You depend on your team to deliver with speed and productivity. However, sluggish and unresponsive computers can throw a spanner in the works, making it tough for them to get their tasks done. This not only affects them but can have a knock-on effect on you personally, and ultimately, it drags down the overall performance of your business.
Before you leap to the costly conclusion that it’s time to upgrade your PCs, there are several steps you can take to boost the performance of your computers on Windows 10 and 11.
Here are a few tips…
Give Your Computer a Fresh Start
It might sound like a piece of cake, and indeed, it’s a favourite tip among us IT support folks, but simply turning your computer off and on again can do wonders. Restarting your computer clears out all the background processes, applications, and memory data cluttering up the system. This simple action often fixes common performance glitches, especially if your computer has been on for an extended period.
Tidy Up Your Start-up Apps
A fair few apps fancy themselves important enough to start up automatically with Windows 11, which can seriously slow your computer’s boot time. To get some of that speed back, why not disable the apps you don’t need right away:
- Open Settings
- Click on Apps
- Head over to the Start-up page
- Sort the apps by their “Start-up impact”
- Switch off any apps you don’t need firing up automatically
This prevents these apps from launching as soon as you start up, conserving valuable system resources.
Switch Off Restartable Apps
Windows 11 offers a feature that remembers and reopens certain apps after you restart your computer. Handy as it may be, it’s not always a boon for your computer’s performance. To disable this feature:
- Dive into Settings
- Click on Accounts
- Visit the Sign-in options page
- Switch off the “Automatically save my restartable apps and restart them when I sign back in” toggle
Turning this off can enhance your computer’s performance, particularly if you’re running numerous applications you rarely use.
Uninstall Apps You Don’t Need
Apps that are just sitting there, unused and unneeded, can clog up your system and slow it down. To clear them out:
- Open Settings
- Click on Apps
- Select the Installed apps page
- Pick the app you wish to uninstall and hit the Uninstall button
- Follow any additional instructions if needed
By getting rid of unneeded apps, you’re freeing up space and resources, paving the way for smoother performance.
Always exercise caution with the software you install on your computer. Poorly designed or outdated apps can negatively impact your system’s performance. Stick with reputable apps, ideally those vetted and available on the Microsoft Store, as they undergo rigorous checks for security and performance.
Before installing any software, it’s wise to do a bit of online digging for user reviews and potential pitfalls. Trustworthy sources and established companies are always the safest bets.
Before considering an upgrade, why not optimise what you’ve already got? Of course, if you’d rather not dive into these tasks yourself, our team is here to lend a hand. We can examine every nook and cranny of your computers and network for hidden issues. Drop us a line, and let’s get your systems running smoothly again.
