Do you Want Windows 10 to run faster? Here's how to easily fix it. Take a few minutes to try out these tips, and your machine will run smoother and less prone to performance and system issues.



1. Disable programs that run on startup

One reason your Windows 10 PC may operate sluggishly is you've got too many programs running in the background when you boot(Switch on/Start up) your system, programs that you may never get to use, or only rarely use. Stop them from running, and your PC will run more smoothly.


Start by launching the Task Manager: Press Ctrl-Shift-Esc or right-click the lower-right corner of your screen and select Task Manager. If the Task Manager launches as a compact app with no tabs, click "More details" at the bottom of your screen. The Task Manager will then appear in all of its full-tabbed glory. There's plenty you can do with it, but we're going to focus only on killing unnecessary programs that run at startup.

Click the Startup tab. You'll see a list of the programs and services that launch when you start Windows. Included on the list is each program's name as well as its publisher, whether it's enabled to run on startup, and its "Startup impact," which is how much it slows down Windows 10 when the system starts up.

To stop a program or service from launching at startup, right-click it and select "Disable." This doesn't disable the program entirely; it only prevents it from launching at startup, you can always run the application after launch. Also, if you later decide you want it to launch at startup, you can just return to this area of the Task Manager, right-click the application and select "Enable."
task manager

You can use the Task Manager to help get information about programs that launch at startup and disable any you don't need.

Many of the programs and services that run on startup may be familiar to you, like OneDrive or Evernote Clipper. But you may not recognize many of them. The Task Manager helps you get information about unfamiliar programs. Right-click an item and select Properties for more information about it, including its location on your hard disk, whether it has a digital signature, and other information such as the version number, the file size and the last time it was modified.

You can also right-click the item and select "Open file location." That opens File Explorer and takes it to the folder where the file is located, which may give you another clue about the program's purpose.




2. Disable animations shadows and visual effects


Windows 10 has some nice eye candy, shadows, animations, built-in special and visual effects. On fast, newer PCs, these don't usually affect system performance. But on slower and older PCs, they can exact a performance hit.

It's easy to turn them off. In the Windows 10 search box type sysdm.cpl and press Enter. That launches the System Properties dialog box. Click the Advanced tab and click "Settings" in the Performance section. That brings you to the Performance Options dialog box. You'll see a varied list of animations and special effects.
performance options

The Performance Options dialog box lets you turn off effects that might be slowing down Windows 10.

If you have time on your hands and love to tweak, you can turn individual ones on and off. These are the animations and special effects you'll probably want to turn off, because they have the greatest effect on system performance:

- 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

However, it's probably a lot easier to just select "Adjust for best performance" at the top of the screen and then click OK. Windows 10 will then turn off the effects that slow down your system.




3. Launch the Windows troubleshooter

Windows 10 has a very useful, little-known tool that can sniff out performance problems and solve them. To launch it, type troubleshooting into the search box, and click the "Troubleshooting Control Panel" icon that appears. Then click "Run maintenance tasks" in the System and Security section of the screen that appears. A screen titled "Troubleshoot and help prevent computer problems" will appear. Click Next.

The troubleshooter will find files and shortcuts you don't use, identify any performance and other issues on your PC, report them to you and then fix them. Note that you may get a message that says, "Try troubleshooting as an administrator." If you have administrative rights to the PC, click it and the troubleshooter will launch and do its work.
troubleshooter

Windows 10's troubleshooter can perform maintenance and housecleaning tasks to help speed up your system.



4. Remove virus

Sometimes the biggest factor slowing down your PC isn't Windows 10 itself, but malware or adware that takes up CPU and system resources. Ad Do you Want Windows 10 to run faster? Here's how to easily fix it. Take a few minutes to try out these tips, and your machine will run smoother and less prone to performance and system issues.



1. Disable programs that run on startup

One reason your Windows 10 PC may operate sluggishly is you've got too many programs running in the background when you boot(Switch on/Start up) your system, programs that you may never get to use, or only rarely use. Stop them from running, and your PC will run more smoothly.


Start by launching the Task Manager: Press Ctrl-Shift-Esc or right-click the lower-right corner of your screen and select Task Manager. If the Task Manager launches as a compact app with no tabs, click "More details" at the bottom of your screen. The Task Manager will then appear in all of its full-tabbed glory. There's plenty you can do with it, but we're going to focus only on killing unnecessary programs that run at startup.

Click the Startup tab. You'll see a list of the programs and services that launch when you start Windows. Included on the list is each program's name as well as its publisher, whether it's enabled to run on startup, and its "Startup impact," which is how much it slows down Windows 10 when the system starts up.

To stop a program or service from launching at startup, right-click it and select "Disable." This doesn't disable the program entirely; it only prevents it from launching at startup, you can always run the application after launch. Also, if you later decide you want it to launch at startup, you can just return to this area of the Task Manager, right-click the application and select "Enable."
task manager

You can use the Task Manager to help get information about programs that launch at startup and disable any you don't need.

Many of the programs and services that run on startup may be familiar to you, like OneDrive or Evernote Clipper. But you may not recognize many of them. The Task Manager helps you get information about unfamiliar programs. Right-click an item and select Properties for more information about it, including its location on your hard disk, whether it has a digital signature, and other information such as the version number, the file size and the last time it was modified.

You can also right-click the item and select "Open file location." That opens File Explorer and takes it to the folder where the file is located, which may give you another clue about the program's purpose.




2. Disable animations shadows and visual effects


Windows 10 has some nice eye candy, shadows, animations, built-in special and visual effects. On fast, newer PCs, these don't usually affect system performance. But on slower and older PCs, they can exact a performance hit.

It's easy to turn them off. In the Windows 10 search box type sysdm.cpl and press Enter. That launches the System Properties dialog box. Click the Advanced tab and click "Settings" in the Performance section. That brings you to the Performance Options dialog box. You'll see a varied list of animations and special effects.
performance options

The Performance Options dialog box lets you turn off effects that might be slowing down Windows 10.

If you have time on your hands and love to tweak, you can turn individual ones on and off. These are the animations and special effects you'll probably want to turn off, because they have the greatest effect on system performance:

- 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

However, it's probably a lot easier to just select "Adjust for best performance" at the top of the screen and then click OK. Windows 10 will then turn off the effects that slow down your system.




3. Launch the Windows troubleshooter

Windows 10 has a very useful, little-known tool that can sniff out performance problems and solve them. To launch it, type troubleshooting into the search box, and click the "Troubleshooting Control Panel" icon that appears. Then click "Run maintenance tasks" in the System and Security section of the screen that appears. A screen titled "Troubleshoot and help prevent computer problems" will appear. Click Next.

The troubleshooter will find files and shortcuts you don't use, identify any performance and other issues on your PC, report them to you and then fix them. Note that you may get a message that says, "Try troubleshooting as an administrator." If you have administrative rights to the PC, click it and the troubleshooter will launch and do its work.
troubleshooter

Windows 10's troubleshooter can perform maintenance and housecleaning tasks to help speed up your system.



4. Use Antivirus

Sometimes the biggest factor slowing down your PC isn't Windows 10 itself, but malware or ad ware that takes up CPU and system resources. Adware and malware are particularly insidious because they may have been installed by your computer's manufacturer. You'd be amazed at how much more quickly your Windows 10 PC can run if you get rid of it.

First, run a system scan to find adware and malware. If you've already installed a security suite such as Norton Security or McAfee LiveSafe, you can use that. You can also use Windows 10's built in anti-malware app, just type Windows Defender in the search box, press Enter, and then click Scan Now. Windows Defender will look for malware and remove any it finds.

It's a good idea to get a second opinion, though, so consider a free tool like Avira Anti-Malware. The free version scans for malware and removes what it finds; the paid version offers always-on protection to stop infections in the first place.


5. Uninstall applications you don’t need
Unused applications don’t necessarily do your PC any direct harm, but they take up valuable hard disk space and room in the memory, and tend to mean Windows is working harder than it needs to. They can also cause unexpected bugs and incompatibility issues with other devices and apps.

Type “uninstall” in the taskbar search box then pick Change or remove a program to see all the applications currently stored on your machine. For any that have been gathering dust for a few months, click the relevant icon and select Uninstall, then follow the instructions on screen to complete the process.


6. Disable background apps

Microsoft is a big fan of its native universal apps, which might be why it allows them to run in the background even when you haven’t actually launched them. That means you can access their features more quickly, but it’s a waste of system resources if you don’t use these apps on a regular basis.

To modify software running in the background, go to Settings from the Start menu then click Privacy and Background apps. Turn off the toggle switches next to the apps you don’t want to have running all the time. Of course, you can still launch these programs manually if you need them.




7. Clean up your disks

Microsoft’s Disk Cleaner utility has survived through all of the recent Windows upheaval, and it’s still a great way to sweep out some of the temporary data and unnecessary files taking up room on your hard drive. Even better, now it’s mostly automatic and easy to navigate.

Right-click on any drive in File Explorer, then choose Properties and Disk Cleanup (under the General tab) to find the program. It targets files including system memory dump files, temporary internet files and more, and you can review its findings before clicking on the OK button to confirm.



8. Go opaque

Windows 10's new Start menu is sexy and see-through, but that transparency will cost you some (slight) resources. To reclaim those resources, you can disable transparency in the Start menu, taskbar, and action center: Open the Settings menu and go to Personalization > Colors and toggle off Make Start, taskbar, and action center transparent.



9. Reduce the Boot Menu Time-out

When your computer starts up, the boot menu is displayed for a certain amount of time before the operating system loads. This gives you time to do things like start Windows in Safe Mode. You can shave a few seconds off your startup time by changing the boot menu time-out (i made mine 10secs), which is set to 30 seconds by default.

To do this, right-click on the Start button and click Control Panel. Go to System > Advanced system settings, and, under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.


Next to Time to display list of operating systems, change the value from 30 seconds to 10 seconds and click OK.

If you have tried all the above and you still want to go further in speeding up your system, proceed to step 10.


10. Remove Unnecessary Fonts

Since the dawn of time, Windows has loaded fonts at startup and slowed down the boot time. This is less of a problem than it used to be, but it can still slow you down a bit. Windows 10 loads over 200 fonts at startup; even more if you’ve installed Microsoft Office. Chances are, you use very few of those fonts, so you can hide them to speed up that process. In Windows 10, open up the Fonts folder from the Start Menu’s search box, and check off all the fonts you don’t need. Then click the “Hide” button in the toolbar. This way, if you ever want them, you can bring them back, but Windows won’t load them at startup. Note that just removing a few fonts probably isn’t going to make a noticeable difference, you’ll probably need to get rid of a few hundred. That said, you might have hundreds more fonts installed than you realized, so that isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds.




CC: Seun, Lalasticlala, Maleeq, Mynd44, Skydancerware and malware are particularly insidious because they may have been installed by your computer's manufacturer. You'd be amazed at how much more quickly your Windows 10 PC can run if you get rid of it.

First, run a system scan to find adware and malware. If you've already installed a security suite such as Norton Security or McAfee LiveSafe, you can use that. You can also use Windows 10's built in anti-malware app, just type Windows Defender in the search box, press Enter, and then click Scan Now. Windows Defender will look for malware and remove any it finds.

It's a good idea to get a second opinion, though, so consider a free tool like Avira Anti-Malware. The free version scans for malware and removes what it finds; the paid version offers always-on protection to stop infections in the first place.


5. Uninstall applications you don’t need
Unused applications don’t necessarily do your PC any direct harm, but they take up valuable hard disk space and room in the memory, and tend to mean Windows is working harder than it needs to. They can also cause unexpected bugs and incompatibility issues with other devices and apps.

Type “uninstall” in the taskbar search box then pick Change or remove a program to see all the applications currently stored on your machine. For any that have been gathering dust for a few months, click the relevant icon and select Uninstall, then follow the instructions on screen to complete the process.


6. Disable background apps

Microsoft is a big fan of its native universal apps, which might be why it allows them to run in the background even when you haven’t actually launched them. That means you can access their features more quickly, but it’s a waste of system resources if you don’t use these apps on a regular basis.

To modify software running in the background, go to Settings from the Start menu then click Privacy and Background apps. Turn off the toggle switches next to the apps you don’t want to have running all the time. Of course, you can still launch these programs manually if you need them.




7. Clean up your disks

Microsoft’s Disk Cleaner utility has survived through all of the recent Windows upheaval, and it’s still a great way to sweep out some of the temporary data and unnecessary files taking up room on your hard drive. Even better, now it’s mostly automatic and easy to navigate.

Right-click on any drive in File Explorer, then choose Properties and Disk Cleanup (under the General tab) to find the program. It targets files including system memory dump files, temporary internet files and more, and you can review its findings before clicking on the OK button to confirm.



8. Go opaque

Windows 10's new Start menu is sexy and see-through, but that transparency will cost you some (slight) resources. To reclaim those resources, you can disable transparency in the Start menu, taskbar, and action center: Open the Settings menu and go to Personalization > Colors and toggle off Make Start, taskbar, and action center transparent.



9. Reduce the Boot Menu Time-out

When your computer starts up, the boot menu is displayed for a certain amount of time before the operating system loads. This gives you time to do things like start Windows in Safe Mode. You can shave a few seconds off your startup time by changing the boot menu time-out (i made mine 10secs), which is set to 30 seconds by default.

To do this, right-click on the Start button and click Control Panel. Go to System > Advanced system settings, and, under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.


Next to Time to display list of operating systems, change the value from 30 seconds to 10 seconds and click OK.

If you have tried all the above and you still want to go further in speeding up your system, proceed to step 10.


10. Remove Unnecessary Fonts

Since the dawn of time, Windows has loaded fonts at startup and slowed down the boot time. This is less of a problem than it used to be, but it can still slow you down a bit. Windows 10 loads over 200 fonts at startup; even more if you’ve installed Microsoft Office. Chances are, you use very few of those fonts, so you can hide them to speed up that process. In Windows 10, open up the Fonts folder from the Start Menu’s search box, and check off all the fonts you don’t need. Then click the “Hide” button in the toolbar. This way, if you ever want them, you can bring them back, but Windows won’t load them at startup. Note that just removing a few fonts probably isn’t going to make a noticeable difference, you’ll probably need to get rid of a few hundred. That said, you might have hundreds more fonts installed than you realized, so that isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds.




CC: Seun, Lalasticlala, Maleeq, Mynd44, Skydancer