How to Speed Up Windows 11 and Improve Performance [Guide]

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Windows 11 is a great operating system and works best if your system meets the recommended hardware. Well, it does have a lot of new features and improvements over the existing ones found in Windows 10. Overall Windows 11 does perform better and faster than Windows 10- something that is expected by everyone for the OS to be. With time, the speed slowly decreases, and there are many reasons for that. Today’s guide is all about how to speed up Windows 11 PC.

Having a system that functions fast is what everyone needs. There are many ways that you can follow to make your Windows 11 PC. One way is by installing better hardware and the other way is by optimizing the OS and adjusting various settings. Depending on what kind of methods you choose to make your PC faster you will still see some significant improvements. Sure, it’s not going to make it a super-high-speed system, but it will at least prevent your system from entering crawling speeds like a snail. Anyway, you can read on to know how to speed up Windows 11 on your PC.

How to Speed UP Windows 11 PC

Uninstall Bloatware and Rarely used Programs

When you purchase a new PC or laptop, it’s always nice to set it up according to your tastes. Now, there are many OEMs out there that will preinstall certain apps. These could be some random apps that you will never use at all. Sometimes, the Windows installation itself will install a few apps and games that you will never use. These apps and games might be small, but they still are eating up your storage space. The only good part about these apps is that they can be uninstalled. You can follow this guide to know how to uninstall apps on a Windows 11 PC.

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Clear System Cache

Your Windows 11 PC is designed to be running at its optimum speeds. One of the things that cause slowdowns is the cache. Yes, the cache is good for a lot of programs such as web browsers which helps it load up data more quickly. However, the buildup of cache files on your system can and will eventually slow down your PC. Deleting or clearing away cache files will help the system to breathe a little better. You can check out our guide that shows you 4 different ways of clearing out the cache files on your Windows 11 PC.

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Defrag System Drives

This will work and have a good result if you usually have hard drives installed on your Windows 11 PC.  Systems with SSDs however do not have to defrag their drives as the SSDs do not have any mechanical moving parts. Defragmenting of drives means that you are asking the system to arrange and reorder your files without leaving some extra space between the files. You can defrag your Windows 11 hard drives using tools built within the system itself. We have a detailed guide on how to defrag your hard drives on a Windows 11 PC.

How to Defrag Windows 11

Disable Startup Apps and Programs

If you are someone that uses a lot of apps ad want them, up and running as soon as you start your system, you might have enabled startup apps. Of course, it is good as it saves you time from manually opening up the programs that you need to use. At times, there might also be certain apps that might have quietly enabled themselves to startup as and when you turn your system on. You can disable those apps from running at startup by following these steps.

how to speed up windows 11
  1. Launch the task Manager. You can do that by pressing the Windows and X keys.
  2. A context menu will show up near your Start button.
  3. Select Task manager from the menu.
  4. With the Task Manager open, select the startup tab.
  5. Over here, you will now see a list of all the programs that have been enabled to launch at startup.
  6. To disable a program from launching at startup, simply right-click the program and select Disable.
  7. And that is it. You do not need to restart your PC to let t the changes take place.

Keep your Drivers and OS updated

Having the latest version of a particular app, program, and driver is important. These updates will have bug fixes and can also help in improving the performance of your PC overall. Older versions of programs might have some issues and quill also have a slower performance on your PC. Updating drivers on Windows 11 PC is simple and easy. No, you do not need to install those third-party apps to get the driver updates. Simply follow this guide to know how to update your drivers on a Windows 11 PC. To update your PC to the latest available OS update, follow these steps.

Windows 11 22000.120 update
  1. Make sure your system is connected to a working internet connection be it through Wi-Fi or via Ethernet.
  2. Now, open up the Start menu and select the Settings app.
  3. With the Settings app open, select Windows update. You will see it on the left-hand side of the app.
  4. The Windows Update settings page will open.
  5. Here you will see the Check for Updates button on the right-hand side.
  6. The system will now check for updates. Any updates found, will be downloaded to your PC.
  7. You can then choose whether you wish to install the updates now or at a later time.Some updates will install in the background at the time you select.
  8. Other updates will require you to restart the PC to finish installing the updates.

Disable Animations

Animations on Windows 11 are pretty good, or rather fluid. However, not everyone is a fan of these animations as it takes a few milliseconds to open up the desired menu or folder. The good part about these animations is that you can simply turn them all off very easily. Here is how you can turn them off.

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  1. Open up the Start menu and type in Adjust Performance
  2. In the results, you will see to Adjust appearance and performance of Windows settings from the Control Panel.
  3. Select that result.
  4. A Performance Options window will now open up.
  5. You will now see four radio button options.
  6. Select Adjust for Performance or select the Custom option.
    how to speed up windows 11
  7. You can manually choose to have the animations, shadows, and other slide and fade in/out transitions.
  8. Once you have adjusted everything, click on the Apply button followed by the OK button.
  9. The settings have now been applied, and you will be able to feel that your Windows 11 PC doing things a tad bit faster.

Restart Your PC

Sure your PC is designed to work on for a long period. Be it rendering some files, editing a video, or even playing a video game. Your system will of course still work at its best, but you will need to give it a restart at the end of the day. A restart will help your PC to function better without any hiccups in between. 

how to speed up windows 11
  1. Close all your programs and save any files if necessary.
  2. Now, press the Alt and F4 keys. Make sure that the active screen right now is your desktop.
  3. When you press the keys. You will see the Shut-Down Windows dialogue appear.
  4. From the drop-down list, select Shut Down or Restart and click on the OK button.
  5. Based on the option selected, the system will either Shut Down or Restart.

Upgrade your RAM and Storage Drives

Windows 11’s system requirements have been making rounds online and not everyone is still happy.  Aloof of capable CPUs have just been dropped out. However, you can still forcefully install Windows 11 on any PC. This is where you might need to have more RAM. Because a Windows 11 PC with 4GB of RAM will simply not be performing at its best unlike Windows 10. So, you could upgrade the RAM and if possible even swap your old HDD to a faster SSD for actual performance improvements. Once you have got both the upgrades, you will then be able to notice the improvements and the speed of Windows 11 on your PC.

Empty The Recycle Bin

One of the most common problems of many users is that their storage drive becomes full, and they feel a slow-down in PC performance. This happens when users delete files, and it just stays in the recycle Bin. Sure, the file isn’t seen in any folder that you deleted from, but, is still on your PC in the Recycle Bin.

Over time, the Recycle Bin will be filled up with numerous files that you might have deleted over the past year or maybe even years. Empty the Recycle Bin! Sure the Recycle Bin will empty itself after a certain time if you have set it.  If not, the trash continues to pile up. Empty the Recycle bin by right-clicking on the Recycle Bin icon and selecting the Empty Recycle Bin.

Conclusion

And these are the different methods and ways you can follow to speed up the performance of your Windows 11 PC. If you keep maintaining your system by regularly clearing the cache and deleting unwanted files, your system should be performing just as fine without any of the stuttering or lags that can simply make one angry at the sluggish performance of their PC.

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AUTHOR.

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Joshua D'souza

Enjoy games, 90's hip-hop, and tech. Loves exploring the infinite world of laptops and food. Every ready to provide assistance in anything that rocks his boat. Will gladly enjoy capturing memories through various lenses. Worked previously at PiunikaWeb as an author and researcher.

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