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Top Tips for Windows 11

How to Speed up and Optimize Windows 11

If you are using Windows 11 you probably upgraded from another operating system such as Windows 10. Windows 11 is faster and more robust although but it still must be maintained for smooth performance.

The following is a list of tips & easy tweaks you can do to optimize, speed up the performance of, and get the most out of your PC running Windows 11.

Quick Jump: Performance & Speed | Security | Misc. Tips

1. Restart Windows 11

Like its cousin Windows 10, this is most effective step to Windows 11 optimization. Restarting Windows 11 will shut down background processes and update pending tasks. Save anything you have been working on before restarting.

How to: Click the Windows icon (the “Start Button”) in the lower left of your screen > click the Power icon > click Restart.

Alternatively, you can click the power off icon and wait for the computer to completely shut down. Then hit the computer’s power on button and wait for the computer to finish restarting.

2. Check For Windows 11 Updates

Windows 11 updates can contain fixes that optimize your system. Often these fixes with remove bugs and improve the performance of Windows 11.

How to: Open Settings > Update and Security > click Check for Updates

3. Disable File Indexing for Speeding Up Windows 11

This indexing service gets info from files on the hard drive and creates a “searchable keyword index” for optimizing Windows 11.

File indexing can be turned off if you don’t use the Windows 11 search feature often. You will notice a slight increase when your computer conducts a search, and an overall increase in general speed for everything else.

The easiest way to turn off file indexing in Windows 11 is through the services app.

How to:  Win-R (open dialog box) >type “services.msc” > click OK > Scroll down to find “Windows Search” and double-click it > In Windows Search Properties click the Stop button. Click Apply then click OK.

4. Check For Windows 11 Driver Updates

Windows 11 will automatically check for most driver updates. However, sometimes there are lingering drivers that need to be updated manually. It is important to know that some hardware manufacturers are still catching up with optimizing their products for Windows 11.

How to: Win-I > Settings > Windows Update > Advanced Options > Optional Updates > Driver Updates > Select drivers you want to update > Click Download and Install. You might be asked to reboot your computer.

5. Get Rid of Unneeded Programs

As with any version of Windows — less is more. The less “stuff” running and taking up space the more efficient your machine will be.

To Clean out unused programs: works much the same as in previous versions of Windows, but here is a tutorial if you don’t already know how to uninstall programs.

6. Get Rid of Unneeded Features

Windows 11 loads a variety of “stuff” on your PC, that you probably don’t need. You can safely turn off many of these features.

How to: From the task bar open the Search Menu (magnifying glass icon) > type “windows features” > click “Turn Windows features on or off”.  A list of optional Windows 11 features will pop up. Deselect all programs you do not want activated. Click OK. Restart your computer.

Here is a tutorial on uninstalling Windows 11 features in case you need it.

7. Stop Programs and Services That Auto-start on Startup

You likely have some programs and services that unnecessarily start automatically when you turn on your computer. These programs slow how fast Windows 11 can load, as well as use up system resources as they constantly run in the background.

How to: Window Icon > Startup > Click off all programs that you don’t want to automatically start at startup. Restart.

Misc Windows 11 Tips

Enable Dark Mode. Many people prefer a darker screen, especially when working in a darker environment. To enable dark mode: Right click on an empty part of the desktop > Personalization > Color > Choose Your Mode > click on the dropdown menu on the right and click Dark Mode.

Hide Unwanted Taskbar Icons.  If you don’t like many icons on your task bar, they can be removed. Right click on an empty area of the task bar  > Personalization > click on the toggle off slider next to the buttons you don’t want on your Windows 11 task bar.

Minimize All Open Windows. This is a simple yet hand feature.  Simply hit Win-D and all windows will immediately minimize and you will see the Desktop. To open them all back up again hit Win-D again,

Start menu shortcuts. Yet another convenient feature in Windows 11 is the ability to quickly access the start menu programs.  Simply either hit Win-X or right click the Windows Start Icon.

Conclusion

Hope you found at least a few helpful pieces of information in this article. Remember, this is just another version of the Windows series and much is the same as always with a few additions and an new feel.

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