The media Softpedia reports that the system cleaning tool CCleaner has been included in the new Microsoft Store for Windows 11. CCleaner is a system optimization and privacy protection tool designed to clean up junk files and users’ Internet history on Windows systems. It can clean up junk from temporary folders, history, recycle bin, registry, etc.
In fact, the relationship between Microsoft and CCleaner had been strained for years before that. In 2020, Microsoft’s Windows Defender flagged CCleaner as a “Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUA)”. The reason for this is that CCleaner is bundled with other non-Piriform software, such as
- Google Chrome
- Google Toolbar
- Avast Free Antivirus
- AVG Antivirus Free
Windows Defender actually blocks the application completely on the operating system and Microsoft itself downplays the impact of such software on Windows users. Shortly after the launch of Windows 10, a Microsoft engineer described CCleaner as an unnecessary piece of software: “CCleaner is… how do I put it mildly … don’t… let’s just move on!”
All indications are that Microsoft wasn’t too keen on CCleaner at the time; now, things are changing. The new Microsoft Store comes with several policy updates that make it more attractive to software developers. In addition to CCleaner, browsers like Firefox and Opera are now available in the app store; Google’s Chrome browser is expected to be introduced sometime this year.