How CleanSweep protects your PC

SafetyGuard is CleanSweep’s last line of defense. It checks every file, folder and registry key once more immediately before deletion and always refuses to delete critical system locations, even if an item was selected.

It works independently of the scanner, like a second brake. If the scanner ever gets something wrong, SafetyGuard stops it before anything is removed.

CleanSweep never deletes system folders, your personal folders or critical registry keys. That includes:

• The Windows folder, the root of Program Files, the root of AppData, and the Start menu
• Critical registry areas such as Microsoft, Classes, file extension associations and SYSTEM
• Anything inside Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Music, Videos and OneDrive
• Files on your desktop, except shortcuts belonging to the program you removed
• Windows drivers and services, and any service it cannot back up

CleanSweep resolves junctions, symbolic links and 8.3 short names (like PROGRA~1) to their real location first, then checks that location with SafetyGuard. A link that points at a protected folder can’t trick it into deleting what’s inside.

The confidence level tells you how much evidence CleanSweep has that an item belongs to the program you removed. Certain and Likely items are selected for you. Unsure items are never pre-selected; you have to review and tick them yourself.

Examples of items marked Unsure:

• Names that only match after removing a version or publisher, for example “Python 3.12” becoming “python”, which could match data from every version
• Folders inside other users’ profiles on the same PC
• Folders that contain other installed programs
• Folders that look like user data, such as database files or large amounts of data
• Items an install log captured without evidence that they belong to that program

No. CleanSweep doesn’t treat a launcher’s uninstaller, or an executable shared by several programs, as the game’s install folder. You can remove one game without touching the launcher or your other games.

CleanSweep always asks first, and only closes programs running from the folders it’s about to remove after you confirm. Your unsaved work never disappears without warning.

Yes. Every registry, service, scheduled task and PATH removal is backed up first, and files go to the Recycle Bin by default. Open Restore in CleanSweep, pick a backup and roll it back. Restoring is always free.

If a file can’t be moved to the Recycle Bin, CleanSweep never silently deletes it permanently; it asks you first. You can also have it create a System Restore point before every uninstall.

Yes. Junk cleanup only targets temporary files, caches and files the system can recreate. It doesn’t touch your documents, passwords, cookies or settings, skips risky locations, for example a %TEMP% variable that points at the root of a drive, and checks for junctions before deleting each file.

The free edition sends nothing. There is no usage telemetry, and lists of your files, programs or registry contents never leave your PC. When you activate Pro, the app sends only your license key, a one-way hashed machine ID and the app version, to verify the license. See the privacy policy.

No. Its uninstaller removes CleanSweep’s own scheduled task, asks whether to delete its data in %ProgramData%\CleanSweep, and releases the license seat for that PC. An app about clean uninstalls should uninstall cleanly itself.

CleanSweep has an automated test suite that checks SafetyGuard’s rules and program-name matching, plus end-to-end tests that create a simulated program on the machine, then really scan, remove and restore it, to confirm that only the right items are removed and that everything comes back.