How to speed up Windows 10

How to speed up Windows 10







Windows 10 feeling sluggish? Read on for tips and tricks to speed up the OS!.
While Windows 10 has speeded up PC when contrasted with previous iterations of the Windows operating system (Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1), it can still be the case that the PC Windows 10 is running on will start to run slower.

Of course, you can uninstall the bloatware that inevitably comes with a new system, make sure any unnecessary applications are down to a minimum, and remove all other files you don’t need or never wanted, but there will still be other reasons why the machine starts to run at a crawl.

The problem is not limited to Windows. This problem also affects MacOS, Linux, Chrome or another operating system, and can be a frustrating experience when starting up takes forever.

We have to be realistic and acknowledge that the performance you will get after cleaning won’t ever be the same as it was when the machine was taken out of its packaging, but there are methods to getting an old machine back to something approaching how it used to be. That is not to say we need to re-image the machine from scratch and delete everything off it.

So, let us now look at how we can speed up Windows 10 without deleting the apps you use or the data you need.

See related 10 ways to speed up your laptopThe key to speeding up your Windows 10 computer is finding the root cause of the problem. This can be an arduous process, so we recommend trying out some of our top tips to get your machine running at an optimum speed.

You may need to remove bloatware, delete old or unused apps (and their associated files) and monitor others you have running in the background that may need removing or pausing when running other intensive apps and more.

To regain some processing speed and rebuild your patience, read on for our top tips for how to speed up your Windows 10 computer.

Make login into Windows 10 quicker



If you’ve set up your machine to request a password when signing into your computer, you may want to skip this process, as long as you always use your computer in a safe and secure place, on a secured network.

You may find you only save seconds typing your passwords in and hitting return, but the time you’ll save essentially re-booting every time your computer’s gone to sleep may make your experience at least a little smoother.

Of course, passwords are essential for security, so if you store very confidential information on your PC, or travel with it or use it in coffee shops or even at work, you will probably want to keep your password. But if that's not the case, you can uncheck the box requiring you to enter a username and password to log in. Click apply, confirm your password, and Windows will never ask you for it again. It is worth noting, though, that even your home may not be the most secure environment - everybody can be burgled.

And disabling your password also means that anybody can fire up your Windows 10 PC and use it. This makes doing so a big no-no for portable laptops, but desktops are a safer bet.

Make shutting down Windows 10 faster



If you like to shut down your computer after a hard day’s work, then you will realise that the process still requires three clicks. To speed this up you can use a shortcut. Simply right-click anywhere on a free part of the desktop then click New > Shortcut. In the Location field, type in the following.

%windir%\System32\shutdown.exe /s /t 0

Click on the Next to finish. Now each time you click on that shortcut, your PC will immediately shut down. Be careful though!

Disable Startup programs in Windows 10


Virtually every version of Windows allows you to disable startup items, and Windows 10 is no exception. Stopping some programs from starting up will speed up the OS.

To find this option, right-click the taskbar and choose Task Manager, and then click on the Startup tab. Here you can disable the programs you don’t want to start up.

Remove bloatware in Windows 10



No one likes bloatware (except PC manufacturers) but it does mean your system is slightly cheaper as a result. But you can ditch this crapware. For the most part, these are programs such as disc burning software, backup tools from the manufacturer or other utilities that you don’t necessarily need.

Why programs such as PC Decrapifier and CCleaner do a sterling job of getting rid of bloatware, if you have a brand new (but bloatware laden) computer, then a clean install of Windows 10 could be the best way of clearing out unnecessary software clogging up your system.




Make the Windows 10 Start menu and other Windows zippier



The brand new Windows 10 Start menu can be slower to pop up on older machines. This is because making this appear in a whiz-bang fashion consumes compute power. To turn off this animated feature, bring up Systems Properties (type in the search field sysdm.cpl and press Enter.)

Click on the Advanced tab, then click on the Settings button in Performance. Untick the box for Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing, then click Apply.

This should speed up not only the Start menu but also all other windows that appear on your desktop.

If you really wanted to, you can disable all visual effects to really speed Windows 10 up. Just click on the radio button next to Adjust for best performance.


Turn on Windows 10 Fast Startup



With Windows 10 there is a new “hybrid” startup mode that should cut down on bootup times. It does this by putting the PC into hibernation instead of fully shutting down.

To enable this, click on the Start button and type in “Control Panel" and press enter. In the control panel click on Hardware and Sound. A new page should appear, here click on Change what the power buttons do. Then click on Change settings that are currently unavailable. Finally, tick the box marked Turn on fast startup.

Disable services on Windows 10



As with all versions of Windows, working in the background are services. While some of them are vital to the smooth running, quite a few aren’t for day-to-day use. If you disable these services, you can speed up Windows 10.

To turn off services in windows, type: “services.msc” into the search field. Then double-click on the services you want to stop or disable.

There are many services that can be turned off but which ones depend on what you use Windows 10 for and whether or not you work in an office or from home. A great guide to the services that can be switch off can be found here.

Remember, though, stopping or disabling services can have unforeseen consequences. Many components or applications may stop working properly, so proceed with caution.




Clean up your Windows 10 disk



Thankfully, Windows 10 has a built-in Disk Cleanup tool which is extremely useful when you want to get rid of unnecessary files. To launch the tool, click on the Start button and then select the File Explorer link. Right-click Local Disk C: and choose Properties. Navigate to the General tab and then find the Disk Cleanup button. Once there, click "unnecessary files (temporary internet files, etc.)" then hit OK.

For advanced users, you can select the "Clean up system files" button to get rid of even more files. Following this, you can then...

Defragment the hard drive on Windows 10

Defragmenting your hard drive is one of the most basic ways to speed up your computer. This consolidates the different parts of your files into the smallest possible sequential area on the disk. This means the read/write heads have to travel smaller distances so will be faster at completing requests.

It is worth mentioning that this only applies to physical, platter-based drives instead of solid-state drives. Since SSDs store data in a particular way, fragmentation has little effect on performance. Defragmentation is pretty much unnecessary because of this.

For those of you with physical HDDs, regular defrags are an essential way of ensuring your computer remains up to speed. To defrag the hard drive, click on the Start button and click the File Explorer link. Right-click Local Disk C: and choose Properties. Select the Tools tab, then click "Optimize and Defragment Drive".

Migrate Windows 10 to an SSD

Perhaps the most effective, but most disruptive way to improve the speed of Windows 10 is to move the operating system or your entire hard drive onto a brand new solid state drive (SSD).

SSDs are essentially much larger and more sophisticated versions of a standard USB stick. Unlike hard drives which use a moving arm to read and write onto a physical disk, SSDs don't contain any moving parts, and as a result are able to process data far faster than their older counterparts.

It's common for PC users to have both an SSD and hard drive running side by side, with the operating system running on the much faster hardware. However, with falling prices and larger capacities entering the market, it's now relatively cost effective to migrate the entirety of your data, including software, onto an SSD.

Importantly, Windows 10, or any operating system for that matter, performs wonderfully on an SSD, drastically reducing load times and boot times to mere seconds. If you're buying a new laptop or PC, you'll want to cast an eye over the spec sheets to make sure they have an SSD installed.

Windows 10 can be migrated over to an SSD on an existing system, although the process is a little fiddly. We've put together a guide on how best to transfer the OS to an SSD, including some tips to ensure data isn't lost in the process.