{"id":1112,"date":"2026-06-05T20:50:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:50:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainmentnews.site\/index.php\/2026\/06\/05\/16-ways-to-speed-up-windows-11\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T20:50:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:50:56","slug":"16-ways-to-speed-up-windows-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainmentnews.site\/index.php\/2026\/06\/05\/16-ways-to-speed-up-windows-11\/","title":{"rendered":"16 ways to speed up Windows 11"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The topic 16 ways to speed up Windows 11<\/strong> is currently the subject of lively discussion \u2014 readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.<\/p>\n

This is taking place in a dynamic environment: companies\u2019 decisions and competitors\u2019 reactions can quickly change the picture.<\/p>\n

Windows 11\u00a0does a lot under the hood\u00a0to speed up a PC\u2019s performance, but PCs tend to slow down over time as they accumulate apps, files, drivers, and other detritus. Even zippy new Windows 11 devices can be sped up \u2014 and protected against future slowdowns \u2014 with a few minor system tweaks.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s simple to make your Windows PC run faster. Just follow these tips.<\/p>\n

Note: This story covers Windows 11 version 25H2. If you have an earlier release of Windows 11, some things may be slightly different. If you have Windows 10, see our\u00a0Windows 10 speed tips.<\/p>\n

Your Windows 11 PC could be a laggard if programs you rarely or never use are running in the background. Your PC will run faster if you stop them from running.<\/p>\n

To do it, first launch the Task Manager in one of these ways:<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot you can use Task Manager for, but here we\u2019re focusing only on killing unnecessary programs that run at startup.<\/p>\n

Click the Startup apps icon on the left side of the screen. (It\u2019s the fifth icon from the top.) It displays a list of the programs and services that launch when you start Windows. The list includes each program\u2019s name as well as its publisher, whether it\u2019s enabled to run on startup, and its \u201cStartup impact,\u201d which is how much it slows down Windows 11 when the system starts up. Note, though, that the screen doesn\u2019t show how much each program will impact your performance after startup, during normal PC operations.<\/p>\n

You can use the Windows Task Manager to get information about programs that launch at startup and disable any you don\u2019t need.<\/p>\n

Also note that not all apps will have useful information about their startup impact \u2014 many show up as \u201cNot measured\u201d in Task Manager. There are multiple reasons you might see this. for example, some apps don\u2019t provide the Windows metadata required to measure their startup impact, and others start up too late in the boot process to be measured. Still others may not have been started a sufficient number of times for Windows to measure their impact. (The Windows Club has an article with tips and workarounds for \u201cNot measured\u201d apps.)<\/p>\n

To stop a program or service from launching at startup, right-click it and select\u00a0Disable. This doesn\u2019t disable the program entirely; it only prevents it from launching at startup \u2014 you can run the application after launch. Also, if you later decide you want it to launch at startup, you can return to this area of the Task Manager, right-click the application and select\u00a0Enable.<\/p>\n

Many of the programs and services that run on startup may be familiar to you, like Microsoft OneDrive or Spotify. But you may not recognize many of them. (Anyone who immediately knows what \u201cbzbui.exe\u201d is, please raise your hand. No fair Googling it first.)<\/p>\n

The Task Manager can find information about unfamiliar programs. Right-click an item and select\u00a0Properties\u00a0for more information about it, including its location on your hard disk, whether it has a digital signature, and other information such as the version number, the file size, and the last time it was modified. (Note that not all programs provide this information when you right-click them \u2014 the Properties button may be grayed out.)<\/p>\n

You can also right-click the item and select\u00a0Open file location. That opens File Explorer and takes it to the folder where the file is located, which may give you another clue about the program\u2019s purpose.<\/p>\n

Finally, and most helpfully, you can select\u00a0Search online\u00a0after you right-click. Bing will then launch with links to sites with information about the program or service. With Task Manager\u2019s help, I easily discovered that bzbui.exe is Backblaze backup software, something I want to run automatically during startup.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re worried about one of the listed applications, you can go to a site run by Reason Software called \u201cShould I Block It?\u201d and search for the file name. You\u2019ll usually find very solid information about the program or service.<\/p>\n

Now that you\u2019ve selected all the programs that you want to disable at startup, the next time you restart your computer, the system won\u2019t launch those unnecessary programs automatically, and your PC may run faster.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to forget just how many apps you\u2019ve got running at the same time in Windows. Sometimes your PC\u2019s sluggishness can be due to running too many apps you\u2019re not currently using \u2014 or a single app that\u2019s taking up a lot of resources.<\/p>\n

First launch Task Manager using one of the methods covered in the previous tip. If you\u2019re already in Task Manager, click the\u00a0Processes\u00a0icon on the left side of the screen (three squares in a grid, second from top) to get to the Processes screen. You\u2019ll see a list of every app or process you\u2019re currently running.<\/p>\n

Look for apps you\u2019re currently running but not actively using, and also look for any not running with high memory or CPU usage. Right-click any app you want to close and select End task.<\/p>\n

Use Task Manager to identify and shut down unused apps using lots of system resources.<\/p>\n

Task Manager has another trick up its sleeve for juicing Windows 11 performance. Efficiency Mode can speed up your PC and improve laptop battery life. It lowers the process priority of background applications, among other efficiency tricks.<\/p>\n

The term is a bit of a misnomer, because you can\u2019t put your entire PC into Efficiency Mode. Instead, you use Task Manager to put individual apps and processes into it. There\u2019s one caveat: You\u2019ll only be able to use it on some apps and processes.<\/p>\n

On the Processes screen in Task Manager (see previous tip), look through the list of currently running apps and processes. Click the app or process you want to put into Efficiency Mode, click the\u00a0Efficiency mode\u00a0icon at the top right of the screen, and then confirm that you want to turn on Efficiency Mode for the app.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

Note that if the Efficiency mode icon is grayed out when you click an app or process, you won\u2019t be able to use it. Also, some apps, including Microsoft Edge, automatically work in Efficiency Mode by default, and the mode can\u2019t be turned off.<\/p>\n

In the background, Windows 11 constantly performs maintenance on your PC, doing things like security scanning and performing system diagnostics to make sure everything is up to snuff. It automatically fixes problems it finds, which helps your PC run at peak performance. The automatic maintenance runs every day at 2:00 a.m. if your device is plugged into a power source and is asleep.<\/p>\n

However, that feature may have been accidentally turned off, or it may not have run recently if you shut down your PC at night (rather than putting it in Sleep mode) or you haven\u2019t had your laptop plugged in for a while. You should make sure it\u2019s turned on and runs every day. You can also run it manually if you\u2019d like.<\/p>\n

Type\u00a0control\u00a0in the search box on the taskbar and select\u00a0Control Panel\u00a0from the results to run the Control Panel app. In the app, select\u00a0system and Security > Security and Maintenance. In the Maintenance section, under Automatic Maintenance, click\u00a0Start maintenance\u00a0if you want it to run now.<\/p>\n

To make sure that it runs every day, click\u00a0Change maintenance settings, and on the screen that appears, select the time you\u2019d like maintenance to run and check the box next to\u00a0Allow scheduled maintenance to wake up my computer at the scheduled time. Then click\u00a0OK.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to set a time each day for Windows 11 to run its maintenance tasks.<\/p>\n

It may be that what\u2019s slowing your PC down isn\u2019t Windows 11, but bloatware or adware that takes up CPU and system resources. Adware and bloatware are particularly insidious because they may have been installed by your computer\u2019s manufacturer. (This is generally not a problem for business PCs but is very common on consumer devices.) They typically run automatically at startup without you even knowing it. You\u2019ll be amazed at how much better your PC will run if you get rid of it.<\/p>\n

Start by running a system scan to find adware and malware. If you\u2019ve already installed a security suite such as Norton Security or McAfee LiveSafe, you can use that. Microsoft Defender Antivirus, the anti-malware tool built into the Windows Security app, also does a great job. Type\u00a0windows security\u00a0in the search box, press\u00a0Enter, and on the screen that appears, click Virus & threat protection and then click Quick scan. Windows Security will look for malware and remove any it finds.<\/p>\n

You should get a second opinion, though, so consider a free tool like\u00a0Malwarebytes. The free version scans for malware and adware and removes what it finds; the paid version offers always-on protection to stop infections in the first place.<\/p>\n

Now that you\u2019ve done all that, check for bloatware and uninstall it. A good free anti-bloatware tool is\u00a0Bulk Crap Uninstaller. You can also go to the website\u00a0Should I Remove It?\u00a0\u2014 it offers recommendations on what software is useful, and what you can uninstall.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a section of the website devoted to\u00a0advice on how to remove bloatware on PCs from specific manufacturers. I highly recommend going there, because it lists all the bloatware different manufacturers install on their PCs. That section of the site also compares how much bloatware major manufacturers ship on their PCs. It rates Toshiba as having the most and Acer as having the least.<\/p>\n

Finally, when you buy a new PC online, check whether there\u2019s an option to leave off trial software and software you don\u2019t need to run your PC. That will stop bloatware from getting on your system in the first place.<\/p>\n

Windows 11 search performs indexing in your hard disk in the background, allowing you to search your PC more quickly than if no indexing were being done. That\u2019s good for fast searches, but not so good for slower PCs, because indexing can cause a performance hit. You can give a slower machine a speed boost by turning off indexing. Even if you have an SSD disk, turning off indexing can improve your speed, because the constant writing to disk that indexing does can eventually slow down SSDs.<\/p>\n

To turn it off, type\u00a0services.msc\u00a0into the search box on the taskbar and press\u00a0Enter. The Services app appears. Scroll down to either Indexing Service or Windows Search in the list of services. Double-click it, and on the screen that appears, click\u00a0Stop. Then reboot your machine. Your searches may be slightly slower, but you also may not notice the difference. You should, though, get an overall speed boost.<\/p>\n

Alternatively, you can turn off indexing only for files in certain locations. In this way, you can still index files and folders you often search for but turn off indexing for the rest of your hard disk. So you\u2019d still get fast searches for files you use often, while increasing your PC\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n

To do it, type\u00a0index\u00a0in the Windows 11 search box and click the\u00a0Indexing Options\u00a0result that appears. The Indexing Options page of the Control Panel appears. Click the\u00a0Modify\u00a0button, and you\u2019ll see a list of locations that are being indexed, such as Microsoft Outlook, your personal files, and so on. Uncheck the box next to any location, and it will no longer be indexed.<\/p>\n

A bloated hard drive filled with files you don\u2019t need can slow down your PC. Taking a few minutes to clean it can give an immediate speed boost. A built-in Windows 11 tool called Storage Sense will do the job for you.<\/p>\n

Launch the Settings app, select\u00a0system > Storage, scroll down to the \u201cStorage management\u201d section, and next to Storage Sense, move the toggle from Off to On. From now on, Windows will constantly monitor your PC and delete old junk files you no longer need \u2014 temporary files, files in the Downloads folder that haven\u2019t been changed in a month, and old Recycle Bin files.<\/p>\n

You can also customize when Storage Sense runs and what should be deleted automatically \u2014 for example, whether to delete files from the Downloads folder after they\u2019ve been there for more than 30 days. To do it, click the right-facing arrow next to the Storage Sense On\/Off slider.<\/p>\n

Those who like eye candy are probably big fans of Windows 11\u2019s shadows, animations, and visual effects. They typically don\u2019t affect performance on fast, newer PCs. But they can exact a performance hit on older, slower machines.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve got a slower PC, turn them off. To do it, in the Windows 11 search box, type\u00a0sysdm.cpl, press\u00a0Enter, and then click the\u00a0sysdm.cpl\u00a0icon. That launches the Control Panel\u2019s system Properties dialog box. Click the\u00a0Advanced\u00a0tab and click\u00a0Settings\u00a0in the Performance section. That brings you to the Performance Options dialog box. (Make sure you\u2019re on the Visual Effects tab of the dialog box.) You\u2019ll see a varied list of animations and special effects.<\/p>\n

The Performance Options dialog box lets you turn off visual effects that might be slowing down Windows 11.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

If you love to tweak, you can turn individual options on and off. These are the animations and special effects you\u2019ll probably want to turn off, because they have the greatest effect on system performance:<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s a lot easier to just select the\u00a0Adjust for best performance\u00a0option at the top of the screen and click\u00a0OK. Windows 11 will then turn off the effects that slow down your system.<\/p>\n

To get an even bigger speed boost, go beyond turning off shadows, animations, and visual effects. Also disable the transparency effects in the taskbar and other Windows 11 locations. Windows does a surprising amount of heavy lifting to create transparency effects, and turning them off can make a difference in system performance.<\/p>\n

To do it, run the Settings app and select\u00a0Personalization > Colors, then move the\u00a0Transparency effects\u00a0slider to\u00a0Off.<\/p>\n

Turning off Windows 11\u2019s transparency effects can help speed up performance.<\/p>\n

Your Windows 11 PC\u2019s power settings let you balance its energy use with its performance. If you\u2019re using the most power-efficient setting, you\u2019re slowing down your PC, because the setting reduces your PC\u2019s performance to save energy. (Even desktop PCs typically have a power-saving setting.) Changing your power setting to one of the less power-efficient options will give you an instant performance boost.<\/p>\n

To do it, run the Settings app, then choose\u00a0system\u00a0and click the right-facing arrow next to\u00a0Power. Depending on whether you\u2019re using a laptop or a desktop PC (and if you\u2019re using a laptop, whether it\u2019s plugged in), you\u2019ll see either a \u201cPlugged in\u201d or \u201cOn battery\u201d setting that lists the power mode you\u2019re using. Click the drop-down arrow next to it and choose the setting you want.<\/p>\n

Change your power settings to give your PC a performance boost.<\/p>\n

Best Performance\u00a0gives you the most oomph but uses the most power.\u00a0Balanced\u00a0finds a happy medium between power use and better performance, and\u00a0Best Power Efficiency\u00a0does everything it can to give you as much battery life as possible. Desktop users have no reason to choose Best Power Efficiency, and even laptop users should consider the Balanced option when unplugged.<\/p>\n

Windows 11 constantly watches what you\u2019re doing on your PC and gives you tips about things you might want to do with the operating system. I\u2019ve never found these tips helpful. And I don\u2019t like the privacy implications of Windows constantly taking a virtual look over my shoulder. (Also see: How to protect your privacy in Windows 11.)<\/p>\n

Beyond that, this monitoring can also make your PC run more sluggishly. So to speed things up, tell Windows to stop being so nosy and giving you advice. To do it, run the Settings app and select\u00a0system > Notifications. Scroll down to\u00a0Additional settings\u00a0and click the down arrow. From the options that appear, uncheck the box marked\u00a0Get tips and suggestions when using Windows.<\/p>\n

Turn off Windows\u2019 suggestions to help things run more smoothly (and regain a measure of privacy).<\/p>\n

Windows 11\u2019s Game Mode optimizes your PC for playing games. When it detects that you\u2019re playing a game, it prioritizes system resources for gaming, taking them away from other apps and background processes. That\u2019s great for serious gamers, but when you\u2019re not playing games, it can slow down your system because it keeps some system resources in reserve in case you start playing a game. It occasionally causes stability issues as well. So turning off Game Mode may be able to give your PC a quick boost. (You can always turn it back on again when you want to play a game.)<\/p>\n

Game Mode is turned on by default, so even if you\u2019ve never played a game on your PC, it\u2019s probably enabled. To turn it off, go to\u00a0Settings > Gaming > Game Mode\u00a0and move the Game Mode slider to\u00a0Off.<\/p>\n

Game Mode can sometimes cause stability and performance issues, so turning it off may give your PC a boost.<\/p>\n

Your Windows 11 PC can become a slowpoke if its drivers are old and in the way. Outdated drivers can exact a big performance hit. Graphics drivers are often the biggest culprit in driver-related slowdowns. To check whether your graphics driver is outdated, and to update to the latest one:<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll be asked whether to have Windows search for an updated driver, or whether you want to find one and install it manually. Your best bet is to let Windows do the work. Follow the on-screen instructions to get the driver installed.<\/p>\n

You can use the Device Manager to update all your drivers this way. That\u2019s time-consuming, so consider asking Windows to do the work for you. To do it, launch the Settings app (pressing the Windows key + I is a good shortcut for doing it) and select\u00a0Windows Update\u00a0from the left pane.\u00a0 Select\u00a0Advanced Options > Optional Updates. You\u2019ll see a list of all the updates Windows has found but hasn\u2019t installed. Select any of the drivers you want to install, then click\u00a0Download & install.<\/p>\n

Some apps run various processes in the background even if you don\u2019 t launch them. You\u2019ll likely never know they\u2019re doing it, and they can cause unexpected slowdowns and a sluggish PC. Microsoft says these background processes do things such as syncing or sending notifications. That can slow your PC down, especially if more than one app is doing it.<\/p>\n

You can head off performance problems by not allowing the apps to run in the background. To do it:<\/p>\n

Managing background app permissions properly can give your PC a performance boost.<\/p>\n

Sometimes your PC will slow down for no apparent reason, and stay slow. It could be a new driver slowing your system down. Perhaps accidentally you changed a system setting that caused the problem. It can be difficult, and often impossible, to get to the root of these kinds of problems and fix them.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve noticed that your computer has become sluggish recently, there\u2019s something that might solve the issue: Restore your PC to the state it was in before the problem began. You can easily do this via system Restore.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s one of IT\u2019s not-quite-secret weapons for troubleshooting and speeding up a PC: shut it down and restart it. Doing that clears out any excess use of RAM that otherwise can\u2019t be cleared. It also kills processes that you might have set in motion and are no longer needed, but that continue running and slow your system.<\/p>\n

If your Windows 11 PC has turned sluggish over time for no apparent reason, you may be surprised at how much more quickly it will run when you do this. I can vouch for it, and I restart my Windows 11 PCs regularly even if they\u2019re not sluggish, just as a precautionary measure.<\/p>\n

This article was originally published in February 2023 and most recently updated in June 2026.<\/p>\n