Image: Microsoft

Does your Windows 11 computer feel like it's wading through mud sometimes? Maybe startup takes forever, or things just seem generally slower than they used to be. Don't worry, you're not alone! Let's walk through some straightforward tweaks you can make to help speed up your Windows 11 system.

1. Get Rid of Unused Programs (Declutter Time!)

Settings > Apps > Installed apps

New PCs often come loaded with extra software from the manufacturer – some useful, some just taking up space ("bloatware"). Even a fresh Windows 11 installation includes apps you might never touch. Time to tidy up!

• Head to Settings > Apps > Installed apps. You'll see a list of everything installed.

• Find a program you don't need? Click the three dots (...) next to it and choose Uninstall.

• Good news: You can uninstall most things here these days, even the Edge browser if you prefer something else.

Start Menu

Bonus Tip: Microsoft sometimes pins shortcuts to games or apps in the Start menu that aren't actually installed yet. They only download if you click them. You can easily remove these too: just right-click the icon directly in the Start menu and hit Uninstall.

While you're at it, uninstall any programs you installed but no longer use. They might run processes in the background, nibbling away at resources, and old, un-updated software can even be a security risk.

2. Clear Out Digital Clutter

built-in Disk Cleanup tool

Over time, especially if you upgraded from Windows 10, your system can accumulate temporary files and other digital leftovers. Let's do some digital spring cleaning! While third-party cleaners exist, it's often best to stick with Windows' own tools.

• Disk Cleanup: Search for "Disk Cleanup" and run the built-in app. Check the boxes for the types of files you want to remove (like Temporary files, Recycle Bin). It shows you how much space each category uses. Read the descriptions if you're unsure.

• Downloads Folder Check: Open File Explorer and navigate to your Downloads folder. Be honest – how much stuff is in there that you downloaded ages ago and forgot about? Sort by size and delete anything you no longer need. You might free up surprising amounts of space!

• Advanced Cleanup (DISM): Windows keeps older versions of system components after updates, which can take up space. You can analyze and clean this up using the Command Prompt:

  1. Type cmd in Windows search, right-click Command Prompt, and choose Run as administrator.

  2. Type: dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /AnalyzeComponentStore and press Enter. It will tell you if cleanup is recommended.

  3. If recommended, type: dism /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup and press Enter.

  4. Run the first command again (AnalyzeComponentStore) to see how much space you saved. It can sometimes be several gigabytes!




• Optional Helper (Wiztree): If you want a visual way to see exactly what's taking up space, a free tool like Wiztree is excellent. It scans your drive and shows files and folders sorted by size, both as a list and a visual map. This makes it easy to spot large files you might not need. Just be careful: don't delete anything from system folders like Windows or Program Files unless you are absolutely certain what it is! When in doubt, leave it alone or search online first.

3. Control What Starts Automatically

Settings > Apps > Startup

When Windows boots up, several programs and background processes launch automatically. Too many can slow down your startup time.

• Go to Settings > Apps > Startup.

• Toggle off any apps you don't need running immediately when you log in. Less startup clutter means a potentially faster boot.

Want to add a program to startup?

File Explorer

1. Find the program's main .exe file (usually in C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86)). Right-click it and choose Copy (or Show more options > Copy).

2. Open File Explorer. In the address bar, type shell:startup (for just your user) or shell:common startup (for all users) and press Enter.

3. Right-click inside the folder window, choose Show more options, then Paste shortcut.

While this method works, many apps also have a setting within their own options menu to "Start with Windows." Reducing auto-starting apps is especially helpful on older PCs with slower hard drives.

4. Adjust Settings for Better Speed

Settings > System > Power & battery

If Windows 11 feels sluggish, especially on older hardware, tweaking some system settings can help.

Boost Performance Mode:

• Go to Settings > System > Power & battery.

• Click the Power mode setting.

• For Plugged in, select Best performance from the dropdown.

• (Laptop users): For On battery power, choose Balanced or Best power efficiency to save battery life. (This setting moved from the old Control Panel in recent updates).

Use Efficiency Mode for Background Apps:

Task Manager

• If a background app seems to be slowing things down while you're running a demanding program (like a game or video editor), open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc).

• Find the process for the background app, right-click it, and select Efficiency mode.

• This lowers the app's priority and tells Windows to run it as energy-efficiently as possible. It can cause instability in rare cases, but you can easily turn it off the same way.

Trim Search Indexing:

Indexing Options control panel

• Windows indexes files to make searching faster. On older PCs (especially with traditional hard drives, not SSDs), constant indexing can slow things down.

• Search for Indexing Options and open it.

• Click Modify. Review the locations being indexed. If you only ever search within your main user folders (Documents, Desktop, etc.), you can potentially uncheck other locations (like entire drives) to reduce the indexing workload. You can even drill down and exclude specific subfolders within your user profile if needed.

Turn Off Eye Candy (Visual Effects):

• Fancy animations and shadows look nice but use graphics power. On PCs with older integrated graphics, turning them off can make the interface feel snappier.

• Search for sysdm.cpl and open it.

• Go to the Advanced tab and click Settings... under Performance.

• Choose Adjust for best performance (disables all effects) or Custom (lets you pick and choose which effects to disable, like animations or shadows under windows).

Disable Transparency:

Settings > Personalization > Colors screen

• One specific effect not in the list above is transparency (like on the taskbar or Start menu).

• Go to Settings > Personalization > Colors.

• Toggle Transparency effects to Off. Sometimes just disabling this one effect makes a noticeable difference.

5. Optimize for Gaming Performance

Some users felt Windows 11 was initially slower for gaming than Windows 10. Part of this might be due to security features enabled by default in Win 11 that can have a slight performance impact. Note: Disabling security features can increase risk; do so at your own discretion.

• Memory Integrity: This uses virtualization to protect against attacks. You can try disabling it temporarily to see if it improves game FPS. Go to Windows Security > Device security > Core isolation details and toggle Memory integrity off. Reboot required. Remember to turn it back on later for better security.
  

  Windows features: Virtual Machine Platform

• Virtual Machine Platform: This is needed for things like running virtual machines or the Windows Subsystem for Linux/Android, but might have a small impact on some games. Search for Turn Windows features on or off. Find Virtual Machine Platform in the list, uncheck it, and click OK. Reboot required. Only do this if you don't use features that depend on it.

6. Keep Your Drivers Updated

Outdated drivers can cause instability and performance issues.

• Graphics Drivers are Key: Especially for gaming, always get the latest drivers for your graphics card directly from the manufacturer's website (Nvidia, AMD, or Intel). Don't rely solely on Windows Update for these.

• Check Optional Updates: Sometimes Windows finds drivers for other components (like chipset, audio). Go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates. Install any relevant driver updates listed there.

• (Rarely Needed): You can manually update drivers via Device Manager, but usually, the methods above cover most needs.

7. Consider Disabling Unnecessary Services (Advanced Users!)

Windows runs many background "services" for various functions (like printing, sensor management, etc.). Disabling services you know you don't use might free up tiny amounts of resources, but it's an advanced technique.

• Search for Services and open the app.

• You can see a list of services, what they do, and stop or disable them.

• Warning: Be very careful! Disabling the wrong service can break essential Windows functions. Research each service thoroughly before disabling it. This step is more for learning how Windows works than for significant speed gains for most users. Only proceed if you are comfortable troubleshooting potential issues and ideally have a system backup.

Conclusion

You don't have to live with a slow Windows 11 experience! By removing clutter, tweaking settings, and ensuring things are up-to-date, you can often make your PC feel significantly faster and more responsive.

Helpful Final Tip: Start with the easiest steps first – uninstalling unused programs and running Disk Cleanup. These often provide noticeable benefits with minimal risk!