: We don't recommend Winapp1or Winsys1, and you only need to use Winsys2.ini and Winapp2.ini for most purposes.
1. Winsys.ini, winapp.ini, winreg.ini
You can create these files by running CCleaner with the /export command-line argument. They contain a copy of CCleaner's cleaning options for reference, and altering them doesn't alter the software's behavior. These files cover the Windows tab in Custom Clean, the Applications Tab (also in Custom Clean), and the Registry Cleaner.
2. Winapp2.ini
If you create this INI file, you can add entries in the Applications tab in Custom Clean for new software that CCleaner can clean. See How to add your own program for CCleaner to clean.
3. Winapp1.ini
If you create this INI file, the Applications tab's contents in Custom Clean get replaced with the entries in this INI file.
4. Winsys2.ini
If you create this INI file, you can add new areas of Windows files or Registry items in the Windows tab in Custom Clean for CCleaner to clean. See How to add other areas of Windows for CCleaner to clean.
5. Winsys1.ini
If you create this INI file, it replaces the Windows tab's contents in Custom Clean with the entries in this INI file.
6. CCleaner.ini
This file contains all the settings for CCleaner that you can set within the program. If you are running CCleaner Portable, or if you set CCleaner to save its settings to an INI file (see Changing Advanced Settings), CCleaner will save its settings to CCleaner.ini. For more information about modifying this INI file, see Using CCleaner.ini to modify how CCleaner runs.
Note: The portable version of CCleaner knows that it is portable because of the file portable.dat in the application folder. If CCleaner finds the file portable.dat in the application folder, it always saves its settings to CCleaner.ini. The contents of the portable.dat file do not matter. You can also create a dummy file.
