Tips & Tricks to Speed Up Windows 10

When you first purchased your new PC, opening programs or accessing files was a breeze. You did this without any form of lagging in your computer's performance. But you just discovered that it could take as much as 5 minutes to view your local drive.

Nine tricks for speeding up Windows 10

Slow systems end up wasting valuable time you could have spent on another task. Annoying, right? The great news is that there are loads of tips and tricks on the internet on how to speed up your Windows 10. There is nothing as impressive as getting the best out of your PC, especially if you use it a lot. So, here are nine tips and tricks we have compiled to help you speed up your Windows PC.

1. Disable auto startup programs

There are programs installed on PCs by manufacturers which have been set to load as soon as you turn it on. Some may not be from the manufacturers, but you have activated them to load at startup as well. This reduces the performance of your Windows 10 PC. You can notice this when it takes a while for your system to startup completely.

But you can fix this by disabling the permission. You can do this by using the Task Manager.

• Right-click on the Taskbar.
• Then, click the "Start Task Manager" option.

This is also applicable on Windows 8 and 8.1. But if you still own the older versions of Windows like XP or 7, the process is a little different. You can follow these steps.

• Use the Windows + R shortcut on your keyboard,
• Type in msconfig and tap the Enter key.

This is one of many tricks for speeding up your Windows effectively.

2. Check your PC for malware

You might be thinking, "of course, I have antivirus software installed on my Windows 10 PC". But as weird as this may sound, viruses can hide on your system and act like programs or system updates. You can remove most malware with the in-built antivirus from Microsoft referred to as Windows Defender.

It is advisable to always update and scan your PC regularly. This will help you detect malware responsible for inhibiting your system's performance. There are several other antivirus software available, be sure to check them out.

3. Restart or Shut down your Windows 10 PC

If you keep your PC running for days without using the "Shut Down" or "Restart" options, this could be responsible for making your system lag. To speed up Windows 10, restart or shut down your PC at regular intervals.

Over time, your system memory gets consumed due to continuous usage. Doing this helps in clearing it up and stopping all processes that slow down your Windows PC. Although your PC can survive for some days without restarting or shutting it down, you shouldn't always keep it running. Imagine how cranky you get when you have to stay up for days without sleeping.

4. Update your Windows

Although there are lots of updates always popping up on Windows 10, you should not ignore all. They could be annoying sometimes, but they improve the performance of your PC. Some of these updates are designed to offer extra protection against malware. Others put up new walls against recent vulnerabilities that manufacturers discovered.

There are also updates for various drivers. So, it is best to keep your Windows 10 always updated. For those running a more recent version, these updates can be set to take place in the background.

5. Disable OneDrive sync

If you are a die-hard fan of OneDrive, then you may be feeling attacked. The truth is turning on your OneDrive sync utilizes your computer's resources. This in turn slows it down. Do not leave it turned on for too long. This doesn't apply to OneDrive users alone, it is same for all cloud storage apps.

You can go for the manual option and copy your important files directly into OneDrive for upload to the cloud. Disabling this option will speed up Windows 10. You can disable the OneDrive sync feature using the following steps:

· Right-click on OneDrive

· Choose the folders you want to sync

· Uncheck the box that says "Sync all files and folders in OneDrive."

· Click Ok

6. Use High Performance Mode

On your Windows 10 PC, there is the "High Performance" mode but do you know what it does? Located in your Power options, this mode helps you increase your system performance. It helps boost your CPU to its full potential when turned on.

It prevents essential components from going into power-saving mode. Some of these essential components are WiFi cards, memory and hard drives. If you are not going for the "High-Performance" mode, you can opt for connecting your charger. This is advisable when you are doing heavy tasks on your system. Some of these heavy tasks include using a large software or playing games while your system is plugged in.

7. Load your in built troubleshooter

You can detect errors in your system's performance with an in-built troubleshooter. This troubleshooter comes bundled with Windows 10 devices and can fix detected errors.

The troubleshooter is not limited to issues with speed alone. You can use the troubleshooter for errors related to your hardware and Bluetooth device. You can also fix issues with Windows update and external devices. Fixing all these problems can speed up your Windows 10 PC. It also removes other issues that would have proven fatal if ignored.

8. Delete unnecessary files on Windows 10

Your system experiences a lag in performance when you have a fraction of your storage capacity left. You can do a manual search for unwanted data, delete them or use the software. Deleting unnecessary files and freeing up space is an excellent way to speed up your Windows 10 PC. You can use the disk cleanup utility option which comes pre-installed with Windows to clean unwanted data from your hard drive. To do this:

· Click the Windows search bar

· Type " Disk Cleanup "

· Run the utility.

This action will allow your system to analyze the data in your hard drive and give you a detailed analysis of what you can choose to delete or keep.

Another option is the "Free Up Space" tool for removing junks. This also comes with Windows 10 (for updated systems) and is in your Settings app. It is similar in function to the "Disk Cleanup" option and can remove a large amount of data that you can do without. OneDrive users have the option of using Files On-Demand.

9. Reduce your RAM usage

If you are the type of person that likes to keep as much as nine apps running at the same time, then it is time to tone it down. Although this could be a habit to increase your productivity, it takes a toll on your PC and slows it down. What suffers the major impact of this habit is your RAM. To check out just how much you have been stressing the little guy, head over to the Task Manager. Track the memory usage by:

· Clicking the Performance tab

· Select Memory

Doing this lets you see how much burden you have placed on the RAM. If the RAM is low, you should relieve the burden. Head over to the Processes tab and stopping some Windows processes.

However, you need to be careful so as not to turn off the crucial processes. Watch out for the differences between Available memory and "Memory In Use". If your memory gets filled up, your system will slow down. If you can't go for the option of adding more RAM as it is quite expensive, you can opt for the cheaper option of increasing the size of the Windows Page File.

To increase the size of the Windows Page File:

· Click on "This PC"

· Select Properties

· Go to Advanced System Settings. This brings up Performance.

· Click Settings under this option

· Click on Advanced tab

· On the option that says "virtual memory", select Change

· Deselect "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives."

· This brings up the list of your drive. Select the appropriate drive and enable the Custom Size option.

· Pick the Initial size and Maximum size of the page file.

· Save the changes by clicking Ok.

Increasing page file size is not necessary if you have RAM as large as 10GB. However, do not disable the page file as it could lead to damages to your PC.

Conclusion of Tips & Tricks to Speed Up Windows 10

There you have it: 9 tips and tricks to speed up your Windows 10. If all these fail to give you the desired result, you may go for this final option as your last resort: resetting your PC. This option is available in Settings, under the Recovery tab.

Resetting your PC will take your system back to its default mode and cancel out all the changes you have made to your system. However, more often than not, the nine tips above work in speeding up your system effectively.

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