WinClean

Ultimate Windows 11 Maintenance Script

Automated system maintenance: updates, cleanup, and optimization in one script

English | Русский

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Why WinClean? • Features • Quick Start • Parameters • Safety • FAQ

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🎯 Why WinClean?

😫 Before WinClean Manually run Windows Update Open each browser to clear cache Remember npm/pip/nuget cache locations Forget about Docker cleanup for months Run Disk Cleanup separately Hope you didn't delete something important

😎 With WinClean One command does everything All browsers cleaned automatically All dev tools handled in parallel Docker & WSL optimized Deep cleanup with DISM Safe by design — protected paths

💡 Average cleanup result: 5-20 GB freed, depending on system usage

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✨ Features

🔄 Updates Windows Update (+ drivers) Microsoft Store apps Winget packages PSWindowsUpdate module	🗑️ Cleanup Temp files (3 locations) Browser caches (6 browsers) Windows caches (8 types) Recycle Bin emptying Windows.old removal	👨‍💻 Developer npm / yarn / pnpm pip / Composer NuGet / Gradle / Cargo Go build cache
🐳 Docker & WSL Unused images Stopped containers Build cache WSL2 VHDX compaction	🛠️ IDEs Visual Studio caches VS Code caches JetBrains IDEs MEF cache cleanup	🔒 Privacy DNS cache flush Event logs cleanup Run history (Win+R) Explorer history Recent documents Telemetry (optional)

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🚀 Quick Start

📦 Install from PowerShell Gallery (Recommended)

Install-Script -Name WinClean -Scope CurrentUser

Then run as Administrator:

WinClean.ps1

📥 Alternative installation methods

⚡ One-Line Download & Run

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bivlked/WinClean/main/WinClean.ps1 -OutFile "$env:TEMP\WinClean.ps1"; Start-Process pwsh -Verb RunAs -ArgumentList "-NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File `"$env:TEMP\WinClean.ps1`""

Manual Download

# Download
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bivlked/WinClean/main/WinClean.ps1" -OutFile "WinClean.ps1"

# Run as Administrator
.\WinClean.ps1

Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/bivlked/WinClean.git
cd WinClean
.\WinClean.ps1

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📋 Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default
-SkipUpdates	Skip Windows and winget updates	false
-SkipCleanup	Skip all cleanup operations	false
-SkipRestore	Skip system restore point creation	false
-SkipDevCleanup	Skip developer caches (npm, pip, etc.)	false
-SkipDockerCleanup	Skip Docker/WSL cleanup	false
-SkipVSCleanup	Skip Visual Studio cleanup	false
-DisableTelemetry	Disable Windows telemetry via Group Policy	false
-ReportOnly	Dry run — show what would be done	false
-LogPath	Custom log file path	Auto

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💡 Usage Examples

Full Maintenance .\WinClean.ps1 All updates + all cleanup	Cleanup Only .\WinClean.ps1 -SkipUpdates No updates, just cleanup
Preview Mode .\WinClean.ps1 -ReportOnly See what would happen	Quick Clean .\WinClean.ps1 -SkipUpdates -SkipDockerCleanup Fast cleanup only

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🎯 Recommended Profiles

Choose the right profile for your needs:

Profile	Command	Best For
Preview	.\WinClean.ps1 -ReportOnly	First run — see what will be cleaned without changes
Safe	.\WinClean.ps1 -SkipUpdates -SkipDockerCleanup	Minimal risk — only temp files and caches
Developer	.\WinClean.ps1	Full cleanup — includes npm, pip, nuget, Docker, IDE caches
Quick	.\WinClean.ps1 -SkipUpdates -SkipDevCleanup -SkipVSCleanup	Fast — system cleanup only, no dev tools
Updates Only	.\WinClean.ps1 -SkipCleanup	Just Windows and app updates

💡 Tip: Always run with -ReportOnly first to preview what will be cleaned!

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🔧 Requirements

Requirement	Version	Notes
Windows	11	Tested on 23H2/24H2/25H2
PowerShell	7.1+	Download here
Rights	Administrator	Required for system operations

📦 Optional dependencies

Component	Required For	Auto-installed
PSWindowsUpdate	Windows updates	✅ Yes
winget	App updates	❌ Manual
Docker Desktop	Docker cleanup	❌ Manual
WSL 2	WSL optimization	❌ Manual

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🛡️ Safety

✅ What WinClean Does

Safety Feature	Description
🔄 Restore Point	Created before any changes
🛡️ Protected Paths	System folders never touched
📦 Preserves Packages	NuGet, npm, Maven packages kept
❓ Confirmation	Windows.old asks before deletion
🔧 Service Recovery	Uses try/finally for services
👁️ Preview Mode	-ReportOnly shows changes first

🚫 Protected Paths (Never Deleted)

C:\Windows\
C:\Program Files\
C:\Program Files (x86)\
C:\Users\
C:\Users\YourName\

✅ Safe to Clean vs 🛡️ Preserved

✅ Cleaned	🛡️ Preserved
%TEMP%\*	Documents, Downloads
Browser caches	Browser bookmarks, passwords
npm-cache	node_modules
pip\Cache	Virtual environments
Composer\cache	vendor
NuGet\v3-cache	\.nuget\packages
\.gradle\build-cache	\.gradle\caches\modules

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📊 Execution Flow

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     WinClean v2.13                              │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  PREPARATION                                                   │
│  ├─ ✓ Check Administrator Rights                               │
│  ├─ ✓ Check Pending Reboot                                     │
│  └─ ✓ Create System Restore Point                              │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  UPDATES                                                       │
│  ├─ 🔄 Windows Updates (including drivers)                     │
│  └─ 🔄 Winget Application Updates                              │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  CLEANUP                                                       │
│  ├─ 🗑️ Temporary Files & Browser Caches                        │
│  ├─ 🗑️ Developer Caches (npm, pip, nuget, gradle)              │
│  ├─ 🐳 Docker & WSL Optimization                               │
│  └─ 🛠️ Visual Studio & IDE Caches                              │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  DEEP CLEANUP                                                  │
│  ├─ 🔧 DISM Component Cleanup                                  │
│  ├─ 💾 Disk Cleanup (20+ categories)                           │
│  └─ 📁 Windows.old Removal (with confirmation)                 │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  PRIVACY (optional)                                            │
│  ├─ 🔒 Clear DNS Cache & History                               │
│  └─ ⚙️ Disable Telemetry (if -DisableTelemetry)                │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  📊 SUMMARY REPORT                                             │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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📝 Logging

Every run creates a detailed log:

%TEMP%\WinClean_20260117_143052.log

Log contents:

• ⏰ Timestamp for each operation
• ✅ Success / ⚠️ Warning / ❌ Error status
• 📊 Freed space per category
• ⏱️ Total execution time

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❓ FAQ

Is it safe to run WinClean?

Yes! WinClean creates a restore point before making changes and never touches protected system paths. Use -ReportOnly to preview changes first.

Will it delete my installed programs?

No. WinClean only cleans caches and temporary files. Your installed programs, npm packages, NuGet packages, and user data remain untouched.

How often should I run it?

Monthly is recommended. Heavy developers or users with limited disk space may benefit from weekly runs.

Why does it need Administrator rights?

Required for: Windows Update, system cache cleanup, DISM operations, service management, and creating restore points.

Can I run it on Windows 10?

Primarily designed for Windows 11, but most features work on Windows 10 with PowerShell 7.1+.

What if something goes wrong?

Use the restore point created at the start to roll back. Check the log file for details about what was changed.

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.

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⭐ Star this repo if you find it useful!

Report Bug • Request Feature • Changelog

Made with ❤️ for Windows users