CCleaner causes Windows 11 desktop background to turn black after every restart

CCleaner for Windows CCleaner Windows Help Requests
1

Dear CCleaner Support,

I am experiencing a reproducible problem on a Windows 11 computer after running CCleaner.

Before using CCleaner, the Windows desktop background was set to a solid blue color.

After running CCleaner, the desktop background is black after every Windows restart.

The important point is that I can manually change the Windows 11 desktop background back to a solid blue color under:

Settings → Personalization → Background → Solid color

The blue background is then displayed correctly.

However, after restarting Windows, the desktop background is black again.

I have already checked and reset the Windows personalization settings. I have also checked the relevant Windows wallpaper and background settings. The problem continues to occur after every restart.

The issue started directly after running CCleaner.

I therefore suspect that CCleaner has either:

  • changed or deleted a Windows desktop/theme setting,

  • changed a registry value,

  • deleted a Windows theme or background cache,

  • or is applying a setting again during Windows startup.

I do not use a wallpaper image. I only want Windows 11 to display a solid blue desktop background permanently.

Please advise me specifically:

  1. Which CCleaner cleaning option can affect the Windows 11 solid desktop background?

  2. Which CCleaner setting must be disabled to prevent this?

  3. Which registry value, Windows setting or file may have been modified or deleted by CCleaner?

  4. How can I restore the original Windows 11 setting permanently?

  5. Does CCleaner perform any background or startup cleaning that could reset the desktop background after every restart?

The problem is reproducible:

  1. Set desktop background to solid blue.

  2. Restart Windows.

  3. Desktop background is black again.

I would appreciate a concrete technical solution rather than general Windows personalization instructions, as those settings have already been checked.

Kind regards,

Harald Sexl

2

By default, ccleaner (or even not by default for the most part, though I’m not doubting you that ccleaner is doing this) should not be doing this.

Are you running Healthcheck or Custom Clean. if the latter which checkboxes have you checked outside of the default, especially in the registry tab.

Are you certain that ccleaner is doing it. If you don’t use ccleaner and restart the computer it does not change?

3

Just asking…

Did you do the recent update? KB5120998
It’s caused quite a few bugs , curser problems, black screen at start etc.

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/bork-tuesday-any-problems-yet.370217/page-354#post-3284453

https://www.windowslatest.com/2026/08/29/were-aware-microsoft-on-windows-11-kb5120998-breaking-the-mouse-cursor/

4

Yes, all updates have been installed, including KB5120998.

5

I have had this problem only since I used CCleaner. Before that, the desktop background worked normally.

I ran both Health Check and Custom Clean.

There were many checkboxes in Custom Clean. I currently do not know which specific option could be responsible for this behaviour.

To show all selected settings, I would need to provide screenshots of the relevant CCleaner screens.

What I can say with certainty is that the problem started immediately after I used CCleaner. Before using CCleaner, I did not have this problem at all.