Take 30 minutes to make Windows less annoying!

Make these changes to work more efficiently!

1. Stop applications from launching at startup

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Your computer takes a long time to boot up because Windows launches a bunch of unnecessary applications every time you turn it on. While some of these applications are essential, most of them are applications that you rarely use. They slow down the boot process and bombard you with annoying pop-ups that you have to close every time you start up.

To fix this, remove all unnecessary applications from the startup list, keeping only a few important ones!

2. Choose your preferred default application

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Your computer will drive you crazy if it keeps opening files and tasks in random apps instead of the ones you like. It often opens images in Paint and PDFs in Microsoft Edge, and it decides which app to use for web links, music, videos, etc. It's partly your fault for relying on default settings.

Select your preferred default application for each file type to fix this problem.

3. Change lock screen timeout

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In the past, a few minutes of inactivity was enough to cause your laptop to lock itself, which was one of the most annoying things you could encounter. If you worked on an important file without moving your mouse, the screen would often lock, forcing you to log back in multiple times a day. Even stepping away for a moment wouldn't save you.

To fix this, adjust the lock screen timeout settings, giving you more time before your PC locks.

4. Turn off automatic app suggestions and recommendations in the Start menu

Have you ever opened the Start menu and seen apps you never installed pinned there, so they start downloading when clicked? Likewise, have you seen recently created/downloaded files or installed apps in the Recommended section? These features used to clutter up the Start menu, making it difficult to find the apps you needed.

To prevent content from appearing in recommendations, go to Settings > Personalization > Start and turn off all the toggles.

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Then, unpin the suggested apps. Right-click the app and select Unpin from Start . You can do the same to keep the Start menu free of unnecessary apps.

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5. Prevent Windows from automatically switching networks

By default, Windows is constantly searching for other network connections, even when connected to a specific network. If a higher priority network becomes available, it will automatically switch, disconnecting you from the current network. This often causes frequent interruptions during gaming sessions, calls, and file transfers.

To fix this issue, select your preferred Wi-Fi connection and turn off the option that allows Windows to search for other networks in the connection properties.

6. Make UAC prompts less annoying

User Account Control (UAC) is designed to protect your operating system from unauthorized changes and malware. However, it is annoying because it constantly prompts you for permission whenever you want to install or modify software. While this feature is important for security, it is too often an interruption.

To make this feature less annoying, adjust the UAC setting from Always notify to Notify me only when apps try to make changes to my computer .

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7. Simplify right-click context menu

Many people's right-click context menus are a chaotic mess of options that are mostly unused. These extra entries make the menu longer, bury useful options, and make them difficult to find without scrolling. It's frustrating because you never intended those options to be there in the first place.

To fix this annoyance, simplify the context menu by removing unused items and disabling unnecessary options. Then it will be much more concise and easier to navigate.

8. Remove suggested search results

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You may have noticed that Windows displays Bing search results in the Start menu, even when searching for a local file or app. These online suggestions clutter the results and slow down the search process. Worse, it used to give the impression that you had a local file or app, but clicking on it opened a web page.

To get rid of this annoyance, disable web search suggestions in the Start menu.

Marvin Fry

Update 30 September 2024