When a computer slows down, most people first think, “Should I format it?” However, the causes of perceived slowdowns are usually limited to a few specific factors, and much of the performance can be restored with just a few settings.
There is one principle: Don’t let resources go to things you aren’t using. The five steps below follow this principle, arranged in order of effectiveness.
1. Clean Up Startup Programs and Background Apps
Half the reason for slowness immediately after booting lies here. Programs registered for auto-run during installation launch all at once upon login, hogging disk and memory.
Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc and go to the Startup apps tab. If there is a “Startup impact” column, sort by it.
Things you can turn off:
- Various updaters (Adobe, graphics driver helpers, printer utilities)
- Unused cloud sync services
- Game launchers
- Messengers — you can open them manually when needed
Things you should NOT turn off include security programs, core graphics drivers, and laptop manufacturer utilities related to power or the keyboard. If you’re unsure of a name, search for it before deciding. Disabling a startup program doesn’t delete it; it only turns off auto-run, so you can always turn it back on if you make a mistake.
It’s also good to disable background execution permissions for individual apps in Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
2. Check Power Management Mode
This is a common cause, especially on laptops. If set to power saver mode, the CPU intentionally lowers its performance. While this is normal behavior to save battery, it’s a waste if you’re using it while plugged in.
Change the Settings → System → Power & battery → Power mode to “High performance” or “Best performance.” For desktops, you can set it to performance without hesitation. For laptops, it’s better for battery life to set it to performance mode only when plugged in.
3. Reduce Visual Effects
Animations and shadow effects look nice, but on low-spec PCs, they manifest as perceived lag.
Search for 시스템 속성 → Advanced → Performance Settings → select “Adjust for best performance.” Since turning everything off makes the screen look crude, I personally find that just disabling “Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing” and “Fade or slide menus into view” under “Custom” makes the response noticeably faster.
This is most effective on low-spec PCs using integrated graphics. You’ll likely not notice a difference on high-spec desktops.
4. Clean Up Temporary Files and Storage Sense
When storage space fills up, all of Windows slows down. Performance drops significantly, especially when free space falls below 10%.
- Type
%temp%in the Run dialog (Win + R) and delete the contents of the folder that opens. Files currently in use won’t be deleted, so you can just skip them. - Clean up “Temporary files” in Settings → System → Storage. You’ll often find that previous Windows installation files are taking up dozens of gigabytes here.
- Turning on Storage Sense on the same screen will automate this cleanup.
I do not recommend optimization programs like “Registry Cleaners.” They offer almost no noticeable benefit, and the risk of breaking the system is real.
5. If It’s Still Slow: Check Your Hardware
There are clear limits to software optimization. If the following apply, settings won’t solve the problem.
If your storage device is an HDD — This is the biggest factor. If booting and launching programs are slow, this is usually the cause. Switching to an SSD provides a more noticeable improvement than all the settings in this article combined. You can check this in Task Manager → Performance → Disk.
Insufficient RAM — Check the usage in Task Manager → Performance → Memory. If it constantly exceeds 80–90% during normal work, you’re short on RAM. For those who open many browser tabs, 8GB is no longer enough.
System File Corruption — If things are still weird for unknown reasons, open Command Prompt as an administrator and run sfc /scannow. This checks and repairs the integrity of system files. It takes some time but is a safe operation.
In summary, steps 1–4 are free improvements, while step 5 involves spending money. By following this order, you can determine whether you actually need to spend money.
⚠️ Menu names and paths may vary depending on your Windows version (10/11) and update status. This article is current as of August 2026; if you can’t find an item, search for it by name in the Settings search bar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it okay to install optimization programs?
I don’t recommend it. Most issues can be resolved with built-in Windows features. Commercial optimization programs have uncertain benefits and consume resources themselves in the background. Registry cleaning features also risk making the system unstable.
How often should I do this?
Clean up startup programs once after installing several new apps. Temporary file cleanup is automatic if you turn on Storage Sense. It’s not something you need to do every week. Simply going through the steps in this article when you feel things have slowed down is enough.
Won’t formatting definitely make it faster?
It will. However, if the cause is an HDD or insufficient RAM, it will return to its original state within a few weeks. Formatting is a time-consuming task, so try the five steps in this article and check your hardware metrics before deciding.
Will turning off antivirus software make it faster?
It might be temporarily faster, but I don’t recommend it. Windows’ built-in security features are quite robust. If you have multiple third-party antivirus programs installed, keeping only one is both safe and effective.
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