How to make Windows 10 faster

As PC hardware continues to speed up, so does software, and Windows 10 is no exception. This is especially true of startup time: If you upgrade from Windows 7 or earlier, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how fast your machine is ready for action. There are other performance factors to consider after you’re up and running, however. Even the latest, shiniest Windows version isn’t immune to slowdowns.

The problem with a lot of Windows speedup stories is that they tell you to turn off some of the operating system’s more fun features, such as visual animations. Most of our tips show you ways you can speed up your Windows 10 system without compromising its appearance and functionality. Most are also free, but some involve spending a little cash on software or hardware. For people with older, low-power machines who want a speed boost but don’t care about extra goodies, a couple of the tips towards the end do boost system performance at the expense of visual bling.

 Make sure you have the Latest Update for Windows and Device Drivers

One of the best ways to get the most out of your PC is to make sure you have the latest version of Windows 10 installed. When you check for updates, your PC will also search for the latest device drivers, which can also help improve your PC’s performance.

To check for updates

1. Select the Start  button, then select Settings  > Update & Security  > Windows Update  > Check for updates.

   Check for Windows updates

2. Do one of the following:

   • If the status says “You’re up to date,” go to the next tip.

   • If the status says “Updates are available,” select Install now.

3. Select the updates you want to install, then select Install.

4. Restart your PC and see if it seems to run better.

Restart your PC and open the apps you need only

Having many apps, programs, web browsers, and so on open at once can slow down your PC. Having a lot of browser tabs open at once can also slow it down quite a bit. If this is happening, close any apps, browser tabs, etc., that you don’t need and see if that helps speed up your PC. If it doesn’t seem to help, restart your PC and then open just the apps, programs and browser windows you need.

To restart your PC

1. Select the Start  button, then select Power  > Restart.

2. After your PC restarts, open just the apps you need, then close them when you’re done.

Sometimes apps that were made for an earlier version of Windows will still run on Windows 10, but they might slow down your PC. If this happens after you open a certain program, check the software company’s website for an updated version, or run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter.

To run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type troubleshoot, then select Troubleshoot settings, which has System settings listed underneath it.

2. In the list of troubleshooters, select Program Compatibility Troubleshooter > Run the troubleshooter.

3. Select the program that you’re having problems with, then select Next and continue through the troubleshooter.

Use ReadyBoost to help improve performance

ReadyBoost lets you use a removable drive, like a USB flash drive, to improve your PC’s performance without opening your PC and adding more memory (RAM). To use ReadyBoost, you’ll need a USB flash drive or a memory card that has at least 500 MB free and a high data transfer rate.

To use ReadyBoost

1. Insert the USB flash drive into a USB port on your PC.

2. Select File Explorer  from the taskbar.

3. Press and hold (or right-click) the USB flash drive (or SD card if you used one instead), then select Properties.

4. Select the ReadyBoost tab, then select Use this device.

   Windows determines if the device can use ReadyBoost. If it can’t, it’ll let you know.

5. After Windows determines how much free space to use to optimize memory, select OK to reserve this space so ReadyBoost can use it.

   When you look at the contents of the USB flash drive in File Explorer, you’ll see a file named ReadyBoost.sfcache on the flash drive. This file shows how much space is reserved for ReadyBoost.

Make sure the system is managing Page File

The paging file is an area on your hard disk that Windows uses like memory. There’s a setting in Windows 10 that manages the page file size automatically, which can help improve your PC’s performance.

To make sure automatic page file management is turned on

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type advanced system, and then select View advanced system settings, which has Control panel listed underneath it.

2. In System Properties, select the Advanced tab, then select Settings in the Performance area.

3. In Performance Options, select the Advanced tab, then select Change in the Virtual memory area.

4. Make sure the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives check box is selected. If it is, continue to the next tip. If it’s not, select it and then restart your PC by selecting the Start  button > Power  >Restart.

Free up space

You may improve performance if you free some disk space on your PC.

To check for low disk space

1. Select the Start  button, then select Settings  > System  > Storage .

   Open Storage settings

2. Your drives will be listed in the Storage area. Note the amount of free space and total size for each drive.

To run Disk Cleanup

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type disk cleanup, then select Disk Cleanup from the list of results.

2. Select the checkbox next to the type of files you want to delete. (To view a description of each type of file, select the name.) By default, Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Internet Files, and Thumbnails are selected. Be sure to clear those check boxes if you don’t want to delete those files.

3. To free up even more space, select Clean up system files. Disk Cleanup will take a few moments to calculate the amount of space that a can be freed up.

4. Select the types of files you want to delete, select OK, then select Delete files in the confirmation window to start the cleanup.

Disable unnecessary startup programs

When you turn on your PC, some programs start automatically and run in the background. You can disable these programs so they don’t run when your PC starts.

Many programs are designed to start automatically when Windows does. You don’t realize they’re running, but they’ll open quickly when you go to use them. This is helpful for programs you use a lot, but not for programs you don’t use often because it increases the time it takes Windows to start.

Find the programs that start automatically

Sometimes you can determine which programs start automatically by looking at the program icons in the notification area on the far right of the taskbar. Check there first to see if there are any programs running that you don’t want to start automatically. To try to find out the name of the program, point to the icon with your mouse pointer. Make sure you select Show hidden icons , so you don’t miss any programs.

Even after you check the notification area, you might still miss some programs that run automatically at startup. Here’s how you can find all the programs that start automatically and stop the ones that you don’t want to start automatically when Windows starts.

To stop a program from starting automatically

1. Select the Start  button, then select Settings  > Apps  > Startup .

   Open Startup Apps settings

2. In the Startup Apps area, find the program you want to stop from starting automatically and set it to Off.

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