So many cleanup software products exist in so many different groups, that selecting one can be a bit of a challenge. You can find various online applications that let you scan computers as well as clean up general unwanted material. However there are more things that these software tools can do, there are many that also delete private data, locate and remove porno files, detect pirated software, and show where drive space is being used.

Cleanup software packages mainly fit into a few key categories. The first of these are the hard disk cleaners like Microsoft's Disk Cleanup utility, that are used to get rid of redundant files and recover room on the disk. Another distinct group is the privacy protection type, designed to clean out evidence of browsing URLs and delete traces of things you have typed while searching found in your browser, such as evidence removal cleaners. Another type of utility is the 'porn remover', that is able to detect the presence of pornography and a range of other inappropriate files and can manage the cleanup of any files that are not wanted. Yet another category of programs comprising disk 'washing' software which overwrites deleted data found in unused areas of the disk, in such a way that even forensic inspection cannot recover it.

It is possible to derive improvement in system speed by cleaning up your computer. The computer can run faster if fewer files exist that must be manipulated and managed by the drive. Whether small or large, any free space restored after taking the time to do a clean-up will increase system performance when there is lots of free space to work with. And defragmentation is more effective when the hard drive is not cluttered with many useless files. Also, when private files are deleted, there is less chance that the sensitive data could be stolen by anybody that is not authorized to view them.