Owning a Windows PC is like owning a car. You should perform routine maintenance to make sure that your computer is always running at peak performance.
You might think that you need to download some summary third-party tools to improve Windows performance, but you don’t need them. Windows 10 (and Windows 11) have some amazing tools that can help you.
Disable unnecessary startup programs
The main suggestion we have to increase the performance of Windows is for startup programs. Every time you turn on your PC, some programs may start automatically in the background. Usually, this is because the program’s installer has changed Windows settings to allow it to run at startup to give you faster access.
It might sound good, but these programs will use up system resources like RAM and CPU, which will slow down your device. You can easily turn them off to save your PC. Here’s how.
Step 1: Open Task Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and choosing it from the list.
2nd step: Click it Start tab to see a list of programs that run at startup.
Step 3: Click on the program you want to disable on startup and choose deactivate.
Note that some startup programs in Windows 10 and Windows 11 are essential to run at startup. You might see things like Intel Graphics, WavesMax, Realtek Audio. Make sure you don’t turn off any items from Microsoft or your device manufacturer as this may impact your daily PC usage.
Increase the size of the paging file
Our second tip is a bit more technical. This involves tweaking the size of the page file. If you didn’t know, the paging file is space on your SSD or HDD that Windows uses as memory. If your PC doesn’t have a lot of RAM available (eg when gaming or during extreme multitasking) then it will go to the paging file to keep the system running smoothly. Changing the size of the paging file gives Windows a little more space to handle it. The steps to do this are the same on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Step 1: From the Start menu, type Advanced system then select View advanced system settings, who has Control Panel listed below.
2nd step: Click it Advanced tongue.
Step 3: Under Performance options, Click on Settings.
Step 4: Click it Advanced tab in the window that opens.
Step 5: Change the Virtual memory to a higher number, then click To apply. Keep in mind that the size is in MB, so 1000 MB will equal 1 GB.
Once these changes are complete, you will need to restart your PC. The changes will be applied, and the next time you work on something that requires a lot of processing power, your PC will handle it without a problem.
Adjust visual effects in Windows
Windows is quite sophisticated, especially Windows 11, with its new animations and glass-like aerodynamic effects. All of this can impact your CPU and GPU, but Microsoft gives you a few ways to control it. You can adjust the visual effects in Windows so that it takes less of your system’s resources. This can be useful if you are using a PC with a low amount of RAM or a slower processor.
Step 1: Type Performance in the start menu then choose Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows.
2nd step: In the Visual effects tab, select Adjust for better performance then click on To apply.
Step 3: Restart your PC to apply the changes.
If following the steps above does not help you with your PC, try using the Custom option, and by unchecking the various animations and effects. You can also try some of the other methods that Microsoft mentions on its support page. These include scanning your PC for viruses, restoring your PC from a new version, uninstalling OneDrive, cleaning up disk space, and updating Windows to the latest version.
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