I sped up my sluggish Windows 11 PC with these 6 free tricks — here's how

1. Disable unnecessary startup programs

This is the low-hanging fruit of PC optimization. Windows 11 lets several apps launch at startup by default, hogging resources before you've even opened the first program you actually need.

To get rid of this bloat, click on the start button and navigate to your settings. Find the apps section and click on the startup tab.

Sort the apps by "Startup impact" and disable anything you don't immediately need when you boot up.

2. Turn Off Visual Effects

We’ve come a long way from the harsh, grey dialog boxes of Windows 95. Windows 11’s default animations and visual effects are easier on the eyes, but on systems where resources are tight, that polish comes at the cost of lower performance.

Open your PC’s settings and search for visual effects. To speed up your PC, disable transparency effects and animation effects.

3. Enable Storage Sense

There’s no need to do extra work when Windows can do it for you. Your PC comes with an automatic cleanup tool built right in.

Again, navigate to your settings. Search for storage. Then enable Storage Sense using the toggle box.

You can set it up to run weekly or monthly, and it'll automatically delete temporary files, clear your recycle bin, and even remove old downloads you've forgotten about.

4. Adjust your power settings

Here’s another easy win. If you're on a desktop or don't mind sacrificing some battery life on a laptop, tweaking your power plan can deliver noticeable performance gains.

From your settings, open the control panel. Select hardware and sound and click power options. Then browse through the available plans and select high performance.

5. Update Windows

The last thing you want is your own PC working against you. Keeping Windows up to date ensures you’re getting the latest security fixes and patches for bugs that can quietly drag down performance.

Open settings, scroll down to Windows Update on the left side-bar and hit check for updates. While you’re there, you can also ensure automatic updates have been enabled so you will no longer have to complete this process manually going forward.

6. Optimize storage

When you’re looking for ways to speed up your PC, don't overlook storage optimization recommendations Windows provides.

Open settings, and click on system. Scroll down to advanced storage settings and click drive optimization. Select your drives and then click optimize.