Clean up dead PATH entries, orphaned folders, and broken registry keys left by uninstalled apps.
Check whether Windows is genuinely activated and detect signs of unauthorized activation tools.
Organize loose files in the Downloads folder into category subfolders.
Clear leftover developer toolchain caches like npm, Gradle, or Cargo for uninstalled tools.
| hasoftware/wintrash | aveyo/compressed2txt | lewdm3at/pc-cartridge-system | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stars | 211 | 238 | 183 |
| Language | PowerShell | PowerShell | PowerShell |
| Last pushed | — | 2021-11-14 | — |
| Maintenance | — | Dormant | — |
| Setup difficulty | easy | easy | moderate |
| Complexity | 2/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 |
| Audience | general | ops devops | general |
Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.
Needs PowerShell to be unblocked and execution policy allowed for local scripts, some cleanup actions require running as administrator.
WinTrash Toolkit is a single PowerShell script for Windows that scans a computer for leftover clutter from apps that were installed and later removed, such as dead entries in the system PATH, orphaned folders, broken registry keys, leftover services, and old startup entries. It covers 18 different categories of leftovers in total, including things like dead firewall rules, broken shortcuts, leftover Docker Desktop or WSL data, and security related leftovers like stale antivirus exclusions or hijacked debugger settings. The tool is built around a safety first philosophy: it only reads and reports first, then shows every removable item in an interactive checklist where the user manually selects what to clean using the space bar, and nothing is deleted until the user confirms with Enter and types yes. Every cleanup run creates a timestamped backup folder containing exported registry files, scheduled task definitions, and the original PATH value, so changes can be undone later using a built in restore option. Findings are labeled by severity, with items that are objectively broken marked High, items needing the user's judgment marked Medium, and purely informational items marked Info. Beyond the main cleanup scan, the script includes several extra utilities: comparing scan results over time to show what changed since the last run, safely clearing old temporary files, scheduling a monthly automatic scan, freeing up RAM either gently or by closing chosen applications, and organizing loose files sitting directly in the Downloads folder into categories like documents, images, and installers. There is also a read only Windows license check that verifies whether Windows is activated genuinely using Microsoft's own APIs, and separately looks for signs of common unauthorized activation tools, reporting the result without changing anything on the machine. Running it does not require administrator rights for scanning, though cleaning certain items such as services or machine wide PATH entries needs an elevated session, and the tool will tell the user when that is needed. A developer mode adds scanning for leftover caches from tools like npm, Gradle, and Cargo, and can optionally install two companion tools from the same author. The interface is available in Vietnamese, English, Chinese, and Russian, and the project is released under the MIT license.
A single PowerShell script that scans Windows for 18 kinds of leftover app clutter and lets you clean them interactively with backups.
Mainly PowerShell. The stack also includes PowerShell, Windows Registry.
Use, modify, and share freely, including for commercial purposes, as long as you keep the copyright notice.
Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.
Mainly general.
This repo across BitVibe Labs
double-check against the repo, no cap.