Speed Up Your Windows PC: 10 Essential Performance Tips

If your Windows PC is acting like a sluggish tortoise instead of a high-speed hare, fear not! The trusty folks over at Microsoft have rolled out a comprehensive guide brimming with nuggets of wisdom to help breathe new life into your lagging machine. Whether you’re rocking Windows 10 or its flashier sibling, Windows 11, these tips can transform your desktop experience from frustrating to fabulous. Let’s dive in!

1. Keep Your System Updated​

One of the simplest yet most effective ways to boost your PC's performance is by ensuring you have the latest Windows updates installed, alongside your device drivers. These updates often come packed with performance enhancements and bug fixes.

How to Check for Updates​

• Step: Click on the Start button.
• Step: Navigate to Settings > Windows Update > and select Check for updates.
• Follow any prompts to install available updates, and don’t forget to restart your system afterward!

2. Restart Your PC​

When was the last time you restarted your PC? If it’s been a while, those open apps and browser tabs could be gumming up the works. A good reboot can clear the memory and improve performance.

Quick Restart​

• Step: Click the Start button, then select Power > Restart.
• After your PC restarts, only open the apps crucial for your tasks, and see if that solves the lag!

3. Harness the Power of ReadyBoost​

If you're using an older machine without enough RAM, ReadyBoost can act like performance uppers. This feature allows you to use a USB flash drive or memory card to give your system a boost.

Setup for ReadyBoost​

• Step: Plug a USB flash drive into your PC.
• Step: Open File Explorer, right-click the USB drive, and go to Properties.
• Step: Click on the ReadyBoost tab and select Use this device. Windows will reserve space on the USB for caching data.

Note: This trick won’t work if Windows is installed on a solid-state drive (SSD) since they’re already speedy.

4. Optimize Page File Size Management​

Your PC uses a portion of your hard drive as a temporary workspace called a paging file. Making sure Windows manages this automatically can prevent slowdowns.

Automatic Management​

• Step: Search for advanced system settings in the Start menu.
• Step: In the System Properties window, head to the Advanced tab and click on Settings under Performance.
• Step: Navigate to the Advanced tab again and click Change under Virtual Memory. Ensure Automatically manage paging file size for all drives is checked.

5. Free Up Disk Space​

A cluttered disk can choke your performance. It’s a good idea to routinely check for low disk space and free up unnecessary files.

Using Storage Sense​

• Step: Go to Settings > System > Storage.
• Step: You can enable Storage Sense, which automatically deletes temporary files and manages disk space when it's running low.

Alternatively, Disk Cleanup can help:

• Search for disk cleanup in the Start menu, select it, and choose the files to delete.

6. Tweak Visual Effects​

Windows is known for its stunning visual effects, but on lower-memory PCs, these can hog resources. Lowering those graphical settings can lead to smoother performance.

Adjust for Best Performance​

• Step: Search for performance settings in the Start menu and open Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows.
• Step: Select Adjust for best performance, which essentially turns off these eye-candies.

7. Pause OneDrive Syncing​

If you’re using OneDrive to keep files synchronized between devices, that constant syncing can slow down your PC.

Temporarily Pause Syncing​

• Click the OneDrive icon in the taskbar.
• Navigate to Help & Settings > Pause syncing, and choose how long to pause for.

8. Disable Unnecessary Startup Programs​

Some programs love to invite themselves to the startup party, increasing boot times. Disabling these can help your PC start faster.

Manage Startup​

• Step: Go to Settings > Apps > Startup.
• Disable programs you rarely use.

9. Scan for Viruses and Malware​

Sometimes, the culprit for a sluggish PC is malicious software. Regular scans can help keep your machine in tip-top shape.

Scan with Windows Security​

• Step: Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Windows Security > open it.
• Select Virus & threat protection and run a Quick Scan.

10. Restore from a System Restore Point​

If all else fails, you might consider restoring your PC to an earlier state, especially if the slowdown is due to recent changes.

How to Restore​

• Step: Search for create a restore point in the Start menu.
• Go to the System Protection tab and click on System Restore. Follow the prompts to restore your system.

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By implementing these tweaks, your Windows PC can run smoother, faster, and just may restore your faith in technology. Whether you're just casually browsing or crunching numbers, a little performance adjustment can make all the difference. If you're still experiencing issues after trying these steps, it might be time to consider hardware upgrades or consulting a tech professional. Happy computing!
Source: Microsoft Support Tips to improve PC performance in Windows - Microsoft Support