19 Proven Ways to Speed Up and Optimize Your Windows 10 PC

6:55 PM | 18 May 2025

19 Proven Ways to Speed Up and Optimize Your Windows 10 PC

It's a common lament among Windows users: over time, your trusty PC seems to lose its initial zip. The snappy performance you enjoyed when you first set it up gradually gives way to sluggishness, longer boot times, and applications that take their sweet time to open. This isn't just your imagination; it's a natural consequence of using any operating system, especially one as complex and feature-rich as Windows 10.

Why does this slowdown happen? The reasons are manifold. Installing and uninstalling software leaves behind traces in the system registry. Programs you rarely use might be silently launching every time you start your computer, consuming valuable resources in the background. Your hard drive accumulates temporary files, downloads, and other digital clutter. Visual effects, transparency, and background processes, while aesthetically pleasing or convenient, can add overhead, particularly on older or less powerful hardware. Even essential features like search indexing or cloud syncing can contribute to performance bottlenecks if not managed correctly.

Fortunately, you don't have to resign yourself to a slow Windows 10 experience. With a little knowledge and a willingness to tweak some settings, you can significantly improve your PC's speed and responsiveness. This guide delves into 19 effective methods to help you reclaim your PC's performance, making it faster, more stable, and less prone to frustrating slowdowns and system issues.

While Windows 11 is the latest iteration, many of the underlying principles of system optimization remain similar. However, this guide focuses specifically on Windows 10, providing targeted advice and steps relevant to that operating system. If you've already made the jump to Windows 11, you can find dedicated guides for optimizing its performance.

Let's explore the top ways to speed up your Windows 10 PC.

Top Ways to Speed Up Windows 10

Change your power settings
Disable programs that run on startup
Go to a previous restore point
Use ReadyBoost to speed up disk caching
Shut off Windows tips and tricks
Stop OneDrive from syncing
Use OneDrive Files On-Demand
Turn off search indexing
Clean out your hard disk
Clean out your Registry
Disable shadows, animations and visual effects
Disable transparency
Update your device drivers
Turn on automated Windows maintenance
Kill bloatware
Defrag your hard disk
Disable Game Mode
Run Windows troubleshooters
Shut down and restart Windows

Some of these tips are quick fixes, while others require a bit more effort and understanding. Implementing even a few of them can yield noticeable improvements. And yes, that last tip — the classic 'turn it off and on again' — is on the list for a reason. It's often the simplest and most effective first step in troubleshooting many PC problems, including performance issues.

1. Change Your Power Settings

One of the most immediate ways to impact your PC's performance is by adjusting its power plan. Windows 10 offers different power plans designed to balance energy consumption and performance. The 'Power saver' plan, while great for extending battery life on laptops or reducing electricity bills slightly on desktops, deliberately limits your CPU's speed and other hardware capabilities to conserve energy. This directly translates to a slower computing experience.

Switching to a 'High performance' or 'Balanced' plan allows your PC's hardware to operate at its full potential, providing an instant performance boost. The 'Balanced' plan is often the recommended default, offering a good compromise between energy efficiency and responsiveness. 'High performance' prioritizes speed above all else, consuming more power but delivering maximum power to your components.

How to Adjust Power Settings:

For desktop PCs or when your laptop is plugged in, accessing power options via the Control Panel offers the most detailed control:

Open the **Control Panel**. You can find it by typing "Control Panel" in the Windows search bar and pressing Enter.
Navigate to **Hardware and Sound**.
Click on **Power Options**.
You will typically see 'Balanced (recommended)' and 'Power saver'. To reveal other options, click the down arrow next to **Show additional plans**.
Select either **Balanced** or **High performance**. For maximum speed when plugged in, choose 'High performance'. 'Balanced' is a good default for everyday use.
Close the Control Panel. The changes take effect immediately.

For laptops, Windows 10 provides a convenient slider in the taskbar for quick adjustments:

Click the **battery icon** in the system tray (the right side of the taskbar).
A small pop-up will appear with a slider. Drag the slider towards the right, labeled **Best performance**.
Moving the slider left towards 'Best battery life' will conserve power at the expense of performance. Find a position that suits your current needs.

Choosing the right power plan ensures your hardware isn't artificially throttled, allowing your CPU, GPU, and other components to perform optimally when you need them to.

2. Disable Programs That Run on Startup

One of the most common culprits behind a slow Windows 10 boot time and sluggish performance is an overloaded startup. Many applications, when installed, configure themselves to launch automatically every time you turn on your PC. While some of these might be genuinely useful (like your antivirus software), many others are unnecessary background processes that consume valuable CPU, RAM, and disk resources from the moment you log in.

Managing your startup programs can dramatically reduce the time it takes for your PC to become usable after booting and free up resources for the applications you actually want to run.

How to Manage Startup Programs Using Task Manager:

Windows 10's Task Manager provides an excellent interface for identifying and disabling startup items.

Open the **Task Manager**. You can do this by pressing **Ctrl + Shift + Esc**, right-clicking the taskbar and selecting 'Task Manager', or typing "task manager" in the search bar and pressing Enter.
If Task Manager opens in a compact view, click **More details** at the bottom left.
Click the **Startup** tab.
Here, you'll see a list of applications configured to run at startup. The columns show the program's name, publisher, status (Enabled/Disabled), and 'Startup impact' (High, Medium, Low, or None). The 'Startup impact' is particularly useful for identifying which programs are slowing down your boot process the most.
To prevent a program from launching at startup, **right-click** on it and select **Disable**.

Disabling a program here does *not* uninstall it or prevent you from running it manually whenever you need it. It simply stops it from launching automatically when Windows starts. You can always re-enable it later from the same Task Manager tab if you change your mind.

Identifying Unfamiliar Programs:

You might encounter programs in the startup list that you don't recognize. Task Manager offers tools to help you identify them:

**Right-click** the program and select **Properties** to see details like file location, version, and digital signature.
**Right-click** the program and select **Open file location** to open the folder where the executable file is stored. The folder name might provide clues about the program's origin.
**Right-click** the program and select **Search online**. This will open your default web browser and perform a search for the program's name, often leading you to information about its purpose and whether it's safe or necessary.

Be cautious when disabling items you don't recognize, especially those with Microsoft as the publisher or items related to hardware drivers. Disabling essential system processes can cause instability. When in doubt, use the 'Search online' feature or consult resources like Should I Block It? to understand the program's function before disabling it.

After disabling unnecessary startup programs, restart your computer. You should notice a significant improvement in boot time and overall system responsiveness as fewer processes compete for resources.

3. Go to a Previous Restore Point

Sometimes, a sudden slowdown isn't caused by accumulated clutter but by a specific change you recently made — installing new software, updating a driver, or applying a Windows update. If your PC was running fine yesterday but is sluggish today, reverting to a previous state using System Restore can often fix the problem.

System Restore creates snapshots of your system files, installed applications, Windows Registry, and settings at specific points in time, called restore points. These are automatically created before major events like installing updates or new software, and you can also create them manually. If a recent change negatively impacts performance or causes other issues, you can use System Restore to roll back your system to a time when it was working correctly.

How to Use System Restore:

Using System Restore is a straightforward process, but it's crucial to save your work before starting, as your PC will restart.

Save and close all open files and programs.
Type "create a restore point" in the Windows search bar and press Enter. This opens the System Properties window with the System Protection tab active.
Click the **System Restore** button.
The System Restore wizard will open. It might recommend a recent restore point. You can choose this one by clicking **Next**.
Alternatively, to see a list of all available restore points, select **Choose a different restore point** and click **Next**.
Select the desired restore point from the list. Look at the date and time to pick a point before the performance issues began. You can click **Scan for affected programs** to see which programs will be removed or restored by selecting that point.
Click **Next**.
Review the confirmation screen and click **Finish**.
Windows will warn you that System Restore cannot be interrupted once started. Click **Yes** to proceed.

Your PC will restart and begin the restoration process. This can take some time. Once complete, Windows will boot up, and you'll receive a notification indicating whether the restore was successful. Your personal files (documents, pictures, etc.) should not be affected, but programs and drivers installed after the chosen restore point will be removed.

Enabling System Protection:

If the System Restore button is grayed out or you don't see any restore points, System Protection might be turned off for your drive. To enable it:

In the System Properties window (accessed by typing "create a restore point"), go to the **System Protection** tab.
Under "Protection Settings," select your main system drive (usually C:).
Click the **Configure** button.
Select **Turn on system protection**.
You can also adjust the disk space usage slider to control how much space is allocated for restore points. More space allows for more restore points.
Click **Apply** and then **OK**.

Once enabled, Windows will automatically create restore points. You can also manually create a restore point at any time from the System Protection tab by clicking the **Create** button.

4. Use ReadyBoost to Speed Up Disk Caching

Windows uses disk caching to store frequently accessed data on your hard drive, allowing it to be retrieved more quickly than reading directly from the original location. On traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs), which are relatively slow compared to modern storage, this caching process can still be a bottleneck.

ReadyBoost is a Windows feature that allows you to use external flash memory, such as a USB flash drive or SD card, as a cache to improve system performance. Flash memory typically has much faster random read speeds than HDDs, making it an ideal candidate for caching small, frequently accessed files. By offloading some of the caching duties to a faster flash drive, ReadyBoost can potentially speed up your system, especially if your PC has limited RAM and a slow HDD.

How to Set Up ReadyBoost:

To use ReadyBoost, you'll need a compatible USB flash drive or SD card. Not all flash drives support ReadyBoost, and performance varies depending on the drive's speed.

Insert a USB flash drive or SD card into your PC.
Open **File Explorer** (Windows Key + E).
Click on **This PC** in the left-hand pane.
Locate the inserted flash drive under "Devices and drives."
**Right-click** on the flash drive and select **Properties**.
Go to the **ReadyBoost** tab.
Windows will analyze the drive to determine if it's suitable for ReadyBoost. If it is, you'll see options to configure it. If it's not suitable, you'll see a message stating, "This device cannot be used for ReadyBoost."
If the drive is suitable, select **Dedicate this device to ReadyBoost**. Windows will automatically allocate the maximum recommended space on the drive for caching.
Alternatively, you can select **Use this device** and manually adjust the amount of space to reserve for ReadyBoost using the slider. It's generally recommended to dedicate at least double your system's RAM for optimal results, up to the maximum supported by ReadyBoost (which has increased in newer Windows versions, but older limits were around 32GB per device).
Click **Apply** and then **OK**.

Windows will now use the flash drive as a cache. You'll see a file named `ReadyBoost.sfcache` on the drive, which stores the cached data. Do not remove the drive while your computer is running, as this can cause errors. Safely eject the drive when you want to remove it.

Important Considerations for ReadyBoost:

**SSDs:** ReadyBoost is primarily beneficial for systems with traditional HDDs. If your PC has a Solid State Drive (SSD) as its main system drive, ReadyBoost will likely provide little to no performance improvement, as SSDs are already much faster than flash drives for random reads. In some cases, using ReadyBoost with an SSD might even slightly decrease performance or contribute to unnecessary wear on the flash drive.
**RAM:** Systems with a large amount of RAM (e.g., 8GB or more) may also see less benefit from ReadyBoost, as Windows can perform more caching directly in RAM, which is significantly faster than any flash drive.
**Flash Drive Speed:** The performance gain from ReadyBoost is directly related to the speed of the flash drive, particularly its random read performance. Faster, newer USB 3.0 or 3.1 drives will yield better results than older USB 2.0 drives.

ReadyBoost is a feature best suited for older systems with limited RAM and a slow HDD. If you fit this description, giving it a try with a fast USB 3.0 drive is worthwhile.

5. Shut Off Windows Tips and Tricks

Windows 10 is designed to be helpful, offering suggestions, tips, and tricks based on how you use your PC. While this might sound useful in theory, these notifications can sometimes be distracting and, more importantly, the background process of monitoring your activity and generating these tips can consume minor system resources. For users prioritizing performance and perhaps concerned about the privacy implications of this monitoring, disabling these suggestions is a simple optimization step.

How to Disable Tips, Tricks, and Suggestions:

Turning off these notifications is quick and easy:

Click the **Start button**.
Click the **Settings icon** (the gear shape).
Go to **System**.
Select **Notifications & actions** from the left-hand menu.
Scroll down to the "Notifications" section.
Find the option labeled **"Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows"**.
Uncheck the box next to this option or toggle the switch to **Off**.

Once disabled, Windows will stop analyzing your usage patterns for the purpose of providing tips, freeing up those minor background resources. While this might not provide a dramatic speed boost on its own, it contributes to a leaner, less intrusive operating system experience.

6. Stop OneDrive from Syncing

Microsoft OneDrive is tightly integrated into Windows 10, offering cloud storage, file syncing across devices, and backup capabilities. While incredibly useful for accessibility and data protection, the continuous process of syncing files between your PC and the cloud can consume significant network bandwidth, CPU cycles, and disk activity, potentially slowing down your system, especially if you have a large number of files or a slow internet connection.

If you suspect OneDrive syncing is impacting your PC's performance, you can temporarily pause or permanently stop the syncing process.

How to Pause or Unlink OneDrive Syncing:

First, it's a good idea to test if pausing sync actually improves performance:

Locate the **OneDrive cloud icon** in the notification area on the right side of the taskbar. You might need to click the upward-pointing arrow to see hidden icons.
**Right-click** the OneDrive icon.
From the menu, hover over **Pause syncing**.
Select a duration to pause syncing: **2 hours**, **8 hours**, or **24 hours**.

Observe your PC's performance during the paused period. If you notice a significant improvement, OneDrive syncing is likely contributing to your slowdowns.

If you decide you want to stop OneDrive from syncing permanently (meaning files saved to your local OneDrive folder will *not* be uploaded to the cloud, and files in the cloud will not be downloaded), you can unlink your account:

**Right-click** the **OneDrive icon** in the notification area.
Click **Settings**.
In the Microsoft OneDrive window, go to the **Account** tab.
Click **Unlink this PC**.
A confirmation window will appear. Click **Unlink account**.

Unlinking your account stops all automatic syncing. Your files will remain in your local OneDrive folder, but they will no longer be connected to your cloud storage. You can relink your account later if needed.

If you find that OneDrive is causing issues but you still want to use its syncing capabilities, consider troubleshooting specific OneDrive problems or using the Files On-Demand feature (discussed next) to reduce the amount of data being synced locally.

7. Use OneDrive Files On-Demand

Stopping OneDrive syncing entirely might not be a desirable solution for many users, as it sacrifices the convenience of cloud access and backup. A better approach for balancing performance and functionality is to use OneDrive Files On-Demand. This feature allows you to access all your files stored in OneDrive from File Explorer without having to download them all to your PC.

With Files On-Demand, files can have three states:

**Online-only files:** These files do not take up space on your computer. You need an internet connection to open them. They appear with a cloud icon.
**Locally available files:** These files are downloaded to your computer. You can open them without an internet connection. They appear with a white circle and green border icon.
**Always available files:** These files are downloaded and will always remain on your device, even if you're offline. They appear with a solid green circle icon.

By keeping most of your files as online-only, you significantly reduce the amount of storage space used on your PC and, more importantly, reduce the constant background syncing activity, which can improve performance.

How to Configure Files On-Demand:

Files On-Demand is enabled by default in recent versions of Windows 10 and OneDrive. You can manage which folders are kept locally:

**Right-click** the **OneDrive icon** in the notification area.
Click **Settings**.
In the Microsoft OneDrive window, go to the **Account** tab.
Click **Choose folders**.
A dialog box titled "Choose folders" will appear, showing a tree structure of your OneDrive folders.
Uncheck the boxes next to the folders you want to keep as **online-only**. Files in unchecked folders will be removed from your local storage but will still be accessible from File Explorer with a cloud icon.
Keep the boxes checked for folders you want to be **locally available** or **always available**.
Click **OK**.

After configuring, navigate to your OneDrive folder in File Explorer. You'll see status icons next to your files and folders indicating their state (cloud, white circle with green border, or solid green circle). You can change a file or folder's state by right-clicking it and selecting "Free up space" (to make it online-only) or "Always keep on this device" (to make it always available).

Using Files On-Demand allows you to maintain access to your entire OneDrive library while minimizing the impact on your local storage and system performance by only downloading files when you need them.

8. Turn Off Search Indexing

Windows 10 constantly indexes the files on your hard drive in the background. This indexing process creates a catalog of file locations and properties, which allows the Windows search function to return results almost instantly when you search for files. While this is convenient, the indexing process itself requires system resources (CPU, disk activity) and can potentially slow down your PC, especially on older or slower machines, or if the index is corrupted.

Turning off search indexing can free up these resources, potentially improving overall system performance. The trade-off is that searching for files in File Explorer might take longer, as Windows will have to scan folders in real-time instead of consulting a pre-built index.

How to Turn Off Search Indexing:

You can disable the Windows Search service entirely or configure which locations are indexed.

To disable the service completely:

Type "services.msc" in the Windows search bar and press Enter. This opens the Services application.
Scroll down the list of services and find either **Indexing Service** (older systems) or **Windows Search**.
**Double-click** on the service name. This opens the Properties window.
Under "Startup type," click the drop-down menu and select **Disabled**.
If the service is currently running, click the **Stop** button.
Click **Apply** and then **OK**.
Restart your computer for the change to take full effect.

After disabling the service, your searches might be slower, but background indexing activity will cease, potentially improving general system responsiveness.

Alternatively, you can customize which locations are indexed, which might be a better option if you still want fast search for specific folders (like your Documents folder) but want to exclude others (like program files or system folders).

To customize indexed locations:

Type "index" in the Windows search bar and click on **Indexing Options**. This opens the Indexing Options window in the Control Panel.
Click the **Modify** button.
A list of indexed locations will appear. Uncheck the boxes next to locations you do not want to be indexed. You can expand drives and folders to select specific subfolders.
Click **OK**.
Click **Close** on the Indexing Options window.

Windows will rebuild the index based on your selections, which might take some time initially, but the ongoing indexing activity will be reduced.

Consider disabling indexing entirely if you rarely use Windows Search or if your PC is significantly slowed down by disk activity. If you frequently search for files, customizing the indexed locations might be a better compromise.

9. Clean Out Your Hard Disk

A cluttered hard drive filled with unnecessary files, temporary data, and old downloads can contribute to a sluggish PC. When your drive is nearly full, Windows has less space to work with for temporary files, caching, and updates, which can impact performance. Cleaning up your disk space is an essential maintenance task for keeping your PC running smoothly.

Windows 10 includes a built-in tool called Storage Sense that can automatically free up space by deleting junk files. You can also use it manually or configure it to run on a schedule.

How to Use Storage Sense:

Storage Sense can be configured to run automatically in the background:

Click the **Start button** and open **Settings** (the gear icon).
Go to **System**.
Select **Storage** from the left-hand menu.
At the top of the Storage settings, toggle the switch under "Storage Sense" from **Off** to **On**.

With Storage Sense enabled, Windows will automatically clean up temporary files and Recycle Bin contents when disk space is low.

To customize Storage Sense or run it manually:

On the Storage settings page, click **Configure Storage Sense or run it now**.
Here, you can adjust the frequency of Storage Sense runs (Every day, Every week, Every month, or During low free disk space).
You can configure Storage Sense to delete temporary files that apps aren't using.
You can set how often files in your Recycle Bin are automatically deleted.
You can also configure how often files in your Downloads folder are deleted if they haven't been opened for a certain period.
Additionally, you can have Storage Sense automatically move files from your local PC to OneDrive if they haven't been opened for a specified time.
To run Storage Sense immediately with your current settings, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click **Clean now**.

Storage Sense is a powerful tool for automating disk cleanup. Regularly freeing up disk space ensures Windows has the necessary room to operate efficiently.

Other Disk Cleanup Methods:

While Storage Sense is convenient, you can also perform manual cleanup:

**Uninstall Unused Programs:** Go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features. Review the list of installed programs and uninstall any you no longer need. This frees up disk space and can also remove associated background processes.
**Manual File Cleanup:** Manually go through your Downloads folder, Documents, Pictures, and Videos folders and delete files you don't need or move them to external storage.
**Disk Cleanup Utility:** The classic Windows Disk Cleanup utility (type "Disk Cleanup" in search) offers more granular control over deleting various types of temporary and system files. Click "Clean up system files" for even more options, like cleaning Windows Update leftover files.

Combining Storage Sense with occasional manual cleanup ensures your hard drive stays lean and doesn't become a bottleneck for performance.

10. Clean Out Your Registry

The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores low-level settings for the Microsoft Windows operating system and for applications that opt to use the Registry. It contains configuration settings for hardware, software, user preferences, and much more. Over time, as you install, uninstall, and update software, the Registry can accumulate orphaned entries, incorrect references, and other inconsistencies. While Windows is generally robust, a heavily cluttered or corrupted Registry can potentially lead to system instability, errors, and performance degradation.

Cleaning the Registry involves scanning for and removing these invalid entries. However, it's crucial to approach Registry cleaning with caution, as incorrectly modifying the Registry can render your system unbootable. It is highly recommended to use a reputable Registry cleaner tool and always back up your Registry before making any changes.

Using a Registry Cleaner (with caution):

While Microsoft does not officially endorse Registry cleaners and some experts argue their performance benefits are minimal compared to the risks, they can sometimes resolve issues caused by specific software remnants. If you choose to use one, select a well-regarded free tool like Auslogics Registry Cleaner.

Before running any Registry cleaner, **always back up your Registry**:

Type "regedit" in the Windows search bar and press Enter. Click Yes if prompted by User Account Control. This opens the Registry Editor.
In the Registry Editor, click **File > Export**.
Under "Export range," select **All**.
Choose a location to save the backup file (e.g., your Documents folder), give it a descriptive name (like "RegistryBackup_Date"), and ensure the file type is "Registration Files (*.reg)".
Click **Save**.
To restore the Registry later, open Registry Editor, click **File > Import**, and select the saved `.reg` file.

Now, using Auslogics Registry Cleaner (or a similar reputable tool):

Download, install, and run the Registry cleaner software.
Most cleaners will offer categories of issues to scan for (e.g., File Associations, Fonts, User History, etc.). Select the categories you want to scan.
Initiate the scan (e.g., click "Scan Now").
The cleaner will list the problems it found. Review the list. Reputable cleaners allow you to uncheck items you don't want to fix.
Before fixing, ensure the option to **Back Up Changes** is selected within the cleaner itself. This creates another backup specifically for the changes the tool is about to make.
Click the button to fix or resolve the issues (e.g., "Resolve selected issues").

While Registry cleaning *can* sometimes help, its impact on performance is often less significant than other methods like managing startup programs or cleaning your disk. The primary benefit is often resolving specific errors or remnants left by poorly uninstalled software. Always proceed with caution and ensure you have backups.

11. Disable Shadows, Animations, and Visual Effects

Windows 10 incorporates various visual effects, such as window animations, shadows under windows, smooth scrolling, and fading effects, to create a more modern and aesthetically pleasing user interface. While these effects enhance the visual experience, they require graphics processing power and can consume system resources. On older PCs or systems with integrated graphics, these visual flourishes can contribute to a noticeable slowdown in interface responsiveness.

Disabling or reducing these visual effects can free up graphics resources and make the Windows interface feel snappier, especially when opening, closing, minimizing, and maximizing windows.

How to Adjust Visual Effects:

Windows provides a dedicated Performance Options dialog box to control these settings:

Type "sysdm.cpl" in the Windows search bar and press Enter. This opens the System Properties dialog box.
Go to the **Advanced** tab.
In the "Performance" section, click the **Settings** button. This opens the Performance Options dialog box.
You'll see a list of visual effects with checkboxes.
For the easiest approach, select **Adjust for best performance** at the top. This will automatically uncheck most of the visual effects, prioritizing speed over aesthetics.
If you prefer to customize, you can manually check or uncheck individual effects. Effects that tend to have a noticeable impact on performance include:

Animate controls and elements inside windows
Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing
Animations in the taskbar
Fade or slide menus into view
Fade or slide ToolTips into view
Fade out menu items after clicking
Show shadows under windows
Show window contents while dragging
Slide open combo boxes
Smooth-scroll list boxes

After making your selections, click **Apply** and then **OK**.

You should immediately notice that windows open and close more abruptly, and other interface elements might appear or disappear instantly rather than fading or sliding. While less visually polished, this can significantly improve the perceived speed of the Windows interface on slower hardware.

12. Disable Transparency

Related to general visual effects, Windows 10 uses transparency effects (called "Acrylic" in Microsoft's Fluent Design system) for elements like the Start menu, taskbar, and Action Center. This effect makes these surfaces appear slightly translucent, allowing you to see content behind them. Like other visual effects, generating this transparency requires graphics processing and can consume resources, potentially impacting performance, especially on systems with less powerful integrated graphics.

Disabling transparency is a quick way to reduce this graphical overhead.

How to Disable Transparency Effects:

This setting is found within the Personalization settings:

Click the **Start button** and open **Settings** (the gear icon).
Go to **Personalization**.
Select **Colors** from the left-hand menu.
Scroll down to the section titled "Transparency effects."
Toggle the switch to **Off**.

The Start menu, taskbar, and Action Center will immediately become opaque. While this changes the look of the interface, it removes the graphical processing required for the transparency effect, contributing to a slightly faster and more responsive feel, particularly when interacting with these elements.

13. Update Your Device Drivers

Device drivers are essential software components that allow Windows to communicate with your hardware (graphics card, network adapter, audio chip, etc.). Outdated, corrupted, or incorrect drivers can lead to a wide range of problems, including performance issues, system instability, crashes, and hardware malfunctions. Keeping your drivers up to date is crucial for ensuring your hardware functions correctly and efficiently, which directly impacts overall system performance.

Graphics drivers, in particular, are critical for performance, especially if you use demanding applications or games. Manufacturers like NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel frequently release updated graphics drivers that include performance optimizations and bug fixes.

How to Update Device Drivers:

The most reliable way to update drivers is often directly from the hardware manufacturer's website. However, Windows Device Manager can help you identify devices and attempt to find updates.

Using Device Manager:

Type "device manager" in the Windows search bar and press Enter. This opens the Device Manager window.
Expand the category for the device you want to update (e.g., **Display adapters** for graphics cards).
**Right-click** on the specific device listed (e.g., your NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel graphics card).
Select **Update driver** from the context menu.
Choose **Search automatically for drivers**. Windows will search your computer and the internet for the latest driver software.
If Windows finds a newer driver, it will download and install it. You may need to restart your PC.

If Windows doesn't find a driver, it doesn't necessarily mean you have the latest one. Windows Update and Device Manager don't always have the very newest drivers, especially for graphics cards. For the best results, visit the support section of your hardware manufacturer's website (e.g., Dell, HP, Lenovo for pre-built PCs, or NVIDIA, AMD, Intel for individual components) and download the latest drivers specifically for your model and Windows 10 version. Run the downloaded installer to update the driver.

Keeping drivers updated, especially for critical components like graphics, storage controllers, and network adapters, can resolve performance bottlenecks and improve system stability.

14. Turn On Automated Windows Maintenance

Windows 10 includes an Automatic Maintenance feature that performs essential system tasks in the background to keep your PC running smoothly. These tasks include security scanning (checking for malware), running system diagnostics, checking for software updates, and performing other routine maintenance procedures. By default, this maintenance is scheduled to run daily when your computer is idle and plugged into a power source.

Ensuring this feature is enabled and runs regularly helps proactively identify and fix potential issues that could lead to performance problems or instability.

How to Check and Configure Automatic Maintenance:

You can verify the status of Automatic Maintenance and manually initiate a run if needed:

Open the **Control Panel**.
Select **System and Security**.
Click **Security and Maintenance**.
Expand the **Maintenance** section by clicking the down arrow.
Look under "Automatic Maintenance." It should indicate the last time maintenance was run and the scheduled time.
If you want to run maintenance immediately, click **Start maintenance**.
To change the scheduled time or ensure your PC wakes up to perform maintenance, click **Change maintenance settings**.
In the Maintenance settings window, select your preferred time for daily maintenance.
Check the box next to **Allow scheduled maintenance to wake up my computer at the scheduled time** if you want maintenance to run even if your PC is asleep (ensure your PC is plugged in if it's a laptop).
Click **OK**.

Allowing Windows to perform its scheduled maintenance helps keep the system optimized and secure, preventing many common issues that can degrade performance over time. Make sure your PC is plugged in and allowed to be idle during the scheduled time for the maintenance to complete successfully.

15. Kill Bloatware

Bloatware refers to pre-installed software that comes with your computer, often bundled by the manufacturer or third parties. This software can range from trial versions of antivirus programs and utility suites to unnecessary games, toolbars, and proprietary manufacturer applications. Bloatware often runs in the background, consumes system resources (CPU, RAM, disk space), and can contribute significantly to a PC's sluggishness right out of the box.

Removing bloatware is one of the most effective ways to improve performance on a new PC, but it can also accumulate over time from software bundles or unwanted installations.

How to Identify and Remove Bloatware:

The primary method for removing bloatware is through the standard Windows uninstall process:

Click the **Start button** and open **Settings** (the gear icon).
Go to **Apps**.
Select **Apps & features** from the left-hand menu.
Review the list of installed applications. Sort by install date to see recently added programs, or sort by size to identify large applications you might not need.
Click on any application you want to remove and select **Uninstall**. Follow the on-screen prompts.

Be cautious when uninstalling programs you don't recognize. Some manufacturer-installed software might be necessary for specific hardware functions (like keyboard shortcuts or power management). If you're unsure about a program, search online for its name to understand its purpose before uninstalling.

In addition to manually uninstalling, consider running a scan for adware and potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) that might have been installed alongside other software:

**Windows Security:** Windows 10 has built-in antivirus and anti-malware protection. Type "windows security" in search, open the app, go to **Virus & threat protection**, and run a **Quick scan** or **Full scan**.
**Third-Party Scanners:** Tools like Malwarebytes (free version) are excellent for scanning and removing adware, PUPs, and other malicious software that might be slowing down your system.

For identifying potentially unwanted software, websites like Should I Remove It? provide community feedback and information on whether a program is commonly considered bloatware or potentially harmful.

Systematically removing unnecessary pre-installed software and any unwanted programs that have crept onto your system can significantly lighten the load on your CPU, RAM, and storage, leading to a much faster PC.

16. Defrag Your Hard Disk

Disk fragmentation occurs on traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) when parts of a single file are scattered across different locations on the disk platter. When you access a fragmented file, the read/write head has to move to multiple locations to retrieve all the pieces, which takes more time than reading a contiguous file. Over time, as files are created, modified, and deleted, HDDs can become fragmented, leading to slower file access times and overall system sluggishness.

Defragmentation is the process of reorganizing the data on an HDD so that the pieces of each file are stored contiguously. This reduces the movement required by the read/write head, speeding up file access.

Windows 10 has a built-in tool to defragment your drives, and it's configured to run automatically on a schedule by default.

How to Defragment Your Hard Disk:

You can check the fragmentation status of your drives and run the defragmentation tool manually:

Type "defrag" in the Windows search bar and press Enter. This opens the "Defragment and Optimize Drives" window.
The window lists your drives (C:, D:, etc.) and shows their current fragmentation level.
Select the drive you want to analyze or optimize.
Click the **Analyze** button to see the current fragmentation percentage. If it's significantly fragmented (e.g., over 5-10%), optimization is recommended.
Click the **Optimize** button to start the defragmentation process for the selected drive. This can take some time depending on the size and fragmentation level of the drive.

To ensure your drives are regularly optimized, check the schedule settings:

In the "Defragment and Optimize Drives" window, click the **Change settings** button.
Ensure the box next to **Run on a schedule (Recommended)** is checked.
Under "Frequency," select how often you want optimization to run. **Weekly** is usually sufficient for most users.
Click the **Choose** button to select which drives are included in the scheduled optimization. Make sure your main system drive (C:) is selected.
Click **OK** twice to save the settings.

Windows will now automatically optimize your selected drives on the chosen schedule.

Important Note for SSDs:

Defragmentation is designed for traditional HDDs. Solid State Drives (SSDs) store data differently and do not suffer from fragmentation in the same way. Furthermore, the process of defragmenting an SSD involves a lot of write cycles, which can reduce the lifespan of the drive. Windows 10's optimization tool recognizes SSDs and performs a different operation called "Trim" on them, which helps maintain performance but is not defragmentation. You should **not** manually defragment an SSD, and the scheduled optimization tool handles SSDs appropriately.

If your system drive is an HDD, regular defragmentation is a valuable maintenance step for maintaining performance. If you have an SSD, you can generally ignore this step or rely on Windows' automatic optimization which performs Trim.

17. Disable Game Mode

Windows 10 includes a feature called Game Mode, designed to optimize your PC for gaming. When Game Mode is enabled and detects that you are playing a game, it prioritizes game processes, allocates more system resources (CPU and GPU) to the game, and prevents Windows Update from installing drivers or requiring restarts. The goal is to provide a smoother and more stable gaming experience with potentially higher frame rates.

However, some users have reported that Game Mode can occasionally cause issues or consume resources even when not actively gaming, potentially leading to minor performance degradation in non-gaming tasks. If you are not a frequent gamer or experience general system slowness that you suspect might be related, you can try disabling Game Mode to see if it improves overall responsiveness.

How to Disable Game Mode:

Game Mode is enabled by default in Windows 10. You can turn it off via the Settings app:

Click the **Start button** and open **Settings** (the gear icon).
Go to **Gaming**.
Select **Game Mode** from the left-hand menu.
Toggle the switch under "Game Mode" to **Off**.

Disabling Game Mode means Windows will no longer automatically prioritize game processes or suppress notifications/updates while you're gaming. If you primarily use your PC for non-gaming tasks, turning this off might free up some minor background resources. You can always turn it back on easily if you decide to play a game and want the potential benefits.

18. Run Windows Troubleshooters

Windows 10 includes a collection of built-in troubleshooters designed to automatically diagnose and fix common problems that can affect system performance and stability. These troubleshooters cover various areas, such as internet connections, audio playback, printer issues, Windows Update problems, and even system maintenance and performance.

Running the relevant troubleshooters can often identify and resolve underlying issues that might be contributing to a slow PC without requiring you to manually dig into complex settings.

How to Use Windows Troubleshooters:

You can access and run troubleshooters through the Settings app:

Click the **Start button** and open **Settings** (the gear icon).
Go to **Update & Security**.
Select **Troubleshoot** from the left-hand menu.
On the Troubleshoot page, you'll see a section for "Recommended troubleshooting." You can configure whether Windows automatically runs recommended troubleshooters or asks you first.
To see the full list of available troubleshooters, click **Additional troubleshooters**.
Scroll through the list under "Find and fix other problems." Look for troubleshooters related to performance or general system issues, such as:

**Program Compatibility Troubleshooter:** Helps run older programs on this version of Windows.
**Hardware and Devices:** Find and fix problems with devices and hardware.
**Windows Update:** Help resolve problems that prevent you from updating Windows. (Update issues can sometimes impact performance).
**System Maintenance:** Clean up unused items and perform maintenance tasks.

Click on a troubleshooter and then click **Run the troubleshooter**.
Follow the on-screen instructions. The troubleshooter will scan your system for specific problems and attempt to fix them automatically or guide you through the steps.

Regularly running the System Maintenance troubleshooter can help keep your PC optimized. If you encounter a specific issue (like slow internet), running the relevant troubleshooter is a good first step in diagnosing and resolving the problem, which can indirectly improve overall system performance.

19. Shut Down and Restart Windows

It might sound overly simple, perhaps even cliché, but the advice to "turn it off and on again" is a fundamental troubleshooting step for a reason. A simple shutdown and restart can resolve a surprising number of temporary issues that might be causing your Windows 10 PC to slow down.

When your computer runs for extended periods without a full shutdown, processes can accumulate in memory (RAM), some of which might not release resources properly even after you close the associated applications. This is known as a memory leak, and while less common in modern software, it can still occur. Background tasks might get stuck or consume excessive resources. A restart effectively clears the system's RAM, stops all running processes, and gives Windows a fresh start, resolving many temporary glitches and resource conflicts.

How to Properly Shut Down and Restart:

While closing your laptop lid or putting your desktop to sleep is convenient, it doesn't achieve the same result as a full shutdown. To perform a proper restart:

Click the **Start button**.
Click the **Power icon**.
Select **Restart**.

Choosing "Restart" is often more effective than "Shut down" followed by pressing the power button, especially if you have Windows 10's Fast Startup feature enabled (which is the default). Fast Startup saves a hibernation file of the kernel session to speed up booting, but a full restart performs a complete refresh of the system state.

Make it a habit to restart your PC regularly, perhaps once a day or every few days, especially if you notice performance starting to degrade. This simple action can often resolve mysterious slowdowns and keep your system feeling responsive.

Conclusion

A slow Windows 10 PC can be incredibly frustrating, hindering productivity and enjoyment. However, as this guide demonstrates, you have many tools and techniques at your disposal to diagnose and address performance issues. From simple adjustments like changing power settings and disabling visual effects to more involved tasks like cleaning your disk and managing startup programs, each step contributes to a healthier, faster operating system.

Start with the easiest tips, such as adjusting power settings, disabling startup programs, and turning off visual effects and transparency. These often provide the most noticeable improvements with minimal effort. Then, move on to cleaning your disk, managing OneDrive, and ensuring your drivers are up to date. If problems persist, consider using ReadyBoost (for HDDs), cleaning the Registry (with caution), running troubleshooters, and, of course, the ever-reliable restart.

By implementing a combination of these 19 tips, you can significantly enhance your Windows 10 experience, making your PC feel more like the responsive machine it was when you first started using it. Regular maintenance and attention to what's running on your system are key to sustained performance.

This article provides general guidance. Specific results may vary depending on your PC's hardware, configuration, and usage patterns. Always back up important data before making significant system changes.