As web browsers grow more complex, so does the need to maintain them. Unwanted extensions, toolbars, hijacked home pages, and irrelevant plugins are just some of the elements that can drag down performance. Google recognizes that plenty of digital bugs are out there looking to hitch a ride on Chrome, and to fight them it offers an official tool called Chrome Cleanup Tool.
Some of the worst stories in tech support and computer maintenance circles involve web browsers. Half a dozen toolbars cluttering the screen, plugins that inject ads, and a long list of horrors can bring not only the computer's performance to its knees but also the pleasant experience you'd expect from a normal session. During my years repairing computers, I've tried over and over to explain why all those add-ons cause so much damage to the browser, yet it was always the same users who filled their systems with malware and toolbars. This lack of awareness and the absence of automatic maintenance mechanisms in browsers force developers to take action, and on Google's side, we find Chrome Cleanup Tool.
Basically, all this tool does is run a quick scan of your computer to detect whether one or more programs are affecting Google Chrome's performance. Chrome Cleanup Tool applies the concept of "Fire and Forget": double-click the executable, wait a few seconds, and then order the cleanup. The program offers no configuration parameters, nor does it present real-time reports on detected programs (though you'll find a log in the same folder as the executable), but if we set those details aside, it actually works quite well. Chrome Cleanup Tool follows in the footsteps of the old Software Removal Tool, which saw the light of day just over a year ago.
If you have the slightest suspicion that Google Chrome is running below its capabilities and you can't pinpoint the problem at a glance, Chrome Cleanup Tool might be able to set the ship back on course. Still, the tool is only the first step. Having the latest version of the browser, limiting the number of extensions, and being careful about the sites you visit are secondary actions that perfectly complement Chrome Cleanup Tool's work.
