startup programs:

Disable unnecessary startup programs

When you turn on your PC, some programs start automatically and run in the background. You can disable these programs, so they don’t run when your PC starts up.

1. Many programs are designed to start automatically when Windows starts. Software manufacturers often set their programs to open in the background, so you don’t see them running, but so they'll open quickly when you go to use them. This is helpful for programs you use a lot, but not for programs you don’t use often because it slows down the time it takes Windows to start.
2. Find the programs that start automatically
3. Sometimes you can figure out which programs start automatically by looking at the program icons in the notification area that’s on the far right of the taskbar. Check there first to see if there are any programs running that you don’t want to start automatically. To try to find out the name of the program, point to the icon with your mouse pointer. Make sure you select Show hidden icons , so you don’t miss any programs.
4. Notification area with mouse pointing to show hidden icons
5. Even after you check the notification area, you might still miss some programs that run automatically at startup. Here’s how you can find all the programs that start automatically, and stop the ones that you don’t want to start automatically when Windows starts.

To stop a program from starting automatically

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete, 
2. then select Task Manager.

In Task Manager, select More details in the lower-left corner, then select the Startup tab.


To stop a program from starting automatically

1. select the program, then select Disable.
2. Restart your PC and do what you were doing before, 
3. then see if you’re still seeing the same performance problems.

Note
If you disable a program and it continues to start automatically when Windows starts, you should scan for viruses and malware, which is explained in the next section.

To turn on system protection

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type restore point, then select Create a restore point from the list of results.
2. In the System Properties box, on the System Protection tab, select Configure.
3. In the Restore Settings area, select Turn on system protection > OK.
4. If your PC still runs slowly, try the next tip.

Restore

Restore your PC from a system restore point

Restoring your PC is a way to undo recent changes to your PC that might be causing problems. If you think an app, driver, or an update for Windows you recently installed might be causing problems, you might be able to get things running normally again by restoring your PC to an earlier point in time. This is a called a restore point.

Notes

Restoring from a restore point won’t affect your personal files, but it will remove apps, drivers, and updates that were installed after the restore point was created.

System restore works for recent changes that were made to your PC more recently—changes in the last 7 to 14 days.

low disk space and make some room if necessary

Check for low disk space and make some room if necessary

Your PC might slow down if your hard disk is almost full and you don’t have a lot of free space. In this case, freeing up disk space can help make your PC run better.
To check for low disk space

1. Select the Start button > Settings > System > Storage .
2. Under Storage, select your hard disk, and then see what’s taking up space.
3. Do one of the following:
4. If your PC isn’t low on space, go to the next tip.

If you’re running low on disk space, go through each section and remove stuff you don’t need.

To remove temporary files and downloads, and empty the recycle bin Another way to free up disk space is to delete temporary files and downloads, and empty the recycle bin.

1. Select the Start button > Settings > System > Storage .
2. Under Storage, select This PC, which has a drive letter for your hard disk next to it.
3. Under Storage usage, select Temporary files.
4. On the Temporary files screen, select the Temporary files check box > Remove files.
5. On the taskbar, select File Explorer, then select the Downloads folder under This PC.

• See which files are in the Downloads folder, and move the downloads you want to keep to another drive.
• Go back to the Temporary files screen in Settings, select the Downloads folder check box > Remove files.
• Go to your desktop, and then open Recycle Bin.
• Move any files you want to keep, and then select Empty Recycle Bin.
• Restart your PC, and then see if it’s running better.

To move files to another drive

1. If you have photos, music, downloads, or other files that you want to keep but don't use very often, consider saving them to removable media, like a USB flash drive. You'll still be able to use them when the flash drive is connected, but they won't take up space on your PC.
2. Plug a USB flash drive into a USB port on your PC
3. Select File Explorer on the taskbar, and find the files you want to move.
4. Select the files, go to the Home tab, and then select Move to > Choose location.
5. Select your flash drive from the location list, and then select Move.

To uninstall apps you don't use anymore

1. Another way to free up space is to remove apps and programs that you don’t use.
2. Select the Start button > Settings > System > Apps & features .
3. Search for a specific app or sort them to see which ones are taking up the most space.
4. When you find an app you want to remove, select it from the list, then select Uninstall.
5. Restart your PC, and then do what you were doing before to see if your PC’s performance has improved.

Use Ready Boost

Use ReadyBoost to help improve performance

Like previous versions of Windows, Windows 10 has ReadyBoost. ReadyBoost lets you use a removable drive, like a USB flash drive, to improve your PC’s performance without opening your PC and adding more memory (RAM). To use ReadyBoost, you’ll need a USB flash drive or a memory card that has at least 500 MB free and a high data transfer rate. For more info about ReadyBoost, see ReadyBoost in Windows 10.

To use Ready Boost

1. Insert the USB flash drive into a USB port on your PC.
2. On the task bar, select File Explorer.
3. Press and hold (or right-click) the USB flash drive (or SD card if you used one instead), then select Properties.
4. Select the Ready Boost tab, then select Use this device.
5. After Windows determines how much free space to use to optimize memory, select OK to reserve this space, so Ready Boost can use it.

Note

If Windows is installed on a solid state drive (SSD), ReadyBoost can’t be used because the SSD drive is already fast and you won’t get better performance by using ReadyBoost.

To run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter

To run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter:

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type troubleshooting, and then select Troubleshooting, which has Control Panel listed underneath it.
2. In Troubleshooting, select Run programs made for previous versions of Windows.
3. In the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter, select Next to run it.
4. Select the program that you’re having problems with > Next, and continue through the troubleshooter.
5. PC still running slowly? Continue on.

To restart your PC

1. Select the Start button > Power > Restart.
2. After your PC restarts, open just the apps you need, then close them when you’re done.
3. Sometimes apps that were made for a previous version of Windows will still run on Windows 10, but they might slow down your PC. If you notice this is happening after opening a certain program, check the software company’s website for an updated version, or run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter.

Tips to improve PC performance in Windows 10

Does a slow PC have you down? If so, try some of the things below to help make your Windows 10 PC run better. The tips are listed in order, so start with the first one, see if that fixes the problem, and then continue to the next one if it doesn’t.

1. Make sure you have the latest updates for Windows and device drivers
One the best ways to get the most of your PC is to make sure you have the latest version of Windows 10 installed. When you check for updates, your PC will also search for the latest device drivers, which can also help improve your PC’s performance.

* To check for updates:

1. Select the Start button, then select Settings > Update & security > Windows Update > Check for updates.
2. Look under Update status, and do one of the following:
3. If the status says your device is up to date, go to the next tip below.
4. If the status says Updates are available, select Install now, and go to the next step in this procedure.
5. First, see how much you have total, and then check the graph and see how much RAM is being used.
6. Windows determines if the device can use Ready Boost. If it can’t, a message appears to let you know.
7. When you look at the contents of the USB flash drive in File Explorer, you’ll see a file named Ready Boost .sfcache on the flash drive. This file shows how much space is reserved for Ready Boost.
8. The Downloads folder is the default file location for most web browsers.
9. If you have questions about a specific app or program, see the program’s support page for more info.
10. Your PC will restart, and Windows Defender Offline will run and scan for viruses and malware. The scan might take 15 minutes or so, and your PC will restart again after that.
11. Scanning will take a few minutes.
12. This will back up all the files in your Users folders—including Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Favorites, Music, Pictures, and more.
13. For more info about resetting your PC, see Windows 10 recovery options.
14. It might take several minutes for Windows to restore your files.
15. Select the updates you want to install, and then select Install.
16. Restart your PC, do what you were doing before, and see if your PC is running better.
17. For more info about updates, including how you can have them installed automatically for you, see the Windows Update FAQ.
18. If your PC still runs slowly, continue to the next tip.

* Restart your PC and open only the apps you need

Having more open apps, programs, web browsers, and so on can slow down your PC. If this is happening to you, restart your PC, then close the apps, programs, and windows you’re not using.