17 Easy Ways to Boost Your PC's Speed & Performance

Make your Windows PC run faster with these simple tricks

Co-authored by Ken Colburn and Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: January 28, 2026 Fact Checked

Is your PC feeling sluggish? If so, you're not alone. A slow computer is frustrating and can feel like a waste of time, money, and effort. But there's no need to call a technician—there are plenty of things you can do to speed up Windows 10 or 11 to get the most out of your desktop or laptop computer. This wikiHow article will teach you simple but effective ways to optimize your PC's performance.

Quick Tips to Optimize Your PC

Block unnecessary apps and services from starting automatically to make your computer boot and run faster.
Disable visual effects in Windows, like animations, shadows, and transparency, for noticeable performance improvements.
Using a high-performance power plan on your laptop optimizes your PC for CPU-intensive applications.

1

Uninstall programs that bog down your PC.

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Preinstalled apps and unnecessary programs can decrease performance. If you didn't build your PC yourself, it likely came with lots of extra software (also known as Bloatware) that you really don't need. These programs can also take up space on your hard drive.
- Windows 11:
  - Go to Start > Settings > Apps.^{[1]
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  - Click the three horizontal dots next to an app, click Uninstall, and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Windows 10:
  - Go to Start > Settings > Apps > Apps & Features.^{[2]
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  - Select an app.
  - Click Uninstall, and follow the on-screen instructions.

2

Remove unneeded startup programs.

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Decrease the number of programs that launch automatically. You'd be surprised how many applications launch each time you restart your PC! This pro optimization technique will not only make your Windows PC start up faster, but it'll also make it use less RAM and CPU power during use.^{[3]
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- Right-click the Start menu and select Task Manager.
- Click Startup (Windows 10) or the meter/gas gauge icon in the left panel (Windows 11).
- Each startup app has a "startup impact" value that can tell you whether its automatic startup impacts your PC's boot time. For example, if you see "High" next to a startup app, the app uses more than 1 second of CPU time (or more than 3 MB of your disk) each time your PC boots.^{[4]
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- To stop a program from launching automatically, select it, then click the "'Disable'" button.

3

Change your Windows Update settings.

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If Windows is updating while you're using your PC, it could slow you down. Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 check for and download hefty updates in the background, and you won't always know when it's happening. If your computer was running fast earlier and has slowed down to a crawl, see if there's an update installing, and pause it until later. You can also change your settings so Windows only updates during hours you're not likely to be using your computer.^{[5]
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- To pause an update:
  - Right-click the Start menu and select Settings.
  - Click Windows Update (Windows 11) or Update & Security > Windows Update (Windows 10).
  - If an update is installing, you'll see the status at the top of the window.
  - Click Pause updates to delay the currently available updates for up to a week.^{[6]
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- To change when Windows installs updates:
  - On Windows 11, go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options, click Active Hours, and enter the hours during which you don't want Windows to install updates (e.g., the hours you tend to work, game, or do other activities on your computer).^{[7]
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  - On Windows 10, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, click Change active hours, and turn off the switch. Then, enter the hours during which you don't want Windows to install updates.

4

Disable resource-intensive visual effects.

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Animations, shadows, and fade-ins/outs can slow down your PC. Turn off these extra visual enhancements for a quick performance boost.
- Type advanced system into the Windows search bar, then click View advanced system settings.
- Click the Settings… button under "Performance."
- Select Adjust for best performance to automatically disable the most resource-intensive effects or turn off effects individually.^{[8]
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- Click OK and then OK again.

5

Turn off unnecessary services.

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In addition to apps, Windows runs services in the background. Many services are set to launch automatically, while others only launch when required. Some services are crucial to the functioning of Windows, while others are installed by apps and don't need to launch automatically. While most of the Windows-specific services are needed and shouldn't be stopped, there may be other services running that you do not really need.^{[9]
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- Type services.msc into the Search bar and click Services.
- Check the "Status" column to see which services are running.
- Check a service's "Startup Type" value to see if it launches automatically (Automatic) or needs to be started manually (Manual) by the app that uses it.
- To stop a service, right-click it, then click Stop.
- To change how a service starts, right-click it, select Properties, and select a startup type from the menu (e.g., Automatic or Manual).
- To disable a service entirely, select Disabled as the startup type.

6

Use a high-performance power plan.

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Your PC's power plan may not be suitable for your computer use. Whether you're using a laptop or desktop computer, you can have your PC use less power to conserve energy. This comes in handy when using a laptop that isn't connected to a power source. However, because these energy-efficient power plans decrease your processor speed, they can slow down your PC. For the best performance possible, follow these steps to switch to the high-performance power plan:^{[10]
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- Windows 11
  - Click the Start menu and select Settings.
  - Go to System > Power & battery.
  - For "Power mode," select Best Performance for when your computer is plugged in. You can also use Best Performance on battery, but it will drain your battery faster.
- Windows 10
  - Click the battery icon on the taskbar.
  - Drag the slider to the right to improve performance.
  - Keep in mind that using a high-performance power plan will drain your battery faster.

7

Optimize and defragment your hard drive.

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Use the Optimize tool in Windows to defragment and optimize your hard drive. If you have a hard drive (HDD), defragmenting it regularly is a good way to keep your drive speedy. If you have a solid-state drive (SSD), there's no need to defragment, but you can still run the Optimize tool to analyze your drive and make helpful optimizations.
- Type defrag into the Windows Search bar.
- Click Defragment and Optimize Drives.
- Select your hard drive and click Optimize.^{[11]
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- If you have multiple partitions, check the box next to "Advanced view" to view them all. Then, select each partition and click Optimize.

8

Use Game Mode when you're gaming.

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To optimize your PC for gaming, turn on gaming mode. Gaming mode prioritizes your game over other processes, prevents Windows Update from running in the background, and helps improve your frame rate.^{[12]
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Research source} To turn on gaming mode:
- Click the Start menu and select Settings.
- Click Gaming.
- Toggle "Gaming mode" to the On position.

9

Check for updates.

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If your Windows PC is suddenly running slowly, an update may be needed. Windows updates are released often, and they often include fixes and performance enhancements that can make your PC run faster. To check for and install updates:
- Windows 11: Go to Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.
- Windows 10: Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates.

10

Pause OneDrive syncing when you need a power boost.

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If your computer slows down when gaming or streaming, pause OneDrive. When OneDrive is constantly syncing your data to the cloud, it not only uses your PC's resources but may also slow down your internet speeds. Disabling it temporarily is a great way to optimize your PC during gameplay, while downloading, or doing anything else that requires faster internet speeds and more processing power.^{[13]
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- Right-click the OneDrive icon in the system tray.
- Click Pause syncing.
- Choose how long to pause OneDrive.

11

Consider a RAM upgrade.

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If your PC is upgradable, add more RAM. Most new PCs come with 8 GB of RAM, which is great for light use. If you're a gamer, designer, video editor, or do anything else that's memory-intensive, adding RAM will help speed up your computer's performance.^{[14]
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Research source} To see how much RAM your computer has, type system into the Windows search bar, click System Information, and scroll down to "Installed Physical Memory (RAM)."
- You can use Crucial's upgrade tool to see how much RAM your PC supports and determine which type of RAM you'll need. Head over to crucial.com/upgrades to check it out.

12

Use ReadyBoost if you can't add RAM.

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ReadyBoost lets you use a removable drive as virtual RAM. You'll need a standard hard drive (HDD) to use this optimization feature on your PC, as it won't work on solid-state (SSD) drives. You'll also need a USB flash drive, memory card, or external hard drive with at least 500 MB of available space.^{[15]
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- To turn on ReadyBoost, insert the drive or flash card.
- Open File Explorer.
- Click This PC in the left panel.
- Right-click the removable drive and select Properties.
- Click the ReadyBoost tab and select Use this device.

13

Use Defender to scan for viruses and malware.

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Windows 10 & 11 come with free and effective antivirus protection. While many computer manufacturers install third-party apps like Kaspersky, McAfee, and Symantec on new computers, these programs are not as efficient as Microsoft Defender. Defender runs in the background and checks for viruses and malware regularly, but you can always do a manual scan if you're running into performance problems or are worried you have a virus.^{[16]
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- Type security into Windows Search and click Windows Security.
- Click Virus & threat protection.
- Click Quick scan to run a speedy scan, or Scan options for more in-depth scans.

14

Use Disk Cleanup to delete temporary files.

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Disk Cleanup can help you identify and remove unnecessary files. As you use the programs on your PC, applications create temporary files to help them perform tasks and run better. These files are sometimes deleted automatically, but many remain until they're deleted. Loading your hard drive with many temporary files can take up precious disk space and decrease performance. Fortunately, Disk Cleanup makes deleting them on Windows 10 and 11 easy.^{[17]
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- Type cleanup into the Windows Search bar and click Disk Cleanup.
- Click Cleanup system files.
- Check the boxes next to the files you want to delete, such as "Temporary files" and "Windows Update cleanup."
- Click OK and then Delete Files.

15

Let Windows manage your paging file.

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Automatic page file management can improve your PC's performance. The paging file is a file on your hard drive that Windows can use like RAM.^{[18]
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- Type advanced system into the Windows search bar and click View advanced system settings.
- Click Settings in the "Performance" section.
- Click the Advanced tab.
- Click the Change button.
- Check the box next to "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives" if not selected, and click OK.
- Restart your PC.^{[19]
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16

Enable Fast Startup to speed up boot time.

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If your PC takes a long time to boot, Fast Startup can help. Windows 10 and 11 offer this nifty feature to speed up your computer's boot time. When you shut down your PC with Fast Startup enabled, it will go into a mix of Hibernate and Sleep states instead of truly turning off. This helps your PC boot faster the next time you turn it on. This won't affect reboots, but it will save time when you press the power button to turn off your PC.^{[20]
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- Type control panel into Windows Search and click Control Panel.
- Click the "View by" menu at the top-right and select Large Icons.
- Click Power Options.
- Click Choose what the power buttons do.
- Check the box next to "Turn on fast startup." If it's grayed out, click Change settings that are currently unavailable at the top first.
- Click Save changes.

17

Edit your indexing options.

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Windows constantly updates files and folders to return fast search results. While this is convenient and speeds up your Windows searches, it might slow down your PC overall, especially if you don't use Windows Search often. Disabling indexing altogether is not a good idea, but you can control which files are indexed to optimize your PC performance.^{[21]
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- Type indexing into the Windows Search bar.
- Click Indexing Options.
- Click the Modify button.
- Uncheck the locations that you do not want to be indexed. This can be any folders you don't commonly search for files and apps.
- Click OK.
- If you have an entire drive that you want to remove from indexing:
  - Open File Explorer and double-click This PC.
  - Right-click a drive and select Properties.
  - Remove the checkmark from "Allow files on this drive to have contents indexed in addition to file properties" and click OK.

Expert Q&A

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Question

Why is my gaming PC slow?

Ken Colburn
Computer Repair Expert
Ken Colburn is a Consumer Electronics Expert and the Founder & CEO of Data Doctors Computer Services. With more than 34 years of experience, he specializes in computer checkups and repairs, data recovery, and teaching others about technology. Ken also provides one-minute tech tips through his broadcast, Data Doctors Tech Tips.

Ken Colburn

Computer Repair Expert

Expert Answer

You might have unknowingly installed extra programs on your computer while installing a piece of software. It can help to clear out your hard drive and make sure at least 20% of it is clear at all times.

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How can I make my computer boot up faster?

Ken Colburn
Computer Repair Expert
Ken Colburn is a Consumer Electronics Expert and the Founder & CEO of Data Doctors Computer Services. With more than 34 years of experience, he specializes in computer checkups and repairs, data recovery, and teaching others about technology. Ken also provides one-minute tech tips through his broadcast, Data Doctors Tech Tips.

Ken Colburn

Computer Repair Expert

Expert Answer

Get rid of programs that you don't need and disable any unnecessary programs from booting up when your computer starts up. That can definitely make a difference!

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Are there any folders or files that can be disabled or deleted to enhance Windows 7's performance?

R2_d2000

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Not really. All files that come with Windows 7 are necessary for your computer to function. You can uninstall programs that you no longer use, though.

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It is a good idea to set a backup schedule for your PC. This way, you will always have a backup of your files should something go seriously wrong.

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