12+ Proven Ways to Speed up Your Windows 10 PC in 2018

Windows 10 launched in 2015 and in the past three years, several Windows 10 users have experienced many issues with the new OS.

Window 10 running slow topped the list of these issues. So, after three years of extensively using Windows 10, we have got a few tricks up our sleeve.

You can try out over a dozen tips and tricks presented below to speed up Window 10 (2018).

1. Keep Your Desktop Simple (No Animations)

There are a lot of flashy animations and special effects that come with Windows 10 computer. You need to turn them off and keep things elementary. Here’s how you do it.

• Right-click on the Start menu button
• Click on ‘ System ’ from the drop-down menu

• Go to Advanced system settings

• Click on ‘ System Properties ’ and open it
• Go to the ‘ Advanced ’ tab (it is under Performance section )
• Now, click on the Settings button here

• From the Performance Options menu, go to Visual Effects tabs

• Select – Adjust for best performance

Here, you can uncheck the boxes for all special effects and unnecessary animations.

You can also select ‘ Custom ’ and deselect the visual effects you don’t need. After you finish, click on Apply , and then on OK to save these changes.

2. Use Opaque Themes

Disable the ‘see-through’ feature, even if you find it appealing. Set your Start menu to opaque and prevent the transparent themes from using up more processing power.

To disable the transparent theme,

• Go to Windows 10 Start menu
• Click on the gear icon (it opens the Settings menu )
• Click on “ Personalization ” from the Settings options
• Now, go to the Colors section

• Turn off the option that says – Make Start, taskbar, action center transparent

If you go opaque, your Windows 10 takes up fewer resources every time you click on the Start menu, open the action center or use the taskbar.

3. Disable Live Tiles

Since their debut with Windows 8, Live Tiles failed to gain the interests of Windows users. Despite their convenient use, very few of us like click on those tiles to open Apps.

With all the animations involved, Live Tiles use more resourced and power when enabled. They’re a major factor behind your Windows 10 running slow.

You can manually disable each Live Tile by right-clicking on it. Then, you go to ‘ More ’ and click on ‘ Turn live tile off ’

To turn off the Live Tiles with Group Policy Editor,

• Open the Run program (press the keys – ‘ Windows ’ and ‘ R ’)
• Type ‘ gpedit.msc ’ in the box and press the Enter key

• This action opens the Local Group Policy Editor window
• In the window, click on the User Configuration
• Now, go to Administrative Templates
• Click on ‘ Start Menu and Taskbar’
• Go to ‘ Notifications ’

• Put a check for the option – Turn off tile notifications

You can easily notice how it makes Windows 10 faster.

4. Turn off Some Startup Apps

Is your Windows 10 PC taking time to boot up? That’s because there are a lot of programs listed on your Startup list.

Clear this list of programs to lower the bootup time. Follow these simple steps.

• Right-click on the taskbar
• Click on ‘ Task Manager ’ from the context menu

• Go to the Startup tab (if you don’t see the tab, click on ‘ More Details ’)
• Look at the list of Startup programs
• Right-click on the ones you want to disable
• Click on the ‘ Disable ’ option from the drop-down menu

After you remove some programs from the Startup list, restart your computer. You’ll notice the difference – the bootup time is less now.

5. Accelerate Windows Load Time (Fast Startup feature)

Along with lowering the bootup time, you can also speed up the load time for Windows 10.

You need to turn on the Fast Startup feature to reduce the booting time.

The Fast Startup feature is a combination of Windows shutting down and hibernating.

• Right-click on the Start menu icon
• Go to ‘ Power Options ’ from the context menu

• Click on ‘ Choose what the power button does ’

• Now, click on ‘ Change settings that are currently unavailable ’

• This unlocks the shutdown configuration
• Enable the ‘ Fast Startup ’ feature in the configuration list

In most Windows 10 computers, the Fast Startup feature is enabled by default.

6. Lower the Time-out for Boot Menu

There’s also a way to lower the boot menu time-out on Windows 10. By default, the time-out is set to 30 seconds. Here, you can reduce it by 10 seconds.

This way, your operating system loads faster and you can start your work quickly.

• Right-click on Start menu button
• Click on Settings from the menu
• Go to System
• Click on Advanced system settings
• Go to the Startup and Recovery tab, and click on Settings button under this section
• Now, you’ll see a time window for ‘ Time to display list of the operating system ’

• Change the time to 10 seconds from 30 seconds
• Click on OK to save changes

In case you don’t want it to be as short as 10 seconds, you can change it to 20 seconds or 15 seconds as well.

Just type that two-digit number in the seconds’ field.

7. Get Rid of Unwanted Apps (Bloatware)

Any preinstalled program that you don’t need is called a ‘bloatware’. You can remove them, along with any additional apps that you won’t use in future.

• Right-click on Start menu
• Click on Settings
• Go to Apps section

• Select the unwanted , preinstalled programs
• Now, click on ‘ Uninstall ’ to remove them

Unused apps tend to take up resources even in their dormant state. After uninstalling the apps, you can restart your computer to see the difference.

8. Disable Cloud Sync to OneDrive

With Windows 10, you get a chance to use Microsoft’s cloud storage service called ‘OneDrive’.

However, when your computer uses this cloud sync feature, it slows down.

You need to disable the OneDrive sync to speed up Windows 10 for Internet, file transfer and other purposes.

To disable OneDrive sync,

• Go to the ‘ This PC ’ folder on the desktop
• Right-click on OneDrive
• Click on ‘ Choose OneDrive folders to sync ’
• A new screen pops up
• Uncheck the box for ‘ Sync all files and folders in OneDrive ’

• Click on OK

In some cases, the OneDrive isn’t activated with your Windows 10 computer. For such instances, you don’t have to worry about the cloud sync slowing down your Windows 10 computer.

9. Scan for Malware, Virus

Some fishy app or corrupted file can stop you from speeding up a slow Windows 10.

You need to install trusted antivirus software to get rid of such apps and files.

Windows Defender is the built-in tool by Microsoft. It can scan your PC for malware and virus, and fix it by removing them automatically.

You can consider using third-party antivirus software such as McAfee to scan your PC.

After these tools diagnose your computer and fix the bugs, your Windows 10 computer automatically works faster.

10. Perform a Disk Cleanup

You can clean temporary files and installer junks with a Disk Cleanup.

It improves the performance of your hard drive. And, you also free up some space on it. As a result, your Windows 10 system runs faster.

• Type ‘ disk cleanup ’ in the Search box

• Open the Disk Cleanup program from the results
• Click on ‘ Clean Up System Files ’
• Confirm the prompts and execute the disk cleanup
• This takes from minutes to an hour

• Click on ‘ OK ’ after the cleanup finishes

You need to restart your computer to put the cleanup into effect. You’ll certainly notice how it speeds up Windows 10 for the Internet, gaming and other activities.

11. Change Your Power Plan

Allow your Windows 10 PC to save power. You can change the Power Plan settings and switch to a plan that consumes less energy.

• Right-click on Start menu
• Go to Power Options

• Switch the power plan from Balanced to High Performance , or vice versa

You can also run your computer on Power Saver mode if that helps you speed up Windows 10.

12. Choose to Snooze

As a good practice, try to switch your PC to snooze mode whenever you’re not working on it.

Your Windows 10 system automatically sleeps after a certain time of inactivity. But, you should let your PC snooze manually.

You can also try shutting down and restarting your computer frequently during your active hours. This way, all the necessary files get rebooted properly, which makes Windows 10 faster.

13. Lastly, Reset Your Windows 10 PC

There’s always the last option. If your Windows 10 system couldn’t speed up despite making all the changes presented above, it is time for a reset.

You can follow the Reset wizard and reinstall Windows 10. This way, your computer restores itself back to factory settings.

• Click on Settings (gear icon in the Start menu)
• Go to ‘ Update and Security ’ and click on Recovery (left side pane)

• Now, click on Get Started to run a reset for your Windows 10 computer

As a brand new PC, your Windows 10 computer doesn’t slow down that often. But, ensure that you don’t repeat the same mistakes.

Don’t install faulty apps or store corrupted data that caused the Windows 10 to slow down in the first place.

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Read Next:

• How to Fix Most Common Windows 10 Problems?
• Why Is My Computer Running Slow? How Do I Fix It? (2019 Guide for Windows)

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