Good job ukheather! Thanks!
Great.
Hi Philip, that does sound frustrating. It’s possible that recent Chrome or CCleaner updates have changed how history is handled. You might try updating both apps, and also double-check CCleaner’s permissions and settings for Chrome. Hopefully a fix rolls out soon!
I haven’t tested yet, but the version history for the latest CCleaner v6.38.11537 (rel. 23-Jul-2025) states “In CCleaner v6.38 we fixed an issue where browsing history was not being cleaned for users with the latest Chromium-based browsers.”
Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.6093 * Firefox v141.0.0 * Microsoft Edge v138.0.3351.95 * CCleaner Free Portable v6.37.11523 * HDCleaner Portable 64-Bit v2.091
1 Like
I just tried the new (July release) and it seems to be cleaning Chrome history correctly!
2 Likes
Thats great!
Glad I reported it on X.
They don’t read the forums it seems as when I reported it, they had no knowledge of it.
I asked them on X and they asked me to DM so I gave details and then they confirmed in a reply post to me that they would fix it next release, and they have seemed to have done although I am not through testing, but it clearly looks like they have.
So next time there is an issue, we should tell them on X as clearly posting on here didn’t fix it as they didn’t even know about the bug.
But yay for sorting it.
1 Like
For me still not fixed in 6.38. Cookies seems not removed and User Data/Default/File System is not removed too! Please look at this issue.
ukheather - yay! You deserve a gold medal. Working for me.
Being able to whitelist cookies makes the internet less of a PITA for me. I don’t understand why no one else (that I’ve found) lets you do this.
1 Like
Hi TheOwner:
Please provide further details. For example, what is your Windows operating system and antivirus, and are you using the current Google Chrome v138.0.7204.169 or some other Chromium-based browser? Are you using a Free or Profssional edition of CCleaner v6.38.11537, and if you go to Options | Cookies are there any sites listed under the Cookies to Keep column that are excluded from cleaning by CCleaner?
Close your browser and run a Custom Clean with CCleaner (assuming, of course, you have enabled cleaning of cookies for your browser in Custom Clean). If you open your browser again how many cookies persist for this browser? I don’t use Chrome, but in my MS Edge v138.0.3351.95 browser I can check this at Settings | Privacy Search & Services | Cookies | See All Cookies and Site Data.
If I understand correctly the path C:\Users<yourusername>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\File System points to Chrome’s file system data directory, which is used by websites to store data for offline use. If you enter chrome://settings/content/all in your Chrome address bar and sort by “Data Stored” you should be able to see which sites are storing the most offline data and delete that stored data for individual or all listed sites.
I can’t verify the accuracy of the following since I don’t use Chrome (and have my MS Edge browser configured to clear all browsing data on exit), but the AI used by Google Search tells me:
The folder AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/User Data/Default/File System in Windows is where Chrome stores data related to the File System API, which is part of HTML5 and used by websites for storing data locally. This includes files stored by websites using the FileSystem API. You can safely clear or delete the contents of this folder if you need to free up disk space, but be aware that doing so might affect the functionality of websites that rely on this API…You can clear the data by deleting the contents of the folder, or by using Chrome’s built-in tools for clearing browsing data, specifically selecting “cookies and other site data”.
Does anyone following this topic know:
- If there is an item you can enable in CCleaner’s Custom Clean settings that is supposed to safely delete the contents of the hidden C:\Users<yourusername>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\File System folder
- If not, can a user add this hidden folder in CCleaner at Settings | Options | Include | Add to create custom clean rule.
Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.6093 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.25060.7-1.1.25050.6 * Malwarebytes Premium 5.3.4.202-136.0.5312 * Firefox v141.0.0 * Microsoft Edge v138.0.3351.95 * CCleaner Free Portable v6.37.11523 * HDCleaner Portable 64-Bit v2.091
First of all, I would like to sincerely thank you for your fast and response. I really appreciate your attention to this issue.
I use the latest free versions of CCleaner and Avast on Windows 10 22H2 64-bit. Recently, I have been experiencing significant slowdowns with Chrome, which I suspect are caused by Avast.
I started a discussion about this issue here: Anyone noticed Chrome slowdown/lag since Avast 25.5?.
I tried reinstalling Chrome and even deleted the entire “User Data” folder, but nothing changed. For some reason, the “Cookies and other site data” setting in Chrome does not remove the content in the File System folder. It only removes the data sometimes, when they are detected, usually only in current session, after PC restart, those data are not recognised and stay here forever.
Previously, CCleaner also did clean this properly. When I check chrome://settings/content/all, I see many sites using a lot of disk space, which ideally should be cleaned by CCleaner. Cache data is also not being cleared by CCleaner. I have ticked Chrome cache in CCleaner, but I dont see cache files being cleaned in result.
Also enabled Chrome extensions shows CCleaner as disabled.
This issue should probably be investigated by Avast as well, but so far, they have not communicated on the matter.
Update: Sorry for my post about Cookies. Cookies are the only one, which are correctly deleted, but cache files and web data not.
Works for me. Thanks!
Hi TheOwner:
I don’t want to take this thread off-topic by trying to troubleshoot a possible conflict between Avast Free Antivirus v25.x and Google Chrome, but after reading AlbertD’s 16-Jun-2025 comment about Avast’s Web Shield feature (now called Web Guard) in your topic Anyone noticed Chrome slowdown/lag since Avast 25.5? I googled “Avast Web Shield Chrome conflict” (without quote marks) and the AI Overview generated the following response:
Avast Web Shield can sometimes conflict with Google Chrome, causing browsing issues or preventing access to specific websites. This often manifests as “Your connection is not private” errors, blocked connections, or websites failing to load. The conflict can be resolved by adjusting Avast’s settings, specifically by adding exceptions for problematic websites or temporarily disabling Web Shield.
I’d suggest you configure your Chrome browser to clear your browsing data on exit and …
- Temporarily disable the Web Guard feature in Avast Free Antivirus, or
- Uninstall Avast Free Antivirus***
…and then run further tests with the latest CCleaner v6.38 to see if it finds any additional data to clean in your Chrome browser.
_______________________
*** Use the Avast Clear removal tool to wipe Avast Free Antivirus v25.x off your system and just use the Microsoft Defender antivirus built-in to your Win 10 OS while testing. If you decide to switch to Microsoft Defender permanently you can supplement your system protection by adding a reputable content blocker to Chrome [I use a combination of uBlock Origin (Lite) and Privacy Badger in my MS Edge browser - Malwarebytes Browser Guard is another good choice] and running the occasional on-demand manual scan with Malwarebytes Free v5.x just to check for any low-risk PUPs (potentially unwanted programs) like adware, browser toolbars, etc.
If you aren’t familiar with the Malwarebytes Free anti-malware scanner see my 07-Jun-2024 post # 2678804 in crimsoncricket’s Window Security is Behaving Strangely in the AskWoody forum for hints on how to install and use Malwarebytes Free v5.x.
Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.6093 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.25060.7-1.1.25050.6 * Malwarebytes Premium 5.3.4.202-136.0.5312 * Firefox v141.0.0 * Microsoft Edge v138.0.3351.95 * CCleaner Free Portable v6.37.11523 * HDCleaner Portable 64-Bit v2.091
Thank you for your response.
I have three computers at home, all running the same software setup (Windows 10 22H2, Avast Free, and Google Chrome). All of them are experiencing the same issue with slow page loading in Chrome. This issue is especially noticeable when uBlock Origin Lite is installed and enabled (with default settings).
I’m confident that this is not caused by malware, as each computer is used for different purposes.
All my computers are isolated from each other on the router, so no malware can spread through the home network. It’s also unlikely to be a driver issue, since the hardware differs between the machines. My internet connection is 500 Mbps, and I’m not experiencing any general internet speed problems.
I’ve tested the system using a live version of Linux Mint, where everything works flawlessly and loads quickly. I know this issue is not related to CCleaner, but I’ve reported it multiple times on the official Avast forum and have not received a single response.
Anyway, CCleaner does not clean cache or web data for me, and uBlock Origin Lite is always shown in CCleaner as disabled.
Update: I read recent post about problems with junctions. My Chrome “User Data” folder uses directory junction.
mklink /J “C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data” “D:\Chrome\User Data”
Maybe this is the problem, why is my Chrome is not cleaned anymore? Before worked it, I use this junction for years.
The issue in that other post may well be because of using the Registry Cleaner which may be deleting the junction entries.
Are you also using the Registry Cleaner? (Or using any registry cleaner).
I never used any registry cleaner. My junction works perfectly.
Isn’t a junction a file system feature that does not rely on the registry?
Hi TheOwner:
Which could indicate that Avast Web Guard is conflicting with uBlock Origin Lite. Did you try disabling Avast Web Guard in your Avast Free Antivirus as I suggested in my 25-Jul-2025 post <above> to see if that improves your Chrome browser performance?
I have no experience with the new Manifest V3 version of uBlock Origin Lite so I can’t provide my own feedback about this extension - my default Firefox browser and MS Edge browser (which I rarely use) both still support the original Manifest V2 version of uBlock Origin. The table in Microsoft’s official roadmap at Overview and Timelines for Migrating to Manifest V3 (last updated 25-Jun-2025) still says “TBD” (To Be Determined) for the date when Manifest V2 extensions will be permanently disabled in MS Edge.
If you are referring to the Tools | Browser Plugin feature in CCleaner (which I never use to manage my browser plugins after experiencing problems with this feature in CCleaner v5.x) I checked today and it looks like CCleaner is correctly detecting the status of the extensions I added to my Firefox browser, but my MS Edge browser isn’t listed there. See my 02-Aug-2025 post in krihavi’s 04-May-2025 Turn off microsoft edge browser plugins using ccleaner.
See APMichael’s 01-Aug-2025 post in airium’s CCleaner Fails to Recognize Program Paths Using Junctions, who noted that “CCleaner has been ignoring Symbolic Links and Junctions since the end of 2023.”
Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.6093 * Firefox v141.0.0 * Microsoft Edge v138.0.3351.121 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.25060.7-1.1.25050.6 * Malwarebytes Premium v5.3.5.204-137.0.5331 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783 * CCleaner Free Portable v6.38.11537 * HDCleaner Portable 64-Bit v2.091
Avast Web Guard is the main reason I use Avast. It’s renamed Web Shield, so I need it. I experience slow browsing even without Ublock Origin Lite, but it’s still usable a bit. With Ublock Origin Lite, browsing becomes nightmare, how slow browser load pages and react to basic actions. Unusable.
If I uninstalled Avast, the problem was solved. It’s so sad that no one from the Avast team has ever communicated with me about this issue.