Administrator Rights

SystemCleaner starts with your current Windows permissions. You can analyze accessible locations and clean your own temporary files without elevating the entire session.

When a shield appears

A Windows shield marks locations that require administrator rights, such as Windows folders, system-wide data and other users' files. Such rows are not automatically selected for cleanup in a normal user session.

Selecting one offers to restart SystemCleaner as administrator. If you accept, Windows requests approval or administrator credentials. The restart discards the current analysis, so run the analysis again before choosing what to clean. If you decline, the protected selection stays unchecked.

Inaccessible locations

A location that could not be measured is not necessarily empty. The result indicates that administrator rights are needed to measure it. Elevation improves access but cannot guarantee deletion of files held open or protected by Windows.

When SystemCleaner runs inside an already elevated O&O product, a separate elevation prompt may not be necessary.