Speeding up Windows 11 boot time is one of those small wins that can really make a difference, especially if your PC’s been feeling a bit sluggish waking up in the morning. Sometimes all it takes is a few apps sneaking into startup and slowing stuff down, or maybe your system hasn’t had a proper update in a while. Good news? Most of these tweaks aren’t too tricky, and you don’t need to be a tech whiz to get things moving faster. After giving these settings a go, plenty of folks notice their PC fires up quicker, meaning less frustration, more productivity, or just smoother gaming and browsing. The aim is to cut out that annoying ‘waiting forever for Windows to load’ faze so you can jump straight into work or play.
Heads up—these aren’t magic fixes, but they’re practical and work for most setups. Some might feel a bit repetitive, but let’s be honest, Windows can be a bit of a pain sometimes. On one machine, turning on Fast Startup made a huge difference; on another, a tidy-up and shutting down unnecessary startup apps did the trick. It’s worth trying a couple of these to see what gets your boot time down to a more manageable level. Because, truth be told, what works on one PC doesn’t always play nice on the next, but every step’s worth a go if your boot’s dragging on and on.
How to Speed Up Windows 11 Boot Time
Disable Unnecessary Startup Programs
This is probably the easiest and most effective first step. Windows often slings apps into startup mode without asking first. To speed things up, you might find a bunch of background apps you don’t even use trying to launch every time you turn your PC on. To sort it out, right-click the Taskbar, pick Task Manager, then head over to the Startup tab.
A lot of programs are enabled by default, but most aren’t essential to start every time. Right-click on the ones you don’t need straight away and hit Disable.
Why bother? Because fewer programs trying to jump into life at startup means less strain on your system right from the get-go.
When’s a good time? If your PC feels slow right after booting, and you notice a lot of apps listed in Startup, this is the place to start.
What’s the result? Faster start-ups and a tidier background while Windows gets itself ready.
Pro tip: Sometimes a program refuses to disable straight away—you might need to restart or check Settings > Apps > Startup for some apps (especially in newer Windows versions). Sometimes it takes a reboot or two for changes to actually kick in. Once you’ve cut back, you’ll probably notice your PC wakes up a lot quicker.
Enable Fast Startup
This feature’s a bit quirky but super handy for a quicker boot. Fast Startup combines shutting down with hibernation, saving your main system state so Windows can wake up faster next time.
Head to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options, then click Choose what the power buttons do.
Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable, then tick Turn on fast startup (recommended).
Why’s it good? Because it skips a lot of the usual startup checks and loads your system from a saved session instead.
When should you do this? If your PC is still slow to start even after disabling startup apps, this is a good next step.
Expect to notice a difference – sometimes a few seconds less waiting.
A quick heads-up: If turning it on causes weird issues waking from sleep or booting, you might want to disable it and try again. Sometimes Windows’ hybrid shutdown isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Update Windows and Drivers
Keeping Windows and your drivers up to scratch often makes your PC run smoother and boot faster. Jump into Settings > Windows Update and click Check for updates. Make sure your system is fully updated.
For drivers—especially graphics, chipset, and storage controllers—visit the manufacturer’s website or use dedicated tools like Dell SupportAssist or Intel Driver & Support Assistant if you’re on compatible hardware.
Why bother? Outdated drivers or Windows versions can cause slow boots, errors, and hardware hiccups. Updated drivers tend to be better optimized.
When’s a good time? If it’s been a while since your last update, or after fitting new hardware, give this a go.
Expect smoother starts and fewer hiccups.
Tip: Sometimes a driver update can cause issues if it’s not compatible or buggy, so keep an eye on things after upgrading.
Clean Up and Defragment Your Disk
This one’s a bit old-school but still worth a crack, especially if you’re running a traditional HDD. Search for Disk Cleanup in the Start menu, run it, and pick your system drive—usually C:.
Tick the boxes for temporary files, system cache, and other junk. Sometimes clicking Clean up system files gets rid of even more.
If you’re on an HDD, using Defragment and Optimize Drives (found under Optimize Drives) helps reorganize fragmented data, making it quicker to access during boot.
Why bother? Over time, clutter and fragmentation slow things down, making boot feel longer.
When’s good? If it’s been ages since you tidied your disk or it’s quite fragmented, this can help speed things up.
Expect a snappier boot, with less lag overall.
Note: If you’ve got an SSD, defragging isn’t needed and can wear it out quicker—skip this step for SSDs.
Adjust Virtual Memory Settings
Sometimes, fine-tuning your virtual memory can give your system a leg up. Go to Settings > System > About, then click Advanced system settings > Performance Settings. Switch to the Advanced tab and click on Change under Virtual Memory.
Untick Automatically manage paging file size for all drives, then select your system drive, usually C:, and set the Initial size and Maximum size to a value based on your RAM (say, 1.5 to 2 times your RAM).
Why do it? Proper virtual memory helps your system handle background tasks during startup better.
When should you try this? If your PC has plenty of RAM but still feels slow at boot, or if you’re hitting swap errors, it might help.
Expect a quicker start, especially if your drive is busy with virtual memory.
Quick tip: Don’t set the size too high—Windows manages this quite well on its own, but a little manual adjustment can make a difference.
After trying these out, most people notice their PC boots faster and feels snappier. Sometimes it’s just old hardware or years of clutter holding things up. Giving your system a bit of a tune-up can save you heaps of frustration—no one wants to sit staring at a loading screen forever. Just keep in mind, every setup’s a bit different, so a touch of trial and error might be needed, but you’ll most likely end up with a better, speedier machine.