Schedule CCleaner to Run Automatically
Scheduling CCleaner using Windows task scheduler is quite simple. First, open up the Task Scheduler application by searching for it in the Start menu/screen.
Once the Task Scheduler is opened, select the option “Task Scheduler Library” on the right pane and then select the option “Create Basic Task” on the left pane.
The above action will open up the basic “Task Wizard” window. Here enter a meaningful name and description of your choice in the respective fields and click on the “Next” button.
Here in this window, select the frequency for the task to start. Ideally you can select “Weekly” as the “Daily” option is often unnecessary and is a bit aggressive. Once you are done selecting the frequency, click on the “Next” button.
Here select the time, date and day of the week and click on the “Next” button to continue.
Now you need to select a program to run at the scheduled time. To do that, select the option “Start a Program” and click on the next button.
Here in this window, click on the “Browse” button and select the CCleaner executable located in the “Program Files” folder in the C drive. If you are on a 64-bit architect, select the 64-bit version of the executable, e.g. “CCleaner64.exe.” Now in the “Add arguments” field, add /auto and click on the “Next” button to continue.
Once everything is done, the Task Scheduler will show the summary of the created task. Just verify the task once and click on the “Finish” button to complete the process.
At this point, you are done configuring CCleaner to run at a scheduled time. But CCleaner sometimes needs elevated privileges, and it may cause an issue if you don’t provide them in advance. To enable elevated privileges, find and right click on the task we just created and select the option “Properties” from the list.
The above action will open the task properties window. Here in the “General” tab, select the option “Run with highest privileges” and click on the “Ok” button to save the changes. Of course, if you wish you can further customize the task properties like power options, run times, etc.
That’s all there is to do, and it is that simple to run CCleaner at a scheduled time using Windows Task Manager. From this point forward, CCleaner will run silently in the background at the scheduled time to clear up all the clutter. Hopefully that helps, and do comment below if you face any problems or just to share your thoughts and experiences.
