10 Quick-Tweaks to Optimize Windows 10 Performance in 10 Minutes

By: Parvat Sarvade - Updated: October 16, 2018 7:51 am

Are you tired of a slow Windows 10 PC? Windows 10 is the latest edition of operating systems by Microsoft.

Now, even though Microsoft regularly releases latest updates aka builds to improve Windows 10 performance , but the “performance improvement” doesn’t really happen.

Many users find their Windows 10 PC still slow and sluggish, even after installing latest updates .

I know that there’s nothing more irritating than a slow PC, so here I have compiled a few actionable ways that can help you quickly improve the speed and performance of your Windows 10 computer.

Before starting with these quick performance tweaks, let’s check out the reasons why your Windows 10 PC is slow.

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Common Factors that Affect Windows 10 Performance

There can be many reasons behind the poor performance of Windows 10 computer. It can be both software and hardware issues, including:

Compatibility issues such as low RAM size, disk size, processor speed etc.
Viruses and malware
Bugs in the software
Failure in the hardware, and outdated hardware drivers
Corrupt Software or files in your Windows 10 system

These above issues may result in your Windows 10 system to work inefficiently.

However, fortunately, you don’t have to panic and look for a new replacement as there are a few simple tweaks to improve your Windows 10 performance. So let’s start.

1. Disable unwanted startup programs and applications

Some of the third-party apps that you download and install on your machine, get automatically added in the Windows Startup folder . These apps load in the background when you start the PC making your computer take too much time to boot.

You’ll need to find out and remove the unwanted programs that you don’t want to load at the boot up. Follow the steps given below to remove unwanted start-up programs:

Right-click on Start icon and select Task Manager (or press Ctrl+Shift+Esc buttons on keyboard)
Click on the More details option (in a compact mode)
Now, click on the Startup icon
Click on the Status column to check if the apps are enabled/disabled
Locate the unwanted start-up program and right- click and choose the Disable option

Apply the same above step to disable the other enabled apps
Now, reboot your PC

After completing the above process, you may notice a better performance of your Windows 10. This method will especially improve the boot speed.

2. Run the Disk Cleanup Program

This is a popular solution for improving the Windows 10 performance. This method has helped a lot of users.

Disk Cleanup is a trusted Windows utility. It frees up space on your hard drive by removing the junk data and other temporary files. This is a basic solution for disk and memory related issues. The method is pretty straightforward:

Open the File Explorer
On the “This PC,” right-click on the primary system drive and select Properties
Now, click on the Disk Cleanup icon
Hit on the Cleanup system files button
Choose the files you wish to remove from your PC to free up space. Include the below data:
- Recycle bin
- Delivery Optimization Files
- Downloaded Program Files
- Temporary Internet Files
- Corrupt files
- Previous Windows Installations, and many more unwanted files
Now, click on OK
Click on the Delete Files options

This process will free up enough space to allow the hard drive fetch the data quickly. You’ll notice a little boost in your PC’s performance after this step.

3. Use the Windows Troubleshooter to Find and Fix Issues

The built-in Windows Troubleshooter program detects and fixes most of the problems on your PC. This method will help you improve the overall functionality of your Windows 10 PC. Open the troubleshooter, follow the below-listed instructions:

Type “Control Panel” in the Cortana search bar next to the Start menu

If the Cortana doesn’t find Control Panel, read this post to find out other ways to open control panel in Windows 10.

Select Troubleshooting from the control panel
Under the System and Security option, click on Run maintenance tasks

The Troubleshooter program scans and deletes all the unwanted and corrupt files and replaces these files with the cached copy. Troubleshooter is a handy application in Windows 10 that can also help you fix outdated driver related issues.

4. Disable any Special Effects

Windows 10 version has end number of built-in special effects which may result in the low performance of your PC as it uses up much space on your PC.

To disable these special visual effects, follow the steps below:

Type “Control Panel” in the Cortana search bar next to the Start menu
Click on Control Panel option to open the control panel
Click on Systems option
Click on the Advanced system settings link (in the left panel)

In the Advanced tab, under the Performance section, click on the Settings button

Enable the ‘Adjust for best performance’ in the Performance Options, under the Visual Effects tab. This willdisable all the special effects on your PC

Click on Apply to let the change take effects
Now, hit on OK to save the changes

You have just turned off the visual effects to make Windows 10 perform faster.

5. Avoid using Power-save Mode (Or Change the Settings)

Windows 10 comes with power-saver feature that allows you to use your PC for a long time. This feature disables some of the basic functions to conserve the battery life.

Well, even though this feature looks pretty cool as it allows you the use your PC for a longer time, disabling the basic function might affect the overall performance. Making a few changes to the settings will do the trick here.

Open the Control Panel
Go to Hardware and Sound
Open the Power Options and check the power plan you are currently using

Select the Balanced or High-Performance plan for a better PC functionality

I would suggest you use the power plan from the PC manufacturer that indicates balanced power.

6. Check for Malware or Viruses

If you cannot detect any issues in your Windows 10, chances are high that some kind of malicious program like spyware or virus is impeding the performance.

Viruses and malicious programs not only attack the data stored on your computer, but they also affect the PC’s memory, disk resources, and processor.

You can just fix this issue by cleaning up your system time to time, with the help of an updated antimalware solution.

Windows 10 has an inbuilt Windows Defender Antivirus which scans and cleans out malware infections from your PC. Here’s how to scan your PC with Windows Defender:

Go to the Start menu
Find for Windows Defender Security Center and open it
Hit on Virus and threat protection
Click on the Advanced scan link
Choose the Full scan option
Click on the Scan now icon

If your PC is infected by viruses, you will see them detected and removed by Windows Defender.

If the above method doesn’t work well for you, it indicates that your PC is pirated with aggressive viruses and malware. I would recommend you to try out the offline scan feature to get rid of such aggressive malware.

7. Get rid of all the Unwanted Files

Your brand new device comes along with some applications which you don’t usually require such as the programming tools or bloatware which uses up a lot of memory disk space and resources on your Windows 10 PC.

So to increase your system, let us remove these unnecessary pre-installed applications.

Go to Settings
Hit on the Apps icon

Now, click on Apps and features

Select the application you wish to remove
Further, click on the Uninstall button

You are again asked to confirm the Uninstall process if you are eliminating a Microsoft application.Redo the above three steps to uninstall any more unwanted apps.

Once you’re done with the removal, reboot your PC and you’ll now clearly notice a boost in your PC’s performance.

8. Check and Update your System Memory (RAM)

Running multiple applications and using many tabs in the web browser can use up a lot of your system memory(RAM).

This is one of the primary reasons why your PC doesn’t work efficiently. To enhance your PC’s functionality, you have to ensure and check the full memory installed on your PC and what amount of memory is to be added if it exceeds the present one.

You can use the Task Manager tool to control your memory information. To do so,

Right-click on the Taskbar
Choose Task Manager
Hit on the Performance

Now, click on Memory

Now, you can see the entire amount of RAM (to the top-right corner), and check the memory amount which is currently in use. If your current memory use is generally high, we suggest you add more memory sticks.

9. Enlarge Paging File Size

Windows 10 uses the “Paging file” as memory and enacts as an overflow by holding the data required for apps which are running on your PC.

Enlarging the paging file size may enhance the speed of your PC. So, to expand your paging file size follow the steps below:

Open the Control Panel
Hit on the System and Security option
Click on System
Select the Advanced system settings link (From the left panel)
In the Advanced option, below ‘ Performance ,’ hit on the Settings icon
Click on the Advanced button

Below the Virtual memory , click on the Change icon

Untick the Automatically manage paging files size for all drives option

Choose the Custom size option
Input the initial and maximum size for the paging file in megabytes
Hit on the Set button
Press Ok
Click on OK again to confirm
Reboot your PC

Done! I would suggest you set the file size that is 15* of the complete memory available for the “ initial size” and 3* for the “ Maximum size.”

10. Reset Your PC

If any of the above methods don’t work well for you to increase your PC’s performance, in this case, the best way is to reset your Computer and start with a clean Windows 10 system.

Resetting your Windows 10 PC improves battery life, startup and shutdown and complete performance of your PC.

Follow the below-listed steps, to reset your PC:

Go to Settings
Click on Update and Security
Hit on Recovery
Under the Reset this PC button, click on the Get started icon

If you wish to keep your files which are essential, select Keep my files option
Select the Remove everything icon to eradicate everything on your PC and install a clean and fresh copy of Windows 10 OS.
Now, click on Next
Click on the Reset icon

The resetting process may take a while as it removes all the previous settings, configurations and apps to improve your PC’s performance.

You can now use your brand new Windows 10 system and also re-install your essential files from backup.

Using any of the above mentioned methods, you can successfully optimize the performance of your Windows 10 within 10 minutes.

Feel free to let me know if this guide helped you. If you’ve any questions or doubts about the solutions, feel free to drop your question in the comments section below.

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10 Quick-Tweaks to Increase Windows 10 Performance in 10 Minutes