Winapp2
A database of extended cleaning routines for popular Windows PC based maintenance software.
Install / Use
/learn @MoscaDotTo/Winapp2README
Winapp2.ini
What is Winapp2.ini?
Winapp2.ini is a massive, community-driven database of declarative cleaning routines for Microsoft Windows. It provides a comprehensive mapping of individual applications and system components to their transient data (temporary files, caches, logs, recently used lists, and more). With thousands of contributions spanning over a decade and a half, it is likely the most extensive dataset of its kind available on the internet.
Winapp2.ini is compatible with CCleaner, BleachBit, System Ninja, Avira System Speedup, R-Wipe&Clean, and HDCleaner.
Why Winapp2.ini?
Winapp2.ini avoids the risks of overreach common in generic cleaning tools by adopting an exhaustive, declarative approach. Where many tools rely on sweeping file-type patterns applied across entire drives, Winapp2.ini demands explicitly defined target paths and conceptual linkage between those targets and their parent applications. This prioritizes clarity, specificity, and control over generalization, offering users an inspectable system that can be audited and safely customized to suit individual needs.
Winapp2.ini functions as an extension of the applications with which it is compatible, enabling it to update independently of them. This decoupling grants users greater freedom to move between tools and versions without sacrificing functionality.
Will this help make my computer faster?
Probably not. On modern systems, there's little performance incentive for this kind of system hygiene. In fact, over-cleaning caches can potentially reduce your performance by forcing apps to rebuild data they could have reused.
That said, there are still plenty of good reasons to clean:
- Troubleshooting app issues
- Reclaiming disk space
- Minimizing the size of system backups
- Enhancing privacy
- Or simply because tidying up feels good sometimes
What are flavors?
Flavors are the result of specific sets of modifications applied to each Winapp2.ini update to produce variants which cater more closely to the features supported by particular applications. This is an automated process carried out when Winapp2.ini is built for each update, so these flavors are always up to date with the latest version of Winapp2.ini even if the copy shipped with the application is not. Flavors are intended to function as drop-in replacements to the Winapp2.ini shipped with each of these applications.
Disclaimer
Winapp2.ini is provided as-is and without warranty. Understand that its intent is to enable you to delete files, folders, and registry keys off of your system in a way that is programmatic and potentially irreversible. Please exercise caution and take appropriate backups where relevant while using winapp2.ini. It is advised you use winapp2ool to manage your local copy of winapp2.ini, as it can provide bespoke changelogs which should be read carefully to fully understand the scope of changes made between versions.
Table of Contents
Quick Start
- Download winapp2ool.exe
- If necessary, open the winapp2ool settings and select your preferred flavor. The default flavor is the CCleaner flavor.
- Follow the installation guide for your cleaner application below.
- Use winapp2ool to keep your copy updated and trimmed for optimal performance.
Files of interest
| Name | Purpose
| :- | :-
| Winapp2ool | A robust tool that allows you to manage Winapp2.ini for your system, including automatic downloading and trimming. This tool has its own ReadMe here.
| Winapp2.ini | This is the base winapp2.ini file, it has no content removed or changed, and includes rules which may overlap or conflict with CCleaner/BleachBit rules.
| CCleaner Winapp2.ini | The CCleaner flavor of winapp2.ini, designed to reduce overlap with CCleaner rules and better integrate with its UI.
| BleachBit Winapp2.ini | The BleachBit flavor of winapp2.ini, designed to remove unsupported rules and pass the sanity checker.
| System Ninja winapp2.rules | The System Ninja flavor of winapp2.ini, designed to replace unsupported rules with ones compatible with System Ninja.
| Tron winapp2.ini | The Tron flavor of winapp2.ini, designed to capture the downstream changes made by Tron to the CCleaner flavor.
| Winapp3.ini | An extension for an extension; contains entries for use by power users. You should not use this file if you do not know what you are doing. Entries in this file can potentially be very aggressive/dangerous to your file system.
Installation & Configuration
It is strongly recommended you keep a copy of winapp2ool.exe in the same folder as winapp2.ini for the purpose of keeping it up-to-date irrespective of which application you are using.
CCleaner
<details> <summary>CCleaner Installation and Configuration</summary>Download CCleaner
Note: CCleaner 7 is not currently compatible with winapp2.ini and it is unclear whether or not support will be implemented. Winapp2.ini is compatible with CCleaner up to version 6.39
Flavor
You should use the CCleaner flavor for ideal integration into the UI and minimized rule overlap, however the base ("Non-CCleaner") Winapp2.ini will also work
Installation
Place winapp2.ini in the same folder as ccleaner.exe. By default this is ..\Program Files\CCleaner
It is advised that you use the Trim function of winapp2ool when updating winapp2.ini to reduce the CCleaner startup time, as the full winapp2.ini file can unnecessarily slow down the CCleaner start up process.
Configuration
CCleaner will display the set of winapp2.ini entries which it detects as valid for your system inside its Applications tab. In modern versions of CCleaner, this tab is found in the Custom Clean section of the application. All winapp2.ini entries are disabled by default in CCleaner, and must be enabled individually or in groups. To enable an entire group of entries, right click on the section header and select "Check all."
Note: CCleaner 5.64.7577 is the last version to work on Windows XP and Vista (for non-SSE2 CPUs CCleaner 5.26.5937). Winapp2.ini and Winapp3.ini will continue to work with this version.
</details>BleachBit
<details> <summary>BleachBit Installation and Configuration</summary>Download BleachBit
Flavor
You should use the BleachBit flavor. This flavor is designed to improve compatibility with BleachBit by eliminating errors thrown by BleachBit's sanity checker when using the base winapp2.ini. Use of any other flavor will throw a small number of errors and not allow you to run any entries which contain them, but will otherwise function correctly.
Installation
- Ensure that you have disabled "Download and update cleaners from community (Winapp2.ini)" in the BleachBit settings.
- Place winapp2.ini in
%AppData%\BleachBit\Cleaners.
Likewise, BleachBit maintains their own customized version of winapp2.ini which you can enable the use of from within the application:
- Open BleachBit.
- Select the "Edit" tab, and then "Preferences".
- Check the box that reads "Download and update cleaners from community (Winapp2.ini)".
Configuration
BleachBit will display the set of winapp2.ini entries which it detects as both having valid syntax and also as being valid for your system in its sidebar. All winapp2.ini entries are disabled by default in BleachBit, and must be enabled individually or in groups. To enable an entire group of entries, select the check box next to the section head
