Windows machines slow down for many reasons—bloated startup apps, unnecessary background services, outdated drivers, aggressive telemetry, and even misconfigured system files. The good news? You can dramatically improve your Windows performance without upgrading your hardware.

This guide breaks down the most effective, real-world optimizations you can apply today. Each method is safe, reversible, and tested across Windows 10, Windows 11, Tiny10, Tiny11, and ReviOS-style minimal builds.

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1. Reduce Startup Apps (Fastest Performance Gain)

Startup apps silently consume CPU/RAM every time your PC boots.

How to disable them

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc → Task Manager

2. Go to Startup Apps

3. Disable everything except:

   • Windows Security

   • Graphics drivers (NVIDIA/AMD/Intel)

   • Touchpad drivers (laptops)

   • Audio drivers

Effect

• Faster boot time (up to 40–60 seconds saved)

• Less RAM usage

• Lower background CPU spikes

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2. Disable Unnecessary Services Safely

Windows runs 150+ background services. Many aren’t needed for normal users.

Open Services

Press Win + R → type services.msc

Services you can safely disable

Important: Set them to Manual or Disabled, depending on your usage.

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3. Clean Up Services Through MSConfig (Power Move)

MSConfig gives you deeper access to system-level services.

Steps

1. Press Win + R → type msconfig

2. Go to Services tab

3. Check Hide all Microsoft services

4. Disable:

   • Adobe Updater

   • Google Update Services

   • Steam / Epic background services

   • Printer manufacturer bloat

   • VPN auto-services (unless actively used)

Result

• Up to 600–900 MB RAM freed

• Noticeably smoother multitasking

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4. Disable Heavy Scheduled Tasks

Task Scheduler contains background tasks that run without permission.

Open

Search Task Scheduler

Disable these categories

• Adobe Acrobat / Creative Cloud auto updates

• GoogleUpdateTaskMachine

• Microsoft Office Telemetry

• OneDrive Sync Maintenance (if not using OneDrive)

This reduces CPU spikes on idle time.

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5. Uninstall Bloatware & Preinstalled Apps

Windows 11 includes a lot of preloaded software.

Remove with Powershell (safer & faster)

Run as admin:

Get-AppxPackage *xbox* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *bing* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *onetech* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *skype* | Remove-AppxPackage

Or use tools like:

• Revo Uninstaller

• BloatyNosy (formerly ThisIsWin11)

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6. Switch Power Plans for Better Responsiveness

Best plan for performance: Ultimate Performance

Run:

powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61

Then enable Ultimate Performance from Power Options.

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7. Disable Background Apps

Windows lets apps run even when closed.

Turn them off

Settings → Privacy → Background Apps → Disable all except essentials.

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8. Optimize Windows Search Indexing

Windows indexing can slow down HDD/SSD.

Reduce index locations

1. Open Indexing Options

2. Only keep:

   • Start Menu

   • User Documents (optional)

Or disable indexing entirely if you use Everything Search.

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9. Remove Telemetry & Tracking

Telemetry affects performance significantly.

Tools to reduce it:

• O&O ShutUp10++

• PrivacySeer

• W10Privacy

Disable:

• Telemetry

• App suggestions

• Data collection

• Ad tracking

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10. Clean the Windows Component Store

Dism can remove outdated system packages.

Run as admin:

Dism.exe /online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup
Dism.exe /online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Improves system stability and may recover 2–5 GB of disk space.

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11. Defragment (HDD) or TRIM (SSD)

For HDD:

Run Disk Defragmenter.

For SSD:

Ensure TRIM is enabled:

fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify

If output is 0, TRIM is active.

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12. Update Drivers the Right Way

Use:

• NVIDIA/AMD/Intel official installers

• Snappy Driver Installer (SDI)

• DriverStore Explorer to remove old drivers

Avoid random driver websites.

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13. Clean Temp, Prefetch, and Cache Files

Use Win + R → type the following one by one:

temp
%temp%
prefetch

Delete everything inside.

Or use:

• BleachBit

• Wise Disk Cleaner

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14. Consider Using Tiny11 or Tiny10 for a Lightweight Windows

If your system is old, low-RAM, or used for gaming only, Tiny builds of Windows offer massive improvements.

Why Tiny11 / Tiny10 improves performance

• No bloatware

• Removed telemetry

• No mandatory Microsoft apps

• Lower RAM usage (600–800 MB idle)

• Faster gaming performance

Best use cases

• Low-end laptops

• Virtual machines

• Gaming-only PCs

• Development VMs

Tiny11: https://archive.org/details/tiny-11-NTDEV

Tiny10: https://archive.org/details/tiny-10-NTDEV

Important: Only download from official sources or trusted creators.

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15. Rebuild Windows Using a Debloated ISO (Advanced)

If you want control without switching to Tiny builds, manually build a lightweight Windows using:

• NTLite

• ReviOS Scripts

• GhostSpectre Slim ISO

• AtlasOS

You can remove:

• Cortana

• Telemetry

• Store Apps

• Edge (optional)

• Widgets

• Background services

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Recommended Performance Stack (My Tested Blueprint)

On a normal Windows 11 system:

• Disable startup apps

• Disable bloat services

• Apply MSConfig filters

• Turn off telemetry

• Install drivers manually

• Set Ultimate Performance

• Reduce indexing

• Clear scheduled tasks

On low-end systems:

• Switch to Tiny10 / Tiny11

• Remove all Windows features except essentials

• Use lightweight browsers (Brave, Mozilla Nightly)

• Install only necessary apps

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Final Thoughts

Improving Windows performance is not about one big change—it’s a combination of 15+ small optimizations stacked together. When you disable unnecessary services, optimize startup behavior, clean background tasks, and optionally use lightweight Windows builds, your PC’s performance increases dramatically.