How to Speed Up Windows 10

Ways to improve the speed of your Windows 10 PC

by Luis E. Chavez Saenz
Luis Chavez is a former Lifewire writer and a System Administrator with 5+ years' experience writing about technology for end users.
Updated October 18, 2019

There are a few ways to speed up Windows 10 if you computer is running slow. For example, you can limit the number of programs that open during startup, or you can use the Disk Cleanup utility to give your PC a speed boost.

Instructions in this article apply explicitly to Windows 10.

How to Disable Startup Programs to Speed Up Windows

The more applications enabled in your startup, the longer the boot up process can be. However, you can select which applications are part of the startup process to speed things up:

  1. Right-click the Windows Taskbar at the bottom of your screen, then select Task Manager.

    Right-click the Windows Taskbar at the bottom of your screen, then select Task Manager.

  2. Once Task Manager opens, select More details.

    Once Task Manager opens, select More Details.

  3. Select the Startup tab.

    Select the Startup tab.

  4. Select the program you'd like to disable, then select Disable at the bottom of the window.

These changes will apply after you restart your device.

Select the program you'd like to disable, then select Disable at the bottom of the window.

How to Disable Windows Tips to Speed Up Windows 10

Windows 10 has a built-in function that runs in the background and will prompt you with tips and suggestions to make sure you use the tools available. By disabling these Windows tips, you'll free up resources for other tasks:

  1. Open the Start Menu, then select the gear to open the Windows Settings.

    Open the Start Menu, then select the gear to open the Windows Settings.

  2. Select System.

    Select System.

  3. Select Notifications & actions in the left pane, then scroll down and set the toggle switch under Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows to Off.

    Select Notifications & actions in the left pane, then scroll down and set the toggle switch under Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows to Off.

How to Speed Up Windows 10 With a Disk Cleanup

Running the Disk Cleanup utility will not only free up space on your hard drive; it also speeds things up since you gain back more resources for Windows 10 to use:

  1. Type Disk Cleanup into the Windows search box, then select Disk Cleanup from the search results.

    Type Disk Cleanup into the Windows search bar, then select Disk Cleanup from the search results.

  2. Select Clean up system files.

    You need administrative privileges to clean up system files.

    Select Clean Up System Files.

  3. Once Disk Cleanup loads again, select the files you'd like to remove, then select OK.

    Once Disk Cleanup loads again, select the files you'd like to remove, then select OK.

  4. Select Delete Files.

Once the system cleanup is finished, the window will close automatically, but the files will not be completely removed from your device until the next restart.

Select Delete Files.

How to Defragment Your Drive to Speed Up Windows 10

Like most other versions of Windows, Windows 10 has a built-in disk defragmenter. Using this utility to defrag your Windows device will allow faster access to your data, since it won't be fragmented all over the disk:

  1. Type Defrag in the Windows search box and select Defragment and Optimize Drives.

    Type Defrag in the Windows search box and select Defragment and Optimize Drives.

  2. Select your hard drive, then select Optimize.

Solid state hard drives don't require fragmenting since they have no spinning parts.

Select your hard drive, then select Optimize.

When All Else Fails, Restart Your Computer

A computer restart will sometimes improve the speed performance of your Windows 10 device. Whenever Windows 10 restarts, some of the temp files are removed, and the size of the page file is reduced, giving the OS more resources to work with.