Microsoft recently published a detailed blog post on the various native Windows 11 configuration tools that allow users to tweak and customize Windows. This was the same post we noticed the first official declaration of the impending "deprecation" of the Control Panel in favor of the Settings app, although, after our report, Microsoft updated the post and such words were dropped.
The tech giant understands that the Control Panel, alongside the likes of the Registry Editor and the Group Policy Editor, remain important tools for users.
Speaking of the Registry, some users want a Registry Cleaner for Windows 11 that will be natively available on the OS. Two of the top trending posts in the Feedback Hub with around 200-300 upvotes are about the request to add a native Registry cleaner.
There are plenty of third-party Registry cleaners that are in the market that suffice though these users probably want something that is official. One of the most popular ones out there comes bundled with the CCleaner app. There are plenty of others too which we cover in our Neowin software stories section. These cleaners primarily help to remove seemingly redundant registry entries, although some of them also claim to improve the overall system performance.
However, Microsoft"s stance on the use of such Registry cleaners is clear. It does not support the use of such applications and has warned users on its official website via a support document. Microsoft writes:
Some products such as registry cleaning utilities suggest that the registry needs regular maintenance or cleaning. However, serious issues can occur when you modify the registry incorrectly using these types of utilities. These issues might require users to reinstall the operating system due to instability.
Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved without a reinstallation of the Operating System as the extent of the changes made by registry cleaning utilities varies from application to application.
Microsoft is not wrong to condemn the use of such apps. Registry cleaners typically have little usefulness. There is no hard evidence to suggest that they improve system performance in any way, although sometimes they may help to remove rogue Registry entries made by malware.
Microsoft already has a PC Manager app that, similar to such clean-up utilities, also claims to offer "one-click boost" to system performance, but it is far from flawless.