Are you tired of watching your once-speedy Windows 11 PC turn into a sluggish snail? Fear not, my friends! I’ve got the inside scoop on 12 tips that will have your machine running like a well-oiled Ferrari in no time.
Tame the Startup Horde
First things first, let’s take a look at what’s running wild on your PC at startup. The Task Manager is your secret weapon here. Just press Ctrl+Shift+Esc (or right-click the taskbar and select “Task Manager”) to summon this handy tool. Click on the “Startup” tab, and you’ll see a list of all the programs and services that launch when your PC boots up.
Now, take a good, hard look at that list. Do you really need that random program called “bzbuiexe” to start automatically every time? Probably not. Right-click on any unnecessary programs and select “Disable” to stop them from hogging your system resources. Trust me, your PC will thank you.
Embrace Efficiency Mode
Windows 11’s Efficiency Mode is like a hidden superpower for your apps. It’s a nifty little trick that can significantly improve your PC’s performance and even extend your laptop’s battery life. To use it, head back to the Task Manager, click on the “Processes” tab, and find the app or process you want to optimize. Right-click on it, select “Efficiency mode,” and watch as your PC suddenly becomes a speed demon.
Just be aware that not all apps are compatible with this feature, so don’t get too excited if you see the Efficiency mode option grayed out. But for the ones that do play nice, it’s a game-changer.
Let Windows Do the Dirty Work
Did you know that Windows 11 has a built-in maintenance routine that runs every day at 2 AM? It’s true! This magical process scans your system, fixes any issues it finds, and helps keep your PC running at its best. But sometimes, that feature can get accidentally turned off or might not have run if your computer was asleep or shut down.
To make sure your Windows 11 maintenance is on point, open the Control Panel, head to “System and Security,” and then click on “Security and Maintenance.” In the Maintenance section, you can either click “Start maintenance” to run it right away or adjust the schedule to ensure it runs at a time that works for you. Let Windows do the heavy lifting while you kick back and enjoy the speed boost.
Banish the Bloat
Remember when you first got your shiny new Windows 11 PC, and it was lightning fast? Well, over time, that may have changed thanks to the insidious presence of bloatware and adware. These pesky programs can sneak their way onto your system, gobbling up precious resources and slowing everything down.
To get rid of them, start by running a full system scan with Windows Defender or a trusty tool like Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. Once you’ve taken care of any malware, check out Should I Remove It to see which pre-installed programs you can safely uninstall. Trust me, your PC will feel brand new again once you’ve purged the bloat.
Turn Off Indexing (Unless You Like Slow Searches)
Windows 11’s handy search function relies on an indexing process that runs in the background, but this can be a real performance hog on slower machines. To give your PC a speed boost, open the Services app (just type “services.msc” in the search box and hit Enter), find the “Indexing Service” or “Windows Search” service, and stop it. Your searches might take a little longer, but the overall performance improvement will be well worth it.
Alternatively, you can be a bit more selective and only disable indexing for the files and folders you don’t search for often. Just head to the Indexing Options in the Control Panel, click “Modify,” and uncheck the boxes for the locations you want to exclude.
Dial Down the Eye Candy
I know, I know – those fancy Windows 11 animations and visual effects are mesmerizing. But if your PC is starting to show its age, all that eye candy can actually be dragging down your performance. To fix this, type “sysdmcpl” in the search box, press Enter, and then click the “sysdmcpl” icon. In the System Properties dialog box, head to the “Advanced” tab, click “Settings” under the “Performance” section, and select the “Adjust for best performance” option. Your PC may not look as pretty, but it’ll definitely run a lot snappier.
Tame the Transparency
While we’re on the topic of visual effects, let’s talk about those fancy transparency elements in Windows 11. They might look sleek, but they also require a lot of system resources to pull off. To give your performance a quick boost, open the Settings app, go to “Personalization,” click “Colors,” and slide the “Transparency effects” slider all the way to the off position. Your PC may not be as visually stunning, but it’ll be a speed demon.
Power Up with High Performance
Windows 11 has several power plans to choose from, and the one you select can have a big impact on your system’s performance. If you’re using the “Power saver” plan, you’re essentially putting the brakes on your PC’s potential. To unleash its true speed, head to the Control Panel, navigate to “Hardware and Sound,” and then click “Power Options.” Select the “High performance” plan (or “Balanced” if you want to strike a happy medium between speed and power consumption).
Silence the Suggestions
Windows 11 loves to give you helpful tips and suggestions, but all that constant monitoring can actually slow down your PC. To put a stop to this, open the Settings app, go to “System,” and then click “Notifications.” Scroll down to the “Additional settings” section and uncheck the box for “Get tips and suggestions when using Windows.” Sayonara, unwanted advice – hello, faster performance!
Disable Game Mode (Unless You’re Gaming)
Windows 11’s Game Mode is great for – you guessed it – gaming. But when you’re not playing games, it can actually hinder your PC’s overall performance by reserving system resources just in case you decide to fire up a title. To turn it off, head to the Settings app, go to “Gaming,” and then toggle the “Game Mode” slider to the off position. Your non-gaming apps will thank you.
Keep Those Drivers Up to Date
Outdated drivers can be a real performance killer, especially when it comes to your graphics card. To check if your drivers are up to date, open the Device Manager (just type “device manager” in the search box and hit Enter), find the relevant hardware, and see if there’s an update available. You can also let Windows Update handle the heavy lifting by telling it to automatically update your drivers for you.
Reboot, Reboot, Reboot
Sometimes, the best way to speed up your Windows 11 PC is to, well, turn it off and on again. Seriously! A simple restart can clear out any excess RAM usage, kill off unnecessary processes, and give your system a fresh start. I make a habit of restarting my PCs regularly, even if they’re not feeling sluggish, just as a precautionary measure. You never know when a quick reboot might be the magic solution to your performance woes.
So there you have it, my friends – 12 tips to help breathe new life into your Windows 11 PC. Whether it’s taming the startup apps, optimizing your power settings, or just giving your machine a good ol’ reboot, these tricks will have your computer running like a dream in no time. Now, go forth and speed up that machine of yours! And don’t forget to check out ITFix if you need any professional help along the way.
