How to Make Windows 11 Faster in 2026

You want Windows 11 to boot faster, feel snappier, and stop wasting performance on useless stuff? These tips help you cut the bloat, reduce loading times, and get more FPS-friendly performance, especially on older systems.

If your PC feels slower than it used to, takes forever to start, or just feels "heavy", it is usually not your imagination. Windows 11 ships with a lot of extras running in the background. Let's clean it up.

Remove Bloatware and Unused Apps

If your PC came with Windows preinstalled, chances are it also came with a ton of junk software. Even clean installs of Windows 11 include apps many users never touch.

Go to Settings → Apps → Installed apps. You’ll see everything installed on your system. Click the three dots next to any app you don’t want and choose Uninstall. Most apps can be removed these days including Microsoft Edge for EU users.

Windows 11 also shows game and app shortcuts in the Start menu that aren’t even installed yet. They download from the Microsoft Store the first time you click them. To remove these placeholders, simply right-click the icon in the Start menu and select Uninstall.

You can also try O&O AppBuster. It gives you back control over your Windows! With the help of AppBuster you can decide which apps you want to keep on your computer. AppBuster divides the apps into categories and gives you tips which apps you can safely remove and which ones you should leave.

While you're cleaning up, remove programs you installed but never use. Some apps run constantly in the background, slowly eating CPU time and memory. Fewer background apps mean faster performance and fewer outdated programs that could become security risks.

Clear Out Junk Files and Old Data

If you upgraded from Windows 10 or have been using Windows 11 for a while, your system has probably collected a lot of digital trash.

Start by running Disk Cleanup. You will see categories like temporary files, delivery optimization files, and old system data. Clicking a category shows what it does and how much space it uses. Delivery Optimization files, for example, are leftover Windows Update downloads even if you are fully updated.

Next, open File Explorer → Downloads. Most people never clean this folder. Sort files by size and delete anything you no longer need. This alone can free up dozens of gigabytes.

Deep System Cleanup via Command Prompt

Windows keeps backup copies of system components after updates, and these can pile up over time.

Search for Command Prompt, right-click it, and select Run as administrator. Then enter:

dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /AnalyzeComponentStore

If Windows recommends cleanup, run:

dism /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup

When it finishes, run the first command again to see how much space was freed. Even fairly new Windows installations can recover several gigabytes this way.

Stop Programs from Launching at Startup

Every time Windows starts, a number of apps launch automatically many of which you don't need immediately or at all.

You can manage this via Settings → Apps → Startup, or more quickly through Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc and opening the Startup apps tab.

The Startup impact column shows how much each app slows boot time (Low, Medium, or High). Right-click any app to disable it. Reducing startup apps often cuts boot times significantly, especially on older PCs or systems without fast SSDs.

Find What’s Slowing Down Boot and Shutdown

Windows logs how long startup and shutdown take and records what caused delays.

Right-click Start and open Event Viewer, then navigate to Application and Services Logs → Microsoft → Windows → Diagnostics-Performance → Operational. Sort by Date and Time.

Event ID 100 relates to startup, while 200 relates to shutdown. In the Details tab, youwill see values like Main Path Boot Time, Boot Post Boot Time, and the total BootTime, all measured in milliseconds. IDs 101–199 point to apps or services that slowed startup, while 201–299 relate to shutdown issues.

Windows only logs unusually slow events, so seeing warnings here is normal. If the same non-Microsoft app repeatedly shows up, search online or check the developer's support forum there may be an update that fixes the issue.

Make Windows 11 Feel Faster

If your PC isn't brand new, a few system tweaks can make Windows feel much smoother.

Set Power Mode by going to Settings → System → Power & battery and choosing Best performance. On laptops, use Balanced or Best energy efficiency when unplugged. In Windows 11 24H2, this replaces older Control Panel options and is enough for most users.

When gaming or running demanding software, background apps can still steal performance. Task Manager includes Efficiency Mode, which lowers an app’s priority and enables energy-efficient execution (EcoQOS). This may limit turbo boost or restrict the app to efficiency cores. To enable it, right-click a process in Task Manager and select Energy Saver. If something becomes unstable, you can turn it off again.

Search indexing can also slow older systems, especially those with hard drives instead of SSDs. Open Indexing Options, click Modify, and remove locations you rarely search. Limiting indexing reduces background disk and CPU usage.

Visual effects are another performance drain on older or integrated graphics. Open Windows Search, type sysdm.cpl, go to the Advanced tab, and click Settings under Performance. You can choose Adjust for best performance to disable all effects or use Custom to turn off animations and shadows selectively.

Transparency effects are controlled separately. Go to Settings → Personalization → Colors and turn off Transparency effects. This small change alone can make the system feel noticeably faster.

Keep Your Drivers Updated

Outdated drivers can reduce performance and cause crashes. Graphics drivers are the most important. Install them directly from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel, rather than relying solely on Windows Update.

For other components, check Settings → Windows Update → Advanced options → Optional updates, where you may find chipset, audio, or controller drivers. Manual updates through Device Manager are rarely needed anymore.

You don't need to apply every tweak at once. Even removing startup apps, disabling transparency, and switching to Best performance power mode can make Windows 11 feel like a completely different system: faster, cleaner, and more responsive.