When a computer gets slow, most people jump straight to “do I need to reinstall?” But the causes of perceived slowdown are usually a short, fixed list, and a few settings bring much of it back.
There is one principle: stop resources going to things you do not use. All five below take that form, arranged by impact.
1. Clean up startup programs and background apps
Half the reason a PC is slow right after boot is here. Programs registered for auto-start at install time all appear at once when you log in, occupying 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 switch off:
- Assorted updaters (Adobe, graphics driver helper apps, printer utilities)
- Cloud sync clients you do not actually use
- Game launchers
- Messengers — you can open them yourself when needed
There are also things you should not switch off: security software, the graphics driver itself, and laptop manufacturer utilities for power and keyboard functions. If you do not recognise a name, search it before deciding. Disabling a startup entry does not uninstall the program — it only turns off auto-start — so if you get it wrong you can just turn it back on.
It is also worth going to Settings → Apps → Installed apps and turning off background execution permission for individual apps.
2. Check the power mode
A cause found especially often on laptops. Set to power saving, the CPU deliberately holds back performance. That is correct behaviour for preserving battery, but it is a loss if you are plugged in.
Go to Settings → System → Power & battery → Power mode and switch to “Best performance.” On a desktop, just leave it on performance. On a laptop, having performance mode apply only when plugged in is better for battery life.
3. Reduce visual effects
Animations and shadows are pretty, but on a low-spec PC they show up as perceived lag.
Search for System Properties → Advanced → Performance settings → “Adjust for best performance”. Turning everything off makes the interface look crude, so personally, choosing “Custom” and disabling just “Animate windows when minimising and maximising” and “Fade or slide menus into view” already makes responsiveness noticeably quicker.
The clear beneficiary is a low-spec PC on integrated graphics. On a high-end desktop the difference is hard to feel.
4. Temporary file cleanup and Storage Sense
When storage fills up, all of Windows slows down. In particular, once free space drops below 10% the experience degrades sharply.
- Press
Win + Rand enter%temp%, then delete the contents of the folder that opens. Files in use will not delete; just skip them. - In Settings → System → Storage, clean up the “Temporary files” entry. Old Windows installation files occupying tens of gigabytes turn up here fairly often.
- Turning on Storage Sense on the same screen repeats this cleanup automatically.
Optimisation programs offering things like “registry cleaning” are not recommended. The perceptible effect is near zero and the risk of breaking the system is real.
5. Still slow after all that? Check the hardware
Software optimisation has a clear limit. If any of the following applies, settings will not fix it.
Your storage is an HDD — this is the big one. If booting and launching programs are slow, this is most of the cause. Swapping to an SSD is more noticeable than every setting in this article combined. Check under Task Manager → Performance → Disk to see the type.
Not enough RAM — check utilisation under Task Manager → Performance → Memory. If it consistently stays above 80–90% during normal work, you are short. For anyone who keeps many browser tabs open, we have reached the era where 8GB is not enough.
Corrupted system files — if things stay odd with no identifiable cause, open Command Prompt as administrator and run sfc /scannow. It checks and repairs system file integrity. It takes a while but it is a safe operation.
To summarise: items 1–4 are improvements you get for free, and item 5 is the one that costs money. Follow the order and you find out whether you need to spend anything at all.
⚠️ Menu names and paths can differ by Windows version (10/11) and update state. This article is as of August 2026; if you cannot find an item, search for it by name in the Settings search box.
Frequently asked questions
What about installing an optimisation program?
Not recommended. Windows’ built-in features solve most of it, and commercial optimisers have uncertain benefits while consuming resources in the background themselves. Registry cleaning features also carry a risk of destabilising the system.
How often should I do this?
Clean up startup entries once after installing several new programs; temporary file cleanup is automatic if you leave Storage Sense on. This is not a weekly chore. Running through this article’s order once when things feel slow is enough.
Doesn’t reinstalling definitely make it faster?
It does speed things up. But if the cause is an HDD or insufficient RAM, you are back where you started within weeks. Reinstalling takes a lot of time, so try the five items here first, check the hardware indicators, then decide.
Will turning off antivirus make it faster?
It may temporarily, but it is not recommended. Windows’ built-in security is already substantial, so if you have installed several separate antivirus products, keeping only one is both safer and effective.
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