Imagine urgently needing your Windows PC to meet a deadline but helplessly waiting for it to boot. I know this can be a really frustrating situation. A sluggish Windows startup can dampen your productivity and greatly test your patience. It may also indicate some deep-rooted issues with the OS. Thankfully, you can apply many simple, actionable steps on your Windows 10 or 11 devices to increase the boot time. Most of these steps just involve changes to some Windows OS settings, though a few would require you to invest in upgrades. Here are the best steps you can take to improve your system startup.
It’s best to sign in with your administrator account before you begin to apply the following changes to Windows.
Related
PC won’t boot? Here’s how to recover Windows back to a working state
If your Windows PC won’t start, you may need to try one of these steps to get it working again.
11 Enable fast startup
The best way to speed up a slow booting PC
Windows has an amazing fast startup feature that uses the combination of cold shutdown and hibernation to speed up the boot process. It reduces startup time by preloading the essential OS components during a shutdown. In this approach, your operating system’s state is saved to a file on your hard disk, allowing Windows to load more quickly on the next startup compared to the traditional shutdown.
To enable fast startup on your Windows 10 or 11 devices, follow the straightforward steps below.
- Type the Control Panel on the Windows search box and click its icon to launch it.
- Under the Control Panel window, enter the Hardware and Sound section.
- Next, under the Power Options, click the Change what the power buttons do option.
- Now, you’ll notice the Shutdown settings are grayed out and unavailable to change. To unlock them, click the Change settings that are currently unavailable option.
- Finally, check the Turn on fast startup (recommended) option, and remember to click the Save Changes button before exiting the Control Panel.
If you are using an SSD on your system, you might not notice much difference. On the contrary, if your system has an HDD, you’ll notice a significant change in the boot time.
Also, in some systems, the OS selection menu doesn’t appear when fast startup is enabled. In that case, you need to disable it.
10 Disable startup programs
Too many programs during system boot results in delays
Another effective way to reduce strain on your system and quicken Windows boot is by disabling unnecessary startup programs. During installation, by default, many programs are assigned to initiate on system startup. This can lead to a burden on the boot process, making it slow. Here’s how you can disable such programs from opening automatically.
Stay cautious while disabling the startup apps. Avoid disabling essential apps like Windows Security or GPU-related apps. Look for other unnecessary programs that you don’t remember allowing to run at startup.
- Right-click on the taskbar and select the Task Manager option.
- Switch to the Startup Apps section on the left pane and look for the unnecessary startup apps on the right. To make your decision easier, check the Startup Impact column to check the app’s boot impact rating.
- One by one, right-click on every such unnecessary app and select Disable.
You will notice faster system loading time during your next boot up.
9 Disable unnecessary services
Background services can hog up system resources
Windows OS runs with numerous background services that help the system to function properly. However, many of these services might not be essential for your day-to-day computing tasks and unnecessarily use system resources, slowing down the boot time. Thankfully, there’s a quick way to disable all the non-essential Windows services from the System Configuration. You can also disable services from the Services section of Windows.
- Press Windows + R on your keyboard to launch the Run Dialog box.
- Use the msconfig command to open the System Configuration window.
- Switch to the Services tab and first check the Hide all Microsoft Services option to avoid accidentally disabling any critical Microsoft service.
- Next, you’ll find a Disable all button that instantly disables all the remaining services. However, it is not advised to do so because some of these services might still be useful for you. So, carefully review the remaining services and uncheck those you don’t wish to disable.
- Finally, click Apply and OK.
You will be asked to restart the PC or exit without restarting. To apply the changes, restart your PC.
8 Reduce OS selection timeout
Save 10-15 seconds of boot time
If you have dual-booted your Windows system, it will always display an OS selection menu for a certain period (by default set to 30 seconds) at the startup to allow you to choose which operating system you’d like to boot into. If you don’t select an OS within the set time, Windows will boot into the default OS automatically. However, if you rarely use another OS, here’s how you can reduce the boot menu timeout period and save a few seconds of automatic boot time.
- Open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows + R key combination on your keyboard.
- Type sysdm.cpl commandand hit enter to launch the System Properties window.
- Switch to the Advanced tab and click the Settings button under the Startup and Recovery section.
- Now, under the System Startup section, reduce the Time to display list of operating systems to 5 or 10 seconds, as per your preference, and click OK.
You can also choose your default OS from this settings location, to indicate which you’d like to boot into automatically when no selection is made.
7 Clean your system
Uninstall bloatware and clean temporary files
Windows laptops often come with preloaded applications that are set to start on startup, such as McAfee Antivirus. These apps are referred to as bloatware and are mostly non-essential. Apart from slowing down the startup, such apps also make your PC sluggish overall by running in the background. It is best to get rid of such apps, as it will not only speed up the system’s boot time but also clear unnecessary disk space use.
You can uninstall such apps from Settings or from Control Panel.
If you find it tedious to uninstall apps one by one or any stubborn app refuses to get uninstalled in the traditional way, you can use a dedicated uninstaller program. Many such programs also clear the residue left by uninstalled apps.
Apart from bloatware, Windows also accumulates temporary files over time that can indirectly affect the boot time by slowing down disk access. It is safe to clean temporary files from time to time for the proper functioning of the PC.
- Open the Run dialog box using Windows + R.
- Type temp and hit enter. This will take you to the (C:WindowsTemp) folder.
- Use Ctrl + A to select all the files in the folder and then delete them.
- Similarly, use the %temp% command on the Run dialog box to reach the (C:UsersusernameAppDataLocalTemp) folder.
- Delete all its content, too.
You can clean and speed up your Windows system further using the Disk Cleanup feature.
Related
How to clear the cache on Windows 11
If you have a lot of temporary files clogging up your system, clearing the cache on Windows 11 can help free up some space.
6 Scan for malware
Apart from compromising security, malware can also slow down the system
Source: Malwarebytes
Some malicious programs are designed to load on system startup, thereby unnecessarily consuming system resources and slowing down the boot time. It is advised that you perform a regular malware scan to remove any unwelcomed visitors and keep your Windows PC running optimally.
If you have a dedicated third-party anti-malware program, perform the scan with it, or you can use Windows security by following these steps.
- Click the Start button and select Settings.
- Switch to the Privacy & Security section on the left pane and click Windows Security on the right.
- Next, choose the Virus & threat protection option.
- From the next screen, you can choose Quick Scan, but I would suggest you click the Scan Options.
- Under the Scan Options,check the Full Scan bullet and then click the Scan Now button to begin the scan.
Let the full scan be completed, and you can still perform other tasks on your PC in the meantime. Depending on the number of files and apps on your PC, it could take several hours to complete the scan.
Related
6 reasons you don’t need third-party antivirus software in 2023
A lot of computers come pre-installed with third-party antivirus software. But you may not need it as an average user.
5 Adjust virtual memory settings
Optimizing virtual memory ensures efficient RAM assignment, improving boot times
Virtual memory is a Windows feature that comes in handy when your system runs out of RAM. To prevent the system from crashing, virtual memory uses the hard disk storage as memory to store temporary files and handle system tasks. If the virtual memory is not properly configured, Windows won’t be able to utilize it, and it may slow down overall, including at startup.
Here’s how to adjust the virtual memory settings.
- Press Windows + R and use the sysdm.cpl command to launch the System Properties window.
- Switch to the Advanced tab and click the Settings button under the Performance section. This will open a new Performance Options window.
- Switch to the Advanced tab and click the Change button under the Virtual Memory section.
- Next, uncheck the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives option.
- Select your system drive and then enable the Custom Size bullet.
- It is recommended that you set the Initial Size as 1.5x RAM size and the Maximum Size as 3x RAM size. For instance, if your system has 8 GB RAM, set theInitial Size as 12288MB and the Maximum Size as 24576MB.
- Finally, click Set, then OK.
Windows will ask you to restart your computer to make the changes effective. After the restart, you should notice an improvement in overall system performance and response.
4 Defragment your hard drive (for HDD users only)
Fragmentation can slow down data access on HDDs, delaying boot times
Traditional hard drives (HDDs) store data in fragments across the disk. Over time, these fragments scatter, causing the read/write head to work harder to locate files, including those necessary for booting. Defragmenting consolidates these fragments, optimizing the disk’s performance.
To defragment your HDD, follow these steps:
- Search for the Defragment and Optimize Drives and click its icon to launch it.
- Select your system drive, usually denoted by C:, and click Analyze to see if it requires optimization.
- If needed, click the Optimize button to defrag the drive.
Let the process complete, and then restart your PC. It is advised to perform defragmentation weekly for an HDD.
3 Keep system updated
Outdated Windows and driver versions can introduce bugs that slow down startup
If you avoid Windows updates, you are probably slowing down your PC. Regularly updating Windows ensures that bugs are fixed, drivers are updated, the latest security patches are introduced, and the system runs optimally.
To update Windows, navigate to Settings > Windows Update and click the Check for Updates button. Let Windows download the latest updates, then click the Install All button.
2 Use Hibernate/Sleep Mode
Quicker alternatives to a full shutdown
If you use your PC frequently, you can use Hibernation or Sleep Mode instead of completely shutting it down after each use. This will boot your PC back up quickly and also keep your work saved. However, using these modes, especially Sleep Mode, will actively utilize system power while asleep. So, if you use a laptop on the go without being plugged in, avoid these and properly shut down your PC.
Related
What happens when Windows goes into sleep mode?
Learn what happens when Windows enters sleep mode, how it saves your work, conserves power, manages updates, and how it differs from hibernation
