After the Google Chrome 111 browser update, Chrome Cleanup Tool, an application distributed to Chrome users on Windows to help find and remove unwanted software, will no longer be available.
Chrome Cleanup Tool was introduced way back in 2015 to help users recover from unexpected settings changes, and to detect and remove unwanted software, the tech giant said in a security blogpost.
But since then, the Chrome browser has been updated with better security such as Google Safe Browsing and the integrated Chrome virus protection. The retiring cleanup utility has basically outlived its usefulness.
Less than 1% of scans performed by the tool detected safety concerns in February 2023. So naturally, Google is saying ‘Goodbye and thanks for all the help’ to this cleanup utility.
So users will no longer be able to scan their computer with Chrome Cleanup Tool through the Safety Check feature or the browser’s ‘Reset settings and cleanup’ option in Windows.
Chrome Cleanup Tool has performed more than 80 million cleanups till date.
Chrome user complaints about unwanted software have continued to fall over the years, averaging out to around 3 per cent of total complaints in 2022.
The company will also remove the component in Chrome that periodically scans Windows machines and prompts users if it finds anything suspicious.
Apart from leaning on the Safe Browsing mode, Chrome users can opt for “Enhanced protection” by going to chrome://settings/security.