Although Windows 10 is faster than earlier versions of Microsoft’s desktop operating system, it may yet be improved. With our help, you can make your Windows 10 PC run quicker.
Software, like PC hardware, is getting faster, and Windows 10 is no exception. This is particularly true when it comes to starting time. If you’re upgrading from Windows 7 or earlier, you’ll be astonished at how quickly your machine is up and running. However, once you’re up and running, there are a few more considerations to consider. Even the most up-to-date, gleaming version of Windows isn’t immune to slowdowns.
Many Windows speedup articles have the flaw of advising you to disable some of the operating system’s more entertaining features, such as visual animations. The majority of our suggestions will help you speed up your Windows 10 system without sacrificing its aesthetic or usefulness. Most are likewise free, while others need the purchase of software or hardware. A handful of the ideas near the end do enhance system performance at the sacrifice of visual bling for folks with older, low-power PCs who desire a speed boost but don’t care about extra goods.
Be wary of registry cleanup adverts that claim to “Speed Up Your PC!” because they frequently lead to viruses. The usage of registry cleaners in Windows 10 is categorically not supported by Microsoft.
It is suggested that you keep your operating system up to date. This may appear to be too clear to list as a distinct step below. Check the Windows Update area of the Settings app on a regular basis to check if any security or reliability updates are available. Because they can include hardware driver upgrades, one of them may make your PC run quicker. Even if you don’t want a major feature upgrade right now, you can put it off under the same section of Settings.
- Run a Tune-Up Utility first
Even if it’s only a minor performance improvement, the majority of them do improve PC performance. Of course, there are many fraudulent downloads claiming to speed up your PC, so stick to Wilson’s list of tried-and-true products. Iolo System Mechanic excels in his tests, but there are a few others worth considering for their variety of features and price points.
- Remove Spyware
Though the situation is improving, some new laptops still have unneeded preinstalled software added by PC manufacturers. A Lenovo PC we evaluated a few years back had around 20 so-called assistant programs loaded, and these would sometimes and inconveniently pop up and stop our work. The number of preloaded, unneeded programs has decreased in recent years. Only nine of these apps were included in a new HP laptop, while only five were included in a recent Asus model. Even Microsoft isn’t blameless in this game, with a couple of King-developed titles and possibly some mixed reality software you’re not interested in.
Simply right-click any unwanted software tile in the Start menu and select Uninstall. This will uninstall the software right away. You may also right-click on the Windows logo Start button and select Programs and Features from the drop-down menu. Alternatively, type Programs in the search box next to the Start button in Cortana.
Remember that there are two types of applications in Windows 10, conventional desktop apps and new Windows Store apps. In the current Settings app’s Apps & Features page, you’ll find both types. Non-Store apps, on the other hand, bring up the Control Panel, where you may uninstall good old desktop programs. You can sort by size, date installed, or name, or search for a specific software in either.
Many programs launch processes at boot time and consume important RAM and CPU cycles, which is one reason why uninstalling apps improves speed. You may also click Turn Windows Features On or Off while you’re in the Programs and Features section of Control and review the list to see if there’s anything you don’t use.
- Limit the number of startup processes
Many programs install side processes that run every time you start your computer, and some of them aren’t necessary to have running all of the time. In comparison to Windows 7, when you had to use the MSCONFIG software to limit what starts at startup, Windows 10 uses the upgraded Task Manager.
Ctrl-Shift-Esc is the quickest way to bring up the Task Manager. When you go to the Startup tab, you’ll find a list of all the apps that start up with Windows. There’s also a column in the dialog box that displays you the Startup impact for each.
The Status column indicates whether or not the program is set to run at startup. You can modify the status of any entry by right-clicking on it. It’s usually simple to spot things you don’t want to run away from.
- Disk Maintenance
Type Disk Cleanup into the Start menu. This launches the dependable Disk Cleanup application, which has been included in Windows for several versions. Disk Cleanup scans your computer for undesirable things including temporary files, offline Web pages, and installer programs, then offers to erase them all at once. It’s possible that your Recycle Bin will start to bulge at the seams. However, this will only have a visible influence on speed if your drive is nearing capacity.
If you don’t already have regular disk defragmentation set up, do so in the Optimize Drives program, which you can discover by typing its name in the Cortana search box next to the Start button. It’s worth noting that if your main disk is an SSD, you won’t need to defrag it because there are no moving parts reading the disk. Enabling the Storage Sense option is an even newer technique to keep storage usage low (see image above). This frees up space by deleting transient files and things from the Recycle Bin.
- Boost Your RAM
Although Windows 10 manages memory more efficiently than previous versions of the operating system, additional memory can always speed up PC processes. However, increasing RAM to many modern Windows devices, such as the Surface
Pro tablets, isn’t a possibility. RAM upgrades are still common on gaming and business laptops, although they’re becoming less common.
Ultrabooks and convertibles that are newer and slimmer are usually fixed. This article will show you how to add RAM to a desktop tower if you still have one. The websites of the larger RAM manufacturers (Crucial, Kingston, and Corsair) all have product finders that show you what sort of RAM your PC requires, and prices are rather reasonable.
If that’s still not enough, and your computer is ancient, has a hard disk rather than an SSD (see below), and has limited RAM, you can use ReadyBoost with a USB stick. This caches data on the portable storage device’s storage to accelerate memory access, which would be slower on a spinning hard drive. To get started, simply go to the USB key’s File Explorer entry, right-click to open Properties, and select the ReadyBoost tab. This functionality will not be available on most recent computers, and it will provide no performance gain.
- Install a (SSD) Solid State Drive as a Boot Drive
Not only can an SSD speed up Windows startup, but it also speeds up the loading and use of demanding applications like Adobe Photoshop. In the Software and Features area of Settings, you can even migrate Windows Store apps from a spinning hard drive to an SSD. It makes sense to replace your internal startup hard disk for system speed, and if you use a laptop, this may be a possibility as well. An external SSD with a USB 3.0 connection, on the other hand, can provide a performance increase in applications that require a lot of storage.
- Viruses and spyware should be checked.
To achieve this, you can use the built-in Windows Defender or third-party software.
Some antivirus software has a less impact on system speed than others, with Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus being the lightest of them all, according to Rubenking. Rubenking also gives Bitdefender and Kaspersky antivirus software 4.5-star Editor’s Choice ratings. For more information, see his whole roundup of the best antivirus software.
- To optimize speed, change the power settings to High Performance.
Of course, if you want to save electricity, this isn’t the best option, but it could speed up your PC’s processing speed. Go to System > Power & Sleep in the Options app, then click the Additional power settings link. Choose High Performance from the dropdown arrow on the right side that says “Show additional plans.”
- Execute Troubleshooters
Open the Settings app and type troubleshooting into the search bar. You can opt to launch troubleshooting utilities automatically or manually, as recommended by Windows. Run the additional troubleshooters, such as Search and Indexing, Hardware and Devices, and Windows Store Apps, for good measure.
Also, go to the old-style Control Panel’s System and go to Security > Security and Maintenance (or just type maintenance in the Start menu search box), click Maintenance, and then hit Start Maintenance. On a daily basis, this occurs automatically.
If your PC is still hopelessly clogged, you can utilize the Fresh start option in the Windows Security tool, but be aware that this can erase some of your installed apps while keeping your personal files.
- Change the way you look in the performance options
By typing alter appearance into the Start menu’s search box, you can quickly access this setting. You can utilize the Adjust for best performance radio button at the top of the dialog, or choose the eye-candy aspects you can live without from the extensive list of checkboxes below these options. You’ll lose all of the visual effects if you choose the overall best-performance option. You won’t see the contents of a window you’re dragging move, but only a rectangle representing the window’s edges will move. It’s usually a better idea to keep the effects you like checked in the dialog. You may also find this feature by searching for “maintenance” or “performance” in the new Settings app.
- Search indexing should be turned off.
Search indexing can chew up system resources, even if just temporarily, especially on lower-powered PCs. This will not appeal to you if you do a lot of searching because some searches will be slower. Open the Indexing Options Control Panel window to switch off indexing; alternatively, type index in the Start button search field to see Indexing Options at the top of the result list. Uncheck the locations you don’t want indexed by clicking Modify.
If you leave search indexing on but notice that it slows down your PC on occasion, you can disable it when you need more speed. Choose Manage by right-clicking This PC on the desktop (or typing Computer into the Search box). Then select Services by double-clicking Services and Applications.
Double-click on Windows Search to open it. You can choose a Startup type of Manual or Disabled from this Properties dialog to make the procedure silent by default. According to Microsoft support, “the Automatic (Delayed Start) starting type is preferable over the Automatic startup type since it helps lessen the influence on the system’s overall boot performance.” By default, this may be enabled.
Going to the right-hand panel, click More options, and selecting Stop is a final option. Alternatively, you may just press the stop button above the center section. If you want to be able to search your system, remember to switch it back on at some point.
- Tips and Notifications can be turned off.
It may seem strange for a tips article to advise you to disable Windows 10’s Advice function, but it can help Windows perform less processing in order to present relevant tips for your system. Notifications are in the same boat. Your computer will run faster if Windows doesn’t need to generate a notice.
To adjust the notification settings, go to the Notifications & actions page in the Settings app. You’ll see a list of individual apps that can send notifications, and you can uncheck any that you don’t wish to get notifications from. If you have a lot of them, check through the list to see if there are any sources that you don’t need to be warned about. Even if simply in terms of your sense of computing performance, the reduction in distractions can speed up your PC use. Tap the Focus Assist button in the Action Center to pause notifications quickly. This also makes re-enabling them easy in the future.