Boost Your Windows 10 Speed with These 18 Simple Tricks

As we all know, Windows 10 comes with default settings suitable for most global users. However, as we continue to download files and install software, our computer's performance gradually diminishes over time. By making some tweaks in Windows 10 settings, we can quickly overcome this issue.

Guide to Speed Up Windows 10

1. Use Disk Cleanup to Remove Unwanted Files

Step 1: Search for Disk Cleanup in the Taskbar search bar.
Step 2: Click on Disk Cleanup to open the tool and select the drive you want to clean.
Step 3: Wait a few seconds for the tool to analyze the drive.

Step 4: Select all files and press OK.

2. Disable Background Apps

Navigate to Settings > Privacy > Background apps and disable all unwanted background apps consuming your CPU and valuable data.

3. Disable Startup Programs

Step 1: Firstly, open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
Step 2: Next, click on the Startup tab.
Step 3: Right-click on any programs and apps you want to disable from launching with the system.

4. Delete Unwanted Temp Files

Step 1: Right-click on the Windows icon on the Taskbar.
Step 2: Click on the Windows icon on the Taskbar and select Run.

Step 3: Enter %temp% in the Run dialogue box and press Enter.

Step 4: Delete all files in this folder.

Step 5: Open the Run dialogue box again and enter temp, then press Enter.

Step 6: Delete all files in the Temp folder.

5. Delete Prefetch Files

Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run dialogue box, enter prefetch, and press Enter.

Step 2: Delete all files in this folder.

6. Select High Performance Power Plan

- Navigate to Settings > System > Power & Sleep > Additional Power Settings.
- Choose High Performance power plan.

7. Adjust System for Productivity Boost

This method helps eliminate unnecessary features of your computer including various image effects and animations.

Step 1: Right-click on the This PC icon on the screen. Choose Properties to open the System Settings window.

Step 2: Click on Advanced System Settings.

Step 3: Under the Advanced settings, click the Settings... button under the Performance section.

Step 4: Select the Visual Effects tab > Adjust for best performance.

Step 5: Click OK to apply the changes.

8. Edit Registry for Mouse and MenuShowDelay Settings

Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run dialogue box, type regedit, and press Enter.

Step 2: In the Registry Editor window, navigate through the following entries:

- HKEY_CURRENT_USER
- Control Panel
- Mouse

Step 3: Now, double-click on MouseHoverTime on the right-hand side and change the Value data to 10.

Step 4: Continue browsing through the following entries:

- HKEY_CURRENT_USER
- Control Panel
- Desktop

Step 5: Click on MenuShowDelay and change the Value data to 10.

9. Uninstall Unnecessary Programs and Software

Some software consumes a lot of resources that you may have installed previously, which could be the main reason for Windows 10 running slow. In this case, simply uninstall any programs you don't use.

10. Disable Fast Startup

Step 1: Search for Power options in the Taskbar search bar and click on it.
Step 2: Select Choose what the power buttons do from the left-hand side of the window.
Step 3: In the System Settings window, click on Change settings to modify existing settings.
Step 4: Simply uncheck the option Turn on fast startup (recommended) under Shutdown settings.

11. Disable Searching Indexing

Although Searching Indexing improves search responsiveness, it can decrease Windows 10 performance. Therefore, if you don't perform extensive searches, disabling this feature is necessary. To stop/disable the Searching Indexing process, follow these steps:

- Right-click on This PC or My Computer and select Manage.
- Go to Services and Applications > Services.
- Find Windows Search and double-click on it.
- Choose Disabled in the Startup Type section and click OK.

12. Turn Off UAC

The User Account Control (UAC) feature prompts users every time before making any changes on the computer. This is the default setting in Windows 10. You can turn off this feature for easier program installations with the following steps:

Step 1: Type UAC in the search bar on the Taskbar and click on the first appearing option.

Step 2: Slide the adjustment button down to Never notify and click OK.

Now, your PC won't prompt you whenever you install software or make computer-related changes anymore.

13. Update Drivers

Update outdated drivers in your system. Simply search for device drivers in the search box. Then, click on the computer name from the list and select Scan for hardware changes.

14. Optimize Folder Options

Step 1: Search for File Explorer Options in the search box on the Taskbar.

Step 2: In the newly opened window, click on the View tab. Now uncheck the following options:

- Always show icons, never thumbnails
- Display file icon on thumbnails
- Display file size information in folder tips
- Show pop-up description for folder and desktop items
- Show preview handlers in preview pane
- And Finally check the following options given below:

Next, select the following options:
- Hide empty drives
- Hide extensions for known file types
- Hide folder merge conflicts
- Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).

- Finally, click OK to save the changes.

15. Remove Unused Browser Extensions and Add-ons

If you're using Chrome, uninstall extensions to help speed up the web browser and lighten the system load. In the case of Mozilla, disable add-ons to make the browser run faster. With Microsoft Edge, you can also customize it. Users can also reset web browsers to speed them up.

16. Delete Temp Files by Clicking on a Batch File

Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type %temp% and press Enter. Then, delete all files in this folder. You can also create a Batch file and keep it on your desktop so that clicking on it anytime will delete all Temp files in your system.

Temporary files on Windows 10 can be removed by creating a Batch file. Executing this file will lead to cleaning up all cookie files, cache, and any temporary data. Here's how to create a Batch file:

Step 1: Right-click on the desktop, go to New, and select Text Document.

Step 2: Simply copy and paste the code below into a Notepad File.

@echo off
del /s /f /q c:windows emp.
rd /s /q c:windows emp
md c:windows emp
del /s /f /q C:WINDOWSPrefetch
del /s /f /q %temp%.
rd /s /q %temp%
md %temp%
deltree /y c:windows empor-1
deltree /y c:windows emp
deltree /y c:windows mp
deltree /y c:windowsf*.tmp
deltree /y c:windowsprefetch
deltree /y c:windowshistory
deltree /y c:windowscookies
deltree /y c:windows ecent
deltree /y c:windowsspoolprinters
cls

Step 3: Save the file as speed.bat.

17. Hide all Non-Microsoft Services:

- Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type msconfig, and press Enter.
- Click on the Services tab and select Hide all Microsoft services option.

- Click on Ok to save the changes.

18. Reset Your Computer Without Losing Any Files

If the above methods fail, you can reset your computer. This method makes your computer run faster, and you won't lose any files.

To achieve this, navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Get started.

Then, select Keep my files.

The reset process will take a few hours.

If you're running Windows 10 on your desktop or laptop, there are times when you seek ways to speed up Windows 10 for faster performance, and here are 18 effective methods you can try.

Mytour also shares tips on speeding up Windows 11, so you can refer to them for easy and quick Windows 11 optimization. 

Learn more: How to Speed Up Windows 11