How to Speed ​​Up Windows 11 in 5 Easy Steps

Here’s your definitive guide on how to speed up Windows 11, with a touch of popular science and a constant eye for technology! 🚀

👋 Hello! I’m here to guide you on an exciting journey, like an explorer revealing the secrets of a map. Today, you’ll transform into a little PC Speed Wizard! If your Windows 11 has become slow and “lazy” like a sloth at the end of the day, fear not: often it takes very little to get it back into shape!

You don’t need magic spells or complicated tools from super-expert computer scientists. Follow this step-by-step guide, designed precisely for those new to the world of computers, with the simplicity and clarity of a good scientific communicator.

I’ll reveal 6 easy steps plus a Secret Bonus Move that can make a huge difference. Get comfortable; it’s time to give your computer a good “wake-up call”!

1. ⚙️ Remove the “Velvet”: Disable Unnecessary Visual Effects

Imagine Windows as a luxury car: it’s beautiful, full of lights, animations, and transparencies (like windows gracefully opening and closing). All this “beauty” requires energy, much like a powerful engine consumes more fuel. If your PC isn’t the latest super-sport model, we can sacrifice a bit of aesthetics to gain speed.

• What We Do: Tell Windows to use fewer animations, reducing the load on the graphics card and making it snappier.
• How to do it (The Procedure):
  1. Search the Windows search bar (or press the Windows key) and type: “adjust the appearance and performance of Windows” and click on the result. The “Performance Options” window will open.
  2. Go to the “Visual Effects” tab.
  3. Select the option “Adjust for best performance“.
  4. Click on “Apply” and then “OK“.

💡 The Geek’s Secret: This move is crucial for less powerful PCs, as it reduces the burden of graphical rendering, freeing up the CPU for more important tasks.

2. 🐢 Put Startup on a Diet: Check Programs That Start Automatically

When you turn on your PC, Windows doesn’t just start itself; it also launches dozens of programs that have “self-invited” themselves to the startup party: the printer assistant, the update for that software you use once a month, etc. The more “guests” there are, the slower the boot-up and the more resources are used in the background. These unnecessary programs “steal” RAM and CPU cycles.

• What We Do: Remove non-essential programs from the list of those that automatically start with Windows.
• How to do it (The Procedure):
  1. Press the CTRL + SHIFT + ESC keys simultaneously to open the “Task Manager“.
  2. Click on the “Startup” tab (or “Startup apps” in Windows 11).
  3. Here you’ll see a list of programs and their “Startup impact” (High, Medium, Low).
  4. Right-click on programs with High or Medium impact that you know you don’t need immediately when you turn on the PC (e.g., game clients, messaging programs, various non-essential updates).
  5. Select “Disable“.

⚠️ Caution: DO NOT disable the antivirus, audio/video drivers, or system programs you are unsure about. Disabling a program at startup does not delete it; it simply prevents it from opening automatically. You can always start it manually.

3. 🧹 Do Deep Cleaning: Remove Temporary and Unnecessary Files

Your PC is like a desk: if you leave old receipts, scribbled notes, downloaded files you no longer need (the famous “temporary files” or “junk files”) lying around, the clutter increases and slows everything down. Freeing up space and cleaning up the “junk” is essential not only to gain disk space but also to speed up search processes.

• What We Do: Use Windows’ built-in tool to eliminate unnecessary files.
• How to do it (The Procedure):
  1. Search the Windows search bar for “Disk Cleanup” and open it.
  2. Select the drive where Windows is installed (usually C:) and click “OK“.
  3. Click on “Clean up system files“.
  4. Select the C: drive again and wait for it to calculate the space.
  5. Check the essential boxes like “Temporary files“, “DirectX Shader Cache“, “Delivery Optimization Files” and, if you want to free up a LOT of space, also select “Windows Update Cleanup” (which removes old update packages).
  6. Click “OK” and then “Delete files“.

💾 Storage Sense, the Silent Friend (Windows 10/11): In “Settings” > “System” > “Storage“, you can enable “Storage Sense“. This tool automatically performs cleaning for you, deleting temporary files in the Recycle Bin or Download folder that are older than 30 days.

4.  Clean Up Background Apps: Block the “Peekers”

Many installed apps continue to work silently, even when you are not using them. Think of them as people “peeking” in the background, perhaps to update or send you notifications, but most importantly, stealing valuable resources like RAM and data usage.

• What We Do: Block the ability for these apps to operate in the background without your permission.
• How to do it (The Procedure – Slightly different between 10 and 11):

On Windows 11:

• 1. Go to “Settings” (Windows key + I).
  2. Select “Apps” and then “Installed apps“.
  3. For each app you don’t need active in the background, click the three dots next to the name and choose “Advanced options“.
  4. Under “Background app permissions” (or similar), set it to “Never“.

On Windows 10:

• 1. Go to “Settings” (Windows key + I).
  2. Select “Privacy“.
  3. Scroll on the left and click on “Background apps“.
  4. Here you can either completely disable the toggle at the top (“Allow apps to run in the background“) or selectively disable only the apps you don’t need.

5. 💻 Maintain Order: Updates and Drive Optimization

An operating system needs constant care and updates to function optimally. Microsoft regularly releases updates not only for new features but primarily to fix bugs and optimize performance.

• What We Do: Verify that Windows and drivers are up-to-date and maintain the hard drive’s efficiency.
• How to do it (The Procedure):
  1. Windows Updates: Go to “Settings” > “Windows Update” (or “Update & Security” in Win 10). Click on “Check for updates” and install everything Windows proposes.
  2. Drive Optimization (SSD and HDD):
     • Search the Windows bar for “Defragment and Optimize Drives” and open it.
     • If you have a modern SSD (Solid State Drive), Windows performs the TRIM operation (optimization).
     • If you have an older HDD (Mechanical Disk), click on the C: drive and then “Optimize” to defragment.
     • Leave the automatic settings: Windows knows which operation is necessary for your type of disk!

6. ⚡ Foot on the Gas: Set the Maximum Power Plan

This is an often overlooked move! On many PCs, especially laptops, Windows “throttles” the processor to save power, even when the power adapter is plugged in. The power plan controls your CPU’s maximum frequency.

• What We Do: Tell Windows to prioritize speed over power saving, unlocking the CPU’s maximum power.
• How to do it (The Procedure):
  1. Search the Windows bar for “Edit power plan” and open it. (Or: search for “Power & sleep settings” in Win 11, then “Additional power settings“).
  2. In the “Power Options” window, select the “High performance” combination (or “Ultimate Performance“, if available).

⚠️ Note: If you use a laptop powered only by the battery, this setting will drain the battery much faster. Use it preferably when plugged into the power outlet!

⭐️ Bonus Move: Empty the Browser Memory!

Often, the feeling that the PC is slow actually stems from the web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) being clogged. The cache and cookies store data from hundreds of sites, and if not cleaned regularly, they can slow down page loading.

• What We Do: Clean the browser’s temporary data.
• How to do it (The Procedure – Valid for most browsers):
  1. Open your browser (e.g., Chrome).
  2. Press the CTRL + SHIFT + DEL keys simultaneously.
  3. The “Clear browsing data” window will open.
  4. Set the time range to “All time” (or “from the beginning”).
  5. Make sure you check: “Cached images and files” and “Cookies and other site data“.
  6. Click on “Clear data“.

Conclusion: A Reborn PC !

Congratulations! You have applied the techniques of a true IT expert. You have “turned on the turbo” on your PC without having to spend a single euro on new components. Your computer should now be visibly more reactive and faster in starting up, browsing, and daily use.

Remember: Maintenance is key. Repeat the Disk Cleanup (Move 3) and the Startup Programs check (Move 2) at least once a month to keep your system always at its best!