Windows 11 Performance Tweaks: WinUtil Risks, Ultimate Performance and Safer Built-In Fixes

Some of this advice is solid, and some of it can cause real trouble on the wrong machine. Here are all five tips, what each one changes, and where Microsoft's own tools do the same job with less risk.

The premise: is Windows 11 really "bloated"?​

BGR's case starts from the claim that Windows 11 uses too much memory and CPU even when idle. It names Copilot, telemetry and background processes as the causes, and says the fix is to strip Windows 11 back rather than return to Windows 10. The article doesn't include benchmarks, build numbers or before-and-after measurements for that claim, so treat it as an opinion.

Microsoft's own performance guidance for Windows 11 and Windows 10 is more measured. It lists several possible causes of a slow PC: low storage, too many startup apps, outdated software, malware, and hardware that can't keep up anymore. It also admits that older PCs may not improve much from software changes, and that an upgrade may be the best long-term fix.

The practical approach is to find the bottleneck first and then fix what you find. Open Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc and look at the Processes, Performance and Startup apps tabs before you change anything.

Section summary: The claim that Windows 11 is bloated is BGR's view, not a measured finding. Start by diagnosing the problem, not by debloating.

Getting WinUtil running (and what that means)​

According to the project's GitHub page, you open PowerShell or Terminal as an administrator and run the stable-branch command, irm | iex. There's also a development branch, which you don't need.

To get an elevated prompt, right-click Start → Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Terminal (Admin), or search for PowerShell or Terminal and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter.

Be clear about what that command does. It downloads a script from the internet and runs it immediately with full administrator rights. The project says WinUtil must be run as Administrator because it performs system-wide changes. Its FAQ explains that it makes system-level changes (registry edits, service modifications, software installation) that require elevated permissions.

In WinUtil's favour, the code is open source, and the maintainers describe presets ranging from Standard (Balanced defaults for most users) to Advanced (Deep tweaks for power users). The documentation also claims that every tweak is visible, documented, and reversible. That's the project's description of itself, not an independent audit. Create a restore point before you start, and only apply tweaks you understand.

One more thing: type the exact official command yourself. The GitHub search results are full of forks and mirrors of WinUtil, and "paste this admin command from a random page" is also how malware gets installed.

Tip 1: Standard tweaks and the Ultimate Performance plan​

BGR's general-purpose advice is to open the Tweaks tab, click Standard, and apply the recommended optimizations. The author also picks a few extras from the Advanced section, such as removing OneDrive.

The article's warning here is the most important sentence in the whole piece: removing a component that other software depends on can break programs. Its example is Microsoft Edge, which Windows relies on for WebView.

At the bottom right of the Tweaks tab is a section called "Performance Plans – NOT FOR LAPTOPS". That's where you turn on Ultimate Performance. BGR says this plan removes power-saving limits so the CPU and GPU can run flat out. The author runs it on a Maingear Ultima 18 laptop with strong cooling and has had no problems after a couple of months. He still advises against it on laptops unless you know the cooling can cope.

Some general context: Ultimate Performance first shipped in the Windows 10 era for workstation-class machines. It's designed to cut tiny power-management delays, not to add performance your hardware doesn't have. If you want more speed without a hidden plan, Microsoft's route is Settings > System > Power & battery > Power mode > Best performance. Microsoft warns that this setting uses more power, drains laptop batteries faster and can make the device run warmer.

Section summary: Apply the Standard preset carefully, add Advanced tweaks only if you know what depends on them, and treat Ultimate Performance as a setting for well-cooled desktops.

Tip 2: Removing Copilot​

BGR's steps:

1. Open WinUtil.
2. Go to the Tweaks tab.
3. Tick Windows AI under the Advanced tweaks.
4. Click Run Tweaks.

BGR says Copilot runs on Edge's WebView2 and uses up to 500MB of RAM in the background, and more than 1GB when you're actively using it. We couldn't verify those figures independently. They'll also vary from one system to another, so treat them as BGR's own observations.

BGR also points out that Windows updates can reinstall Copilot, so you may have to run the tweak again. It won't do anything about the physical Copilot key on newer laptop keyboards. If you'd rather not use a third-party tool, check whether you can uninstall the Copilot app from Settings > Apps > Installed apps like any other app.

Tip 3: Visual effects and widgets​

This is the least risky of the five tips, and Microsoft backs it up directly. Its support guidance says Windows 11 visual effects use system resources. To trim them:

1. Select Start and type Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows, then open the result.
2. On the Visual Effects tab, choose Adjust for best performance.

For a lighter change, BGR suggests going to Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects and turning off transparency and animations. WinUtil can also switch off visual effects and widgets from its Tweaks tab. BGR says widgets, like Copilot, run on Edge technology through the Windows Web Experience Pack and keep pulling data when idle. The author saw what he calls a "slight increase" in frame rates from this change alone, which is a fair way to describe the likely gain.

The trade-off is purely cosmetic. Windows will look plainer, and nothing breaks.

Tip 4: Blocking telemetry​

You can reduce diagnostic data under Windows' privacy settings. BGR argues that this only cuts how much data is sent, and that the background services keep running. Its alternative is WinUtil's service-level telemetry tweak, found in the Tweaks tab. BGR says it frees up CPU time, especially on low-end CPUs and laptops.

The project itself lists this as one of its main features: Tweaks - Disable Telemetry and cut down on running background services.

A few caveats:

• BGR warns that Windows Update may behave differently afterwards, so check your update settings once the tweak is applied.
• The CPU savings aren't quantified anywhere. On a modern desktop you're unlikely to notice them.
• For managed PCs, turning off services locally is a bad idea. If your organization needs to control diagnostic data, use Group Policy or Intune instead.

Tip 5: Setting the right refresh rate​

This tip is simple and has the most visible payoff for gamers. BGR notes that Windows 11 may leave a high-refresh gaming monitor at a lower rate. A 240Hz panel running at 60Hz will never show more than 60 frames per second.

To fix it, right-click the desktop, open Display settings, then Advanced display. Check that the resolution and refresh rate match what your monitor supports. If the rate you expect isn't listed, check your cable and port, and update your GPU driver.

What Microsoft adds that the list leaves out​

Microsoft's guidance covers several basics that the BGR list skips:

• Updates: go to Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates, then Advanced options > Optional updates for driver updates.
• Malware scan: go to Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection and run a Quick scan.
• Storage: use Settings > System > Storage, Temporary files, or Storage Sense. By default, Storage Sense doesn't touch your Downloads folder or cloud files unless you tell it to.
• Startup apps: go to Settings > Apps > Startup, or use Task Manager's Startup apps tab, where "High Impact" means more than 1 second of CPU time or more than 3MB of disk activity at startup.
• Background permissions: for individual apps, set Let this app run in the background to Never under the app's Advanced options.

The verdict​

For most Windows 11 users, the sensible order is:

1. Diagnose with Task Manager.
2. Fix startup apps, storage, updates and malware using Microsoft's built-in tools.
3. Set the correct refresh rate and trim visual effects.
4. Only then consider WinUtil, and apply specific tweaks you understand rather than a preset you picked in a hurry.

The first three steps are free and low-risk, and Microsoft documents them. The fourth is where the bigger gains are, and also where it's easiest to break something.