Cleanup safety
What DRX cleanup removes and what it protects
Cleanup can free disk space, but aggressive cleanup can break games and launchers. DRX cleanup should be conservative: remove safe temporary data and protect files that identify, configure, or authenticate games.
Cleanup should never be reckless
Freeing a few extra megabytes is not worth breaking FiveM, Rockstar, Riot, or game launcher authentication. Protected paths matter more than aggressive totals.
Generally safe cleanup targets
DRX can clean common temporary locations and logs that Windows and apps recreate naturally.
- Windows temporary folders.
- User temporary folders.
- Selected system logs and crash dumps.
- Browser cache for supported browsers.
- Windows Update leftovers where safe.
- Recycle Bin when the user chooses to clean it.
GPU and shader cache caution
GPU cache cleanup can help in some troubleshooting cases, but clearing shader cache repeatedly can increase stutter while games rebuild it. Cleanup should not treat shader cache as always bad.
Game launcher folders that should be protected
Some folders look like cache but contain identity, launcher, or compatibility data. Removing them can create errors after cleanup, even if the game was closed during cleanup.
- FiveM and CitizenFX.
- Rockstar Games Launcher.
- Social Club.
- DigitalEntitlements.
- Riot and Vanguard sensitive folders.
- Launcher config folders used by Steam, Epic, Battle.net, Ubisoft, and EA.
Why process detection is not enough
If a game is closed, process detection will not see it. Cleanup still needs protected path rules so important launcher folders are skipped even when the process is not running.
When 0 MB cleaned is valid
A 0 MB cleanup result can be correct when files are already clean, protected, locked by Windows, or currently in use. The UI should explain that instead of implying failure.