How to speed up Windows 11

One option to speed up Windows 11 is to disable autostart for programs that do not need to be launched upon system start-up. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Launch the Task Manager using the key combination [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Esc].
2. Switch to ‘Autostart’.
3. Check the ‘Status’ column for programs listed as ‘activated’.
4. Select the entry of the program you wish to deactivate and right-click on it.
5. Click on ‘Disable’.

The simplest solution for freeing up disk space is Disk Cleanup.

1. Press the key combination [Windows] key + [R].
2. Type ‘cleanmgr’ and press Enter.
3. Select the files you wish to remove from the system by placing a tick in the corresponding box.
4. Press ‘OK’ and confirm deletion with ‘Delete Files’.
5. The progress bar displays how far along the system is in the deletion process.
6. If you want to boost capacity, select the ‘Clean up system files’ option to permanently delete obsolete Windows update and log files.

You can free up space by uninstalling programs that you no longer use. The easiest way to do this is via the ‘Apps & features’ menu in the settings. To access this feature, press the key combination [Windows] key + [X] and select the menu item of the same name. Then follow these steps:

1. Scroll to the program you wish to uninstall.
2. Press the three-dot icon.
3. Select the ‘Uninstall’ option.
4. Confirm deinstallation by pressing ‘Uninstall’ again in the following window.

A frequent feature of new operating system versions is the qualitative upgrade of its design. With Windows aimed at private users, Microsoft strived for years to set new standards in terms of its design, but this naturally affects the performance of the device. If you wish to speed up Windows 11, you can deactivate some of the built-in visual effects:

1. Use the key combination [Windows] key + [R] or open the ‘Run’ dialogue via the Start menu.
2. Execute the input ‘sysdm.cpl’.
3. Switch to the ‘Advanced’ tab.
4. In the ‘Performance’ section, press ‘Settings’.
5. Select the ‘Adjust for best performance’ option and confirm the change by clicking ‘Apply’ and ‘OK’ in succession.

To send information and notifications, Windows 11 runs certain apps, such as email clients, permanently in the background. But this handy feature affects performance, especially memory. Consequently, if you exclude programs from running in the background, you can save resources and make Windows 11 faster. However, the system does not offer a general function for deactivation as Windows 10 does. Thus, you have to disable all background apps one by one by taking the following steps:

1. Use the key combination [Windows] key + [X].
2. Select the ‘Apps & features’ entry.
3. Scroll to the entry of the background app you wish to adjust settings for.
4. Click on the three-dot icon and then on ‘Advanced options’.
5. In the ‘Background apps permissions’ section, select ‘Never’.

By default, Windows comes with notification features that take up system power but aren't necessarily required, for example, notifications on app startup, to confirm settings or printer notifications. To speed up Windows 11, you can disable these features altogether by doing the following:

1. Access the start menu.
2. Select ‘Settings’.
3. Click on ‘System’ in the left-hand menu.
4. Open ‘Notifications’ and move the slider to ‘Off’.

Updating Windows 11 regularly is recommended for various reasons. First, Microsoft regularly closes critical security gaps as part of its updates. On the other hand, the system is provided with bug fixes and optimised code, which automatically increases stability and performance. Even though the Update Center usually alerts to available system updates, it is worth checking them regularly:

1. Launch the start menu.
2. Launch Settings.
3. In the left, click on ‘Windows Update’.
4. Click on ‘Check for updates’.

Follow these steps to begin defragmentation in Windows 11:

1. Use the key combination [Windows] key + [R] or open the ‘Run’ dialogue via the Start menu.
2. Type ‘dfrgui’ and confirm the command by pressing the Enter key.
3. Select the desired hard disk and press ‘Optimize’.

If you are unable to fix your performance issues with the listed options, you can consider resetting the operating system. This option could help fix more serious issues in a system and thus make Windows 11 perform faster. However, before you decide to take such last-resort measures, you should do two things first:

1. Create a system backup of your files, using the Windows 11 Backup function.
2. Try to repair the system using the Troubleshooter (‘Settings’ > ‘System’ > ‘Troubleshooting’).

Once you backed up all files and have attempted to troubleshoot without success, follow these steps to reset Windows 11:

1. Open Settings via the start menu or using the key combination [Windows] key + [i].
2. Select ‘Recovery’.
3. Press the ‘Reset PC’ button.
4. Select whether you want to delete your personal files as part of the reinstallation or not.
5. Specify whether you want Windows 11 to reinstall locally from the device or via cloud download.
6. Click ‘Next’ and finally ‘Reset PC’.