How Do I Speed Up Startup on Windows 10 Efficiently?
How Do I Speed Up Startup on Windows 10 Efficiently?
3 Answers

When your Windows 10 takes ages to boot up, it’s like watching paint dry. A lot of the time, slow startups come down to unnecessary programs, wrong settings, or even aging hardware. Let’s tackle some tricks to get you speeding up that startup time.
1. Kick Out Unwanted Startup Programs
First up, let’s get rid of those apps that think it’s cool to open every time your computer does. Here’s how:
- Hit
Ctrl + Shift + Esc
to open the Task Manager. - Head over to the Startup tab.
- Take a good look at what’s there, right-click the ones you can live without (like that chat app you last used two months ago), and hit Disable. Just be sure to leave your antivirus and drivers alone—they’re the good guys.
2. Use Fast Startup
Now, this is something not many folks know—Windows has a feature called Fast Startup. It’s like a combination of shutting down and hibernating, meant to get things moving quicker.
- Go to Control Panel > Power Options.
- Hit Choose what the power buttons do.
- Click Change settings that are currently unavailable. If it’s off, check Turn on fast startup and save all that good stuff.
- If you can’t find the option, you might need to power through a command prompt with
powercfg /hibernate on
.
3. Get Those Drivers and Windows Up to Date
Old drivers can be party poopers, making your boot time slow. Here’s the plan:
- Press
Win + X
and slide into Device Manager. - Expand sections like Disk drives and System devices.
- Right-click and see if any needs a little update love.
- Also, double-check with Update & Security in Settings for OS updates.
4. Spruce Up That Disk Usage
If you’re rolling with an HDD, a defrag might be in order. SSD folks, you want to make sure your TRIM is good to go—don’t defrag these, though, as it shortens their life.
- For HDDs: Search Defragment and Optimize Drives and give your system drive a boost by selecting Optimize.
- For SSDs: Just make sure TRIM is working because it keeps things running smoothly behind the scenes.
5. Cut Down on Background Services
Sometimes, we’ve got services running that we hardly ever use. Here’s the fix:
- Hit
Win + R
, typemsconfig
, and open System Configuration. - Check Hide all Microsoft services in the Services tab.
- Disable the ones that are just chilling there without real purpose (like certain updating services you don’t need every day).
6. Tone Down Visual Effects
Less is more, right? Especially when it comes to fancy animations hogging resources:
- Search View advanced system settings from the Start menu.
- Under Performance, head into Settings.
- Either go whole hog with Adjust for best performance or trim the fat by disabling things like window animations.
7. Hunt Down Malware
Malware is like the unwanted guest that eats all your chips. Run full scans with Windows Security, and throw in Malwarebytes as a second opinion.
8. Consider Hardware Upgrades
If your hardware’s seen better days, it might be time for an upgrade:
- Swap out that old HDD for an SSD. It’s a game changer.
- Upping your RAM to at least 8GB can make multitasking a breeze.
- A BIOS update is worth checking too—head to your motherboard’s site for the latest.
9. Go for a Clean Windows Install
When nothing else works, a clean slate might be your best bet.
- In Settings, go to Update & Security > Recovery.
- Choose Reset this PC and then Remove everything. Just make sure your data is backed up.
Pro Tips for Ongoing Goodness:
- Get in the habit of cleaning up temporary files with Disk Cleanup.
- Steer clear of apps you don’t really need.
- Keep an eye on your startup impact via Task Manager\’s Startup tab.
With these tips, boot times can get down to 20 seconds with an SSD or just under a minute on an HDD. If your computer’s still dragging its feet, maybe it’s time for a hardware checkout or a visit to the pros.

Trying to speed up your Windows 10 startup? Here’s what you can do to make things snappier:
- Turn on Fast Startup:
- Head over to the Control Panel, go through Hardware and Sound, and hit up Power Options. From there, choose what the power buttons do.
- Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
- Scroll down to Shutdown settings, check the Turn on fast startup box, and save it.
- Kick Out Unnecessary Startup Programs:
- Right-click the taskbar, go for Task Manager, and head to the Startup tab.
- Sift through the list and disable programs you don’t need at startup by right-clicking and choosing Disable.
- Keep Drivers Up to Date:
- Fire up Device Manager by giving the Start button a right-click.
- Look for outdated drivers; right-click and hit Update driver for any that look ancient.
- Give Your Disk a Cleanup:
- Search for Disk Cleanup in the start menu and run it.
- Select your main drive—probably C:—and let it assess how much junk it can toss out.
- Pick what files to delete and hit OK.
- Tweak Your Virtual Memory:
- Visit the Control Panel > System and Security > System path.
- Click on Advanced system settings, go to the Advanced tab, and under Performance, select Settings.
- Under Advanced, click Change and finely tune the paging file size for better performance.
Following these steps can really trim down the time it takes for your Windows 10 to boot up, making for a smoother, faster ride. Don’t forget to stay on top of your system updates and security patches to keep everything running smoothly.

Want to get your Windows 10 startup moving faster? Let’s dive into some practical tips and tricks that should help you out.
First up, there’s this nifty feature called Fast Startup. It’s kind of like putting your PC in a comfy hybrid state between shutdown and hibernation. To switch it on, head to the Control Panel, find Power Options, and click on ‘Choose what the power buttons do.’ There, you’ll see an option to ‘Turn on fast startup’—just check that box. I’ve seen it recommended all over the place, from folks at PCMag to HP, and it’s worth a try.
Next, poke around in your BIOS/UEFI settings. Some systems have a ‘Fast Boot’ option—it skips over some of the startup checks, shaving off a few seconds here and there. You’ll get to these settings by rebooting and hitting a key like F2 or DEL during startup. While you’re there, tweak your boot order too, setting the hard disk to start first.
Got too many startup programs? That’s totally fixable. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), head to the Startup tab, and see what’s loading up with your system. If there are programs you barely touch, nix them from the startup list. It keeps your boot speed snappy and the system zippier overall. Microsoft says giving your startup items a look now and then helps keep things lean.
Now, if you’re really itching for speed, upgrading your hardware can be a game-changer. Swapping out your traditional hard drive for a Solid-State Drive (SSD) works wonders. Also, if your RAM’s looking a bit lacking, popping in some extra memory can make a noticeable difference.
Of course, don’t forget to keep Windows and your drivers up to date. It’s simple but effective—updates help with system stability and can slide a bit of extra speed into those startups.
And hey, keeping your system clutter-free matters too. Using tools like Disk Cleanup or Storage Sense can help get rid of stuff you don’t need, and running antivirus checks ensures no pesky malware is slowing you down.
Lastly, consider using Sleep or Hybrid Sleep modes if it suits your needs. It skips the full reboot, saving you some time when you get back to work.
By mixing and matching these methods, you’ll shave off those extra seconds from your startup time without breaking a sweat.