This guide will help you speed up your Windows 11 PC so you can be more productive. The last thing an online business owner wants is a sluggish, cluttered computer that gets in the way of running your online business. The good news: the nine steps below are all free, do-it-yourself fixes you can complete in an afternoon.

PC hardware and software keep evolving in every direction. New features, apps, and updates constantly emerge — better graphics, smarter logic, more capability — but all of it comes at a cost. As the software gets more capable, the work your computer has to do gets heavier too. That’s why even a fairly new machine can start to feel slow over time as programs, files, and background tasks pile up.

Windows 11 has to be many things to many kinds of users, and that’s both its strength and its weakness. More capability means more moving parts, and more that can quietly bog things down. The good news is that most slowdowns come from a handful of common causes you can fix yourself. Here are nine things you can do quickly and easily to get your Windows 11 computer running smoother and faster.

1. Check For and Repair Errors

It’s a waste of time to run a bunch of software tweaks only to discover the real problem was a failing drive or bad memory. Check your hardware first. The free, built-in Windows 11 tools won’t fully match a professional’s diagnostics, but they’ll often either fix the issue or buy you time.

• Click Start, type this in the search box, and open This PC (in File Explorer).
• Right-click your C: drive (the Windows drive), click Properties, then the Tools tab.
• Click the Check button, then Scan drive, and let it run.
• Next, run the system file checker: click Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and choose Run as administrator.
• Type sfc /scannow and press Enter, then let it finish.

2. Uninstall Bloatware and Apps You Don’t Need

First, create a system restore point so you can undo changes if needed:

• Click Start, type restore, and open Create a restore point.
• Click the Create button, then name it.

Then remove apps you don’t need: go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, scroll the list, click the three dots next to anything you’re sure you won’t use, and choose Uninstall. If you’re unsure whether a preinstalled manufacturer app is safe to remove, search its name first. If you remove something you actually needed, run System Restore and pick the restore point you created.

3. Take Out the Trash (Free Up Disk Space)

Clearing junk files is one of the simplest ways to speed up Windows 11 — and you don’t need any third-party software. Windows 11 has clean-up tools built right in:

• Turn on Storage Sense: go to Settings > System > Storage and toggle it on to automatically clear temporary files on a schedule.
• For a manual clean, on the same Storage screen click Temporary files, check what you want to remove, and click Remove files.
• Empty your Recycle Bin, then restart your PC.

Using the built-in tools is safer than downloading a third-party cleaner, since some of those bundle extra software or make changes you don’t actually need.

4. Minimize Startup Apps

Too many apps launching at startup is one of the most common causes of a slow boot. To trim them:

• Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager.
• Click the Startup apps tab on the left.
• Click any app you don’t need at startup and choose Disable. Focus on the ones marked “High” impact.

You can also manage these under Settings > Apps > Startup, which shows the same impact ratings with simple toggles.

5. Run a Malware Scan

Malware is a frequent hidden cause of a slow PC. Windows Security (built into Windows 11) runs continuously, but a second-opinion scan is worth doing. Download the free Malwarebytes scanner, install it, and run a scan. When it finishes, restart if prompted.

6. Upgrade Your RAM or Add an SSD

Sometimes the real fix is hardware. If your PC still runs on a traditional hard drive, switching to a solid-state drive (SSD) is the single biggest speed upgrade you can make — it’s transformative for boot times and everyday responsiveness. Adding more RAM helps too if you regularly run many programs or browser tabs at once. Use the free Crucial System Scanner to see exactly which RAM and SSD upgrades your specific computer supports.

7. Adjust Visual Effects for Performance

Windows 11 uses animations and transparency effects that look nice but cost resources on older machines:

• Click Start, type performance, and open Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows.
• Select Adjust for best performance, then Apply. You can re-enable a few effects like “Smooth edges of screen fonts” if you prefer.
• You can also turn off transparency and animations under Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects.

8. Set Your Power Mode to Best Performance

• Go to Settings > System > Power & battery (on a desktop it may read Power).
• Under Power mode, select Best performance.
• On a laptop, keep it plugged in when you need maximum speed, since Best performance uses more battery.

9. Turn Off Search Indexing (Optional)

On older or lower-powered PCs, search indexing can use resources in the background. To reduce it:

• Click Start, type indexing, and open Indexing Options.
• Click Modify and uncheck locations you don’t need indexed.

Note that this can make searches slightly slower, so it’s best on machines where overall performance matters more than instant search results.

Want help getting your computer and your online business running at full speed? Book a free 30-minute call with Trent here.