How to speed up Windows 10/11 startup

If your Windows PC takes a long time to start up, it can be frustrating to turn on or restart your computer. Thankfully, slow startup is a solvable problem. The following article will show you the most common fixes for slow startup issues in Windows 10 and 11.

1. Disable Fast Boot feature

In Windows 10 there is a Fast Startup option enabled by default. In theory, this feature is supposed to reduce boot time by preloading some boot information before the PC shuts down. It sounds like a useful feature, but in reality it doesn't speed up the boot process and actually slows it down. So, the first step to fix the slow startup problem is to disable this feature.

Note : Disabling this feature does not affect the computer restart process.

Open Settings and go to System > Power & sleep . On the right side of the screen, click Additional power settings to open the Power Options menu on Control Panel.

Here, click Choose what the power buttons do in the left bar. You need to use admin rights to change the settings on this page, so click on the Change settings that are currently unavailable link . Now, uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended) and click Save Changes to save changes and disable this setting.

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If you don't see the Fast Boot option, it's because you haven't enabled hibernation mode. To enable this mode, open Command Prompt or PowerShell with admin rights by right-clicking the Start button and selecting Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin) .

Type the following command to enable hibernation and then disable the Fast Startup option.

powercfg /hibernate on

2. Adjust Paging File settings

Virtual memory is a function that causes Windows to reserve part of the storage drive as virtual RAM - this part is called a paging file. If Windows is close to maxing out real RAM (because you're running too many programs at once), it will turn to virtual memory to store processes that aren't actively being used.

Some people have found that Windows may change virtual memory settings on its own, causing boot problems. Therefore, it is a good idea to look at the virtual memory settings and see if they can be changed to fix the slow startup issue.

To do this, enter Performance in the Start menu and select Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows . In the Advanced tab , you will see the size of the paging file; Click Change to edit.

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On the results window, the bottom values ​​are important. You'll see the Recommended amount of memory and the Currently Allocated value . Some people experiencing this problem find that their current dispensing level far exceeds the recommended number.

If your drive is the same, uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives to make the change. Then select Custom Size , set Initial Size and Maximum Size to the values ​​currently recommended for your system (may be different than in the example screenshot). Restart and boot times will improve.

If this option isn't set to Automatically manage. , try enabling it and see if it resolves the issue.

3. Turn off Windows Subsystem for Linux

Windows 10 and 11 offer Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), which provides a full Linux Terminal, making it easier to run Linux distributions and software. While interesting for developers, this is not necessary for the average user. Since this feature is not enabled by default, this may not be the cause of the problem if you don't know what Bash is.

However, it is still recommended to check as a troubleshooting step. To turn off WSL, type Windows features into the Start menu to open the Turn Windows features on or off menu . Scroll down to Windows Subsystem for Linux, uncheck it and reboot.

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4. Update graphics driver

Windows 10 often has driver-related problems, so updating the graphics card driver can speed up the computer boot process.

To update the driver, open Device Manager by right-clicking on the Start menu and selecting Device Manager , navigate to Display adapters to see the graphics card you are using (usually Nvidia or AMD if you have a dedicated graphics card ).

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You can open the corresponding software on your PC to check for updates. If you don't have the software, you can visit the supplier or manufacturer's website to check for driver updates, then install the latest version.

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5. Delete some programs that start with the system

Too many programs starting with the system cause your computer to start slowly, so uninstall unnecessary software.

There are many software that automatically set up to start with the system. Therefore, check for programs that slow down the Windows 10 startup process and remove them from the startup list if not necessary.

First, open Task Manager . You can find it by typing this keyword into the Cortana search bar or pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete and clicking Task Manager in the menu that appears, or right-clicking anywhere on the Taskbar and clicking Task Manager.

Task Manager will open a simple interface. Click More Details to open the advanced view.

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Click the Startup tab to see a list of applications and processes that launch when you turn on your computer.

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You can then go through the list to select the items you don't want to launch when you start your computer by right-clicking on them and selecting Disable .

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You can also take advantage of the information in Task Manager to decide whether to disable any programs. Windows 10 allows you to know the startup impact of each program on your computer. In other words, how long it can slow down your computer's boot time.

Once you've made your selections, you'll need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

If there's a program you disabled but you change your mind, you can return to Task Manager and allow it to load when your computer boots. If you're not sure where to start with disabling programs, check out this list of unnecessary programs that you can safely disable.

6. Run an SFC scan

The SFC (System File Checker) command will check your Windows installation for damaged system files and try to replace them with working copies. You should run this program to fix boot problems, because corrupt Windows files responsible for the boot process can cause slow startup.

7. Upgrade to SSD (or new PC)

Running Windows from a hard drive (HDD) will result in slow performance everywhere. HDDs are great for storing a lot of data at low cost, but these days are too slow to use as drives for the main operating system.

If your computer is so old that it lacks an SSD, it's time to upgrade to a modern machine. In the meantime, if possible, you can upgrade to an SSD, which will significantly improve Windows performance. However, replacing the drive will incur additional costs that should be spent on a new system. But either way, the SSD is still a major upgrade that you'll appreciate.

We have shown how to install an SSD in a laptop; This process is much easier on the desktop.

8. If all else fails, try resetting the device

If you have tried all of the above solutions and still cannot speed up your computer's boot time, it is best to delete and reinstall a new version of Windows 10.

You have several options to reset your PC. The built-in Refresh option can reinstall Windows without deleting any of your files. However, you should still back up your computer data beforehand.

Go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery and select Get started under Reset this PC to get started.

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Hopefully, applying one or all of the above methods will be helpful for you. Slow startups are extremely annoying, but fortunately you have options to fix it. If none of these methods work, try the next version of Windows 10 and maybe it can fix the problem.

Wishing you success!

David Pac

Update 24 May 2024