Do you experience slow performance on your computer? It does not always mean you need a computer; simple tweaks can significantly speed up your Windows PC experience. In this guide, we will discuss different ways to speed up our Windows 10 Windows 11 pc performance.

Disable Startup Software and Services

Windows run many services in the background which uses system resources and slows them down. Many software we install create services, without us knowing during installation. They get added to the startup services list. So get to see the list and remove unwanted services starting every time you boot up the system.

Go to Settings > Apps > Startup 

Also in Task manager, there is a startup tab listing the services.

For detailed information types services in the search bar and it will open the Windows services app with a complete listing. There you can sort them out by status column(running services) and going through them and disabling unwanted ones.

Background Apps and Privacy 

Go to Settings > Privacy 

And see the list of app permissions allowed to different programs. Disable them which are not necessary and privacy inclusion. 

The Background apps tab list the programs run in the background only necessary ones are

Windows security & windows store 

You should disable the rest of them.

Uninstall Programs

You should be aware of how to uninstall programs from windows if you are a regular user. There are many programs we install which are not necessary, maybe for testing or other purposes. 

Go to Settings > Apps 

And see all the programs listed there.

Some installed programs will not be listed there but are installed.

Go to C Drive > Program Files OR > Program Files(x86)

Uninstall unwanted programs not listed in your settings

Another place to look at:

Go to C Drive > Users > your username > AppData > Roaming

AppData folder is hidden select the show hidden files in folder settings to show it.

Clean up Windows 

Windows has a cleanup app Disk Cleanup search and open it. 

Only the C drive needs to be cleaned up because windows files are stored there it impacts its performance if there is not enough space in there.

Another option:

Go to Settings > System > Storage 

Listed here are temporary and leftover files in different categories. Go through each theme and delete them according to your choice.

Defragment Drives

Go to Settings > System > Storage > Optimize Drives link

Select the drive and click optimize button. 

This will rearrange the file storage location in an adjacent place instead of fragmenting greatly increasing the disk reading speed.

Windows Security Scans

Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security 

OR 

Open the windows security app directly from the search bar.

In Virus & Threat protection scan the system. There are 4 different options in the scan options 

Quick scan, Full scan, Custom scan, and Offline scan.

Try a quick scan at least once a week and a full scan once a month to speed up windows 10/11.

Update Windows, Drivers, and Programs

Windows get updated regularly with new features and security patches. 

It is a good idea to always get the update when it’s available. 

Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update

And check for updates and install them. 

If you have an older version either windows 10 or windows 8 then upgrade to windows 11 immediately. 

Because the newer version is always faster than the previous windows.

Update Device Drivers

Older device drivers also slowdowns the computer sometimes. It is necessary to update them regularly.

Search > Device Manager

Open it and look for an error or warning in the device list. 

Then update it from the actual manufacturer’s website.

Update Programs

Outdated programs slow down a computer, usually due to compatibility issues or a bug. 

Windows store apps like window media and others get updated automatically. 

If you want to update them immediately then:

Open Windows Store > Library > Get Updates

Third-party Applications you have to update manually like many desktop apps. 

Change Power Plans

Windows have different power plans available to optimize power usage on your computer.

High performance is the best option if you work on a desktop computer or a laptop but are always plugged in.

The High Performance plan uses more power to run Windows faster.

Go to Settings > System > Power & Sleep 

If it only shows the balance option then, select ‘create power plan’ from the left side option. 

There you will find two additional options ‘power saver’ and ‘high performance.

Create the two new plans and select High performance one.

Disable System Effects

Disabling system effects like shadow, smooth fonts, and animation also improve system performance and speed up windows 10/11. 

Go to Settings > System > About > click Advance System Settings

This will open system properties settings, in the advanced tab click settings and choose ‘Adjust for performance’.

It will unselect all the options shown in the table below or choose custom and select only necessary effects like smooth fonts.

Also, disable transparency effects.

Go to Settings > Personalization > Colors > disable Transparency Effects

Increase Page File Size

A page file is a very important file whose purpose is to hold overflow system memory data for currently running programs. 

It helps in improving system performance. 

Go to Settings > System > About > click Advance System Settings 

This will open system properties settings, in the advanced tab click settings and then choose the Advanced tab again.

In the virtual memory, section clicks the change button in settings to set a custom page file size. 

Reinstall or Repair Windows

Sometimes computer performance can be increased by repairing or reinstalling windows. 

Corrupted system files greatly impact windows performance.

Sfc & Dism

Windows provide two tools for that purpose. 

First Dism (Deployment image servicing and management tool). This will repair system files and restore OS health.

Open > Command Prompt as Administrator.

Enter > DISM /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

For Sfc again enter the command:

Sfc /scannow

Reinstall Windows

Instead of repairing and updating, the better option would be to reinstall windows. Better to back up your files if you choose to reformat the drive.

Go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > click Get Started.

Hardware Changes for Storage and RAM

The most important hardware for system performance is the CPU, RAM, and Storage. Today, laptops don’t have upgradable CPU sockets anymore.

On a desktop, it is not easy and it is better to hire a hardware technician to apply thermal paste correctly. 

CPUs are expensive anyway, so a better option would be to upgrade system storage and ram.

Increase the Ram to at least 16Gb or more would be better.

For storage, if the system is still using the old hard drive, then upgrade to SSDs, or better to choose NVME drives.

If you follow these tips, it will greatly speed up Windows 10 or Windows 11 in your system.