How to speed up Windows startup without using external software

There are a number of applications from third-party developers (some paid for) that promise to speed up Windows startup using various software techniques. The reality is that the results are far from the promises and It is more convenient to use the tools of the operating system itself.

And in Windows, you will have to do this, because as applications and drivers are installed, the registry grows, programs running in the background increase, as well as processes that run at startup. All of this slows down Windows startup. affecting productivity and overall experience. Fortunately, there are tools from the same operating system that can be managed to make this process as quick as possible. Or try, because you can’t do miracles even with software and there are times when all you have to do is improve the hardware.

How to speed up Windows startup

Quick start

Windows 10 and Windows 11 have a feature that reduces startup time and works similarly to hibernate mode. Windows Fast Startup It does exactly what its name suggests, preloads the Windows kernel and drivers before the computer shuts down.

To use fast start, you must first activate hibernation mode if you have not already done so. Open the alternative Start menu (right-click the Start button and press Windows Terminal in administrator mode.

Run the command there powercfg /hibernate on to activate hibernation.

After doing the above, go to Control Panel > Power Options > Choose start/stop button behavior. You can click change configuration enable fast startup.

Task Manager

Configuring programs that run on a computer is a a crucial step to speed up PC startup. Startup can be configured in a number of ways, although ideally this should be done from the task manager.

You can access its settings using the key combination “Ctrl + Shift + Escape”. On the Home tab, you’ll see the apps that load at startup, their status, and their impact. Right-click on the ones that aren’t necessary and disable them.

Third-party tools that include a boot configurator can also be used for this management. For more advanced users, Autoruns for Windows is an ideal application because it includes the official Sysinternals tools and allows you to manage a large number of startup parameters.

Background application

They are another parameter to check because unnecessary load on the system in most cases it affects startup and general performance. And Windows 11 (like Windows 10) has a huge number of specific systems. Go to System Settings > Applications. Click the three dots > Advanced options. Here you can select “never” to disable its loading. You’ll be able to access them when you need them, but without the startup load it puts on the system.

Tips and Warnings for Windows

Other system processes that need to be managed are “windows tips” provided to us by Microsoft. It seems harmless, but the process scans the computer at the cost of performance. You can turn it off in Settings > system > notifications. In the same section, you can eliminate the Windows welcome experience at login and application launch notifications.

Lock screen and password

In General Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen you can manage this screen, which it actually is on a desktop computer quite irrelevant. If you uncheck its use, Windows 11 will start without going through it, saving the time it adds to all of the above.

The same goes for the operating system boot password. Very useful on shared computers and essential for mobile devices, but if you have

CPU and RAM optimization

There are applications that monopolize CPU and RAM usage from the very beginning and slow down the rest. Some are complicated to manage because they are services of the same system. Others are easier to understand and avoid. An example is OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage service that is enabled by default in Windows 11 and works great, but for users who use it. If this is not the case for you or you use Dropbox or Google Drive, it can be disabled in «Local Group Policy Editor».

Press “Windows + R” hotkeys, type gpedit.msc and press enter. Under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates, you have a lot of options that you can configure, such as preventing OneDrive from being used. You need to know what it disables, but it’s a very powerful tool that you can use to exit the system according to your needs.

Windows appearance

Configuration Windows 11 skin By default, this is another parameter to manage, especially on low-end hardware. Go to Control Panel > System > Advanced system settings > Advanced options > Performance > Settings. Turning on tuning for best performance is a good way to save resources.

Apps and Bloatware

Windows 11 (like Windows 10) is not exempt filler programs, unnecessary or unwanted that take up space, resources, are redundant and are loaded and updated in the background. “Junk” software, unnecessary applications and services that penalize the user experience, reduce performance, stability and which additionally penalize the startup of the same system.

Invest a little time to remove everything you don’t need. Many can be uninstalled in the typical way, but if you need something more powerful, you can use free apps like Bloatware removal tool. Also, prevent syncs on non-essential software like OneDrive and disable indexing of the search process on storage drives.

BIOS/UEFI

Windows boot starts after the BIOS/UEFI firmware processes and initializes the computer’s basic configuration. The faster the process, the sooner we get to the desktop. Most computers have fast boot settings in their BIOS. This mode skips some initial tests that are unnecessary for most users. Here you can save a few seconds.

Improve hardware

If you do all the above actions, you will surely speed up Windows 11 startup. However, There will come a time when the limitations are imposed by the hardware itself. Without having to change your entire hardware, there are several upgrades that will offer immediate benefits to system startup and performance. One is to use an SSD instead of a hard disk or SATA SSD, and the other is to increase the RAM to a reasonable level to cover the main tasks of the PC.