BleachBit is a free, GPL-3.0 system cleaner written in Python that deletes files on Windows and Linux to free disk space and protect privacy, made for desktop users and administrators who want a cross-platform alternative to commercial cleanup tools.

What it is

BleachBit is a desktop application that removes files from Windows and Linux machines to reclaim disk space and reduce traces left on the system. It is written in Python under the GNU General Public License version 3 or later, and offers both a graphical interface and a command line interface reached through python3 bleachbit.py --help. Cleaner definitions, licensed under the same GPL-3.0 terms, live in companion repositories: CleanerML, winapp2.ini, and the BleachBit Miscellaneous Repository. Translations run through Weblate at hosted.weblate.org/projects/bleachbit/, with documentation at docs.bleachbit.org and the home page at bleachbit.org.

The problem is the pile of caches, temporary files, and logs that fills disks and holds personal data, with no easy way for most users to inspect them first. BleachBit replaces CCleaner, the commercial utility it is tagged as an alternative to, for users who want a free program they can read and change. Its method is cautious: adjust preferences, select options, click Preview, review the file list, toggle options, and only then click Delete. The antiforensics topic reflects use by people clearing local traces rather than simply saving space.

Key capabilities

• Preview-then-delete workflow: select options, click Preview, review files, toggle options, then click Delete.
• Cross-platform desktop application for Windows and Linux, with a GUI as the primary interface.
• Command line interface, invoked as python3 bleachbit.py --help, for scripting and headless use.
• Cleaner definitions in CleanerML format, plus a repository of winapp2.ini definitions.
• Localization through Weblate at hosted.weblate.org/projects/bleachbit/.
• Docker-based packaging: docker/build.sh sets up a container, runs make tests, and builds packages for debian, fedora, or opensuse, copying artifacts to ./docker-artifacts/.
• Developer targets: make install-deps-dev, make tests, make lint for .py and .sh files, and make pretty for .py and .xml files.

Who uses it and how

• Linux desktop users reclaiming space on a full home partition, relying on Preview to confirm what will go.
• Windows users wanting a free CCleaner alternative, installing the desktop build instead of running from source.
• Privacy and antiforensics users clearing caches, logs, and temporary files from a local machine.
• Translators contributing through Weblate, and packagers driving docker/build.sh to produce debian, fedora, or opensuse builds.
• Developers writing cleaner definitions in CleanerML or winapp2.ini format, running make tests and make lint first.

Getting started

Run from source with make install-deps, then make -C po local to build translations, then python3 bleachbit.py; many Linux systems already have the basic dependencies.

How it compares

The registry tags BleachBit as a ccleaner-alternative, pitting it against CCleaner, the commercial utility it substitutes for. BleachBit is free and licensed GPL-3.0, with cleaner definitions under the same terms, so both the program and the rules deciding what it deletes stay open to reading, modification, and redistribution. It is also cross-platform across Windows and Linux.

When to use it — and when not to

Source users must supply the Python runtime and system dependencies and build translations, and there is no hosted version, since BleachBit is a local desktop application. Deletion is irreversible and Preview is the only guard between a selected option and removed files. The README is thin for end users, covering the source build and developer commands while pointing elsewhere for a manual, and 313 open issues suggest modest expectations around packaging polish and fix speed.

make install-deps       # runtime deps (auto-detects Debian/Fedora/openSUSE/Arch)
make -C po local        # build translations
python3 bleachbit.py

python3 bleachbit.py --help

make install-deps-dev

make tests   # run tests
make lint    # check .py and .sh files for issues
make pretty  # format .py and .xml files

./docker/build.sh <distro> # distro is one of {debian, fedora, opensuse}