Argus Cleaner Documentation

Welcome

Argus Cleaner is an all-in-one storage manager for Windows 10 and 11: it brings together in a single free app what usually takes several programs — disk space analyzer, cleaner, duplicate finder, uninstaller, disk-health tool, Windows optimizer and hardware monitors.

Three principles guide it: everything is local (no data leaves your PC), everything is safe (each action is color-coded before you touch it), and everything is fast (instant analysis by reading the disk directly).

Installation

Argus is portable: no installation, no account, no connection. Ready in seconds.

First scan

On launch, Argus shows a summary of your PC (processor, memory, graphics card, disk health) and then your storage drives.

1. Click a drive. Argus reads its NTFS table and maps in seconds everything taking up space.
2. Explore with the treemap or the 3D map.
3. Move to the Cleanup tab to reclaim space safely.

Interface overview

Argus is organized into tabs, available from the sidebar:

Visualizer & treemap

The treemap turns each file into a rectangle proportional to its size: what's eating your space stands out instantly. Click a block to dive from folder to folder, down to the guilty file.

Each block is colored by safety, and an info panel explains what the hovered file is.

3D map

The 3D map shows your disk in relief, like a city: each building is a file, its height is its size.

• Rotate the view with the mouse.
• Move around with the arrow keys.
• Selection is designed to never open anything by accident.

Search

The Search tab filters your whole disk by name, size, date or type. Perfect for spotting large files at once and handling them in batch (delete or move via the action queue).

Cleanup & health score

The Cleanup tab finds everything that regenerates: browser and system caches, temporary files, recycle bin, Windows update leftovers, logs…

1. Argus gives the disk a health score and lists reclaimable space by category.
2. Each category is color-coded — tick only what you want.
3. A clear summary appears before running.

Duplicate files

Argus compares files by their actual content (a fingerprint), not just their name: it finds true duplicates, even renamed ones. An assistant shows the reclaimable space and automatically ticks the copies to delete while keeping the original.

Deep uninstall

Where the Control Panel leaves leftovers, Argus uninstalls an application then hunts down what it left behind: orphaned folders, registry keys, shortcuts. A truly clean result, with no extra software.

Optimization & privacy

The Debloat tab removes useless preinstalled apps and turns off tracking, telemetry, Copilot and Recall.

• Settings grouped by profiles (Performance, Privacy…).
• Fully reversible: every change can be undone.
• Argus creates a restore point before acting.

Disk health (SMART)

Argus reads the low-level SMART data of every SSD and hard drive: temperature, wear, reallocated sectors, total bytes written (TBW)…

It derives a clear verdict to anticipate a failure:

GPU / CPU / RAM monitors

From the home page, click the Processor, Memory or Graphics card cards in the system summary to open a detailed panel — more complete and more readable than GPU-Z or CPU-Z, and 100% local.

Processor

Code name, process node, Performance/Efficiency cores, cache, instruction sets (AVX2, AES-NI…), live per-core load and temperature. A plain-language analysis explains what it means.

Memory

Details of each module (brand, part number, DDR4/DDR5, frequency, dual channel), plus the live list of the most demanding processes — which you can stop directly from Argus, without opening Task Manager.

Graphics card

Model, VRAM, driver, resolution, live load and memory. Temperature is shown for NVIDIA cards.

Timeline

The Timeline shows how your storage evolves over time: what grew, when, and how fast. Argus also estimates how long until your disk is full at the current rate, in plain language.

Argus encyclopedia

Argus ships with an encyclopedia of thousands of Windows files and folders. Click ⓘ next to an item: Argus explains what it does, whether it's safe to delete, and why — 100% offline, no web search.

The color system

This is the heart of Argus: before you touch anything, every item is color-coded by risk.

Instant analysis (NTFS)

Most file explorers walk folders one by one — slow on a large disk. Argus reads the Master File Table (MFT) of the NTFS system directly: the complete disk map is rebuilt in seconds, without opening each folder.

This is also why Argus needs administrator rights: low-level reading of the MFT requires them.

100% offline

Argus runs entirely locally: no network connection, no telemetry, no account. Verifiable: cut your Wi-Fi and everything keeps working, encyclopedia included.

Your data never leaves your PC. The only possible network access is the donation link, which only you choose to open.

FAQ

Is Argus really free?

Yes, completely and forever. No paid “pro” version, no locked features, no ads.

Is it dangerous for my system?

No. Argus color-codes every item and blocks the vital areas of Windows. Your personal files are never marked “system”.

Is my data sent anywhere?

Never. Argus is 100% offline (see 100% offline).

What languages is Argus available in?

The interface is 100% translated into French and English; 12 other languages are in beta.

Troubleshooting

“Windows protected your PC” / unknown publisher

Argus is recent and not yet signed by a paid certificate. Click “More info” then “Run anyway”. If needed, verify the SHA-256 hash published on the home page.

An antivirus flags the download

A common false positive with unsigned independent software. If the SHA-256 hash matches, the file is intact.

Why administrator rights?

To read the NTFS table (instant scan) and clean deeply. It's a technical Windows requirement, not access to your data.

System requirements