Speed up Windows 10
By: Nikhil Vemu
Tags: Gadgets, Windows, Tech, Digital Life, Cybersecurity

Press ‘Ctrl+R’ to open ‘Run’. There, type ‘temp’ and ‘%temp%’ and delete all the files in both of those folders. Don’t hesitate, it’s safe to do so.

Those files are temporarily created by programs when they run, which aren’t deleted after closure. While deleting, if any error occurs, ignore that particular file. This means that the file is in use by some program.

9. Close Programs consuming Excessive RAM:

Screenshot from my PC

Press ‘Ctrl+Shift+Esc’ to open ‘Task Manager’ directly. If you find any program consuming excessive RAM (In the Screenshot above, it’s Microsoft Edge), close it. This gives you a bunch of free RAM.

10. Turn off Startup Apps:

Screenshot from my PC

The Startup apps make your PC slow in two situations:

While Turning on PC

While Working

Screenshot from my PC

This is because, since the Startup, the PC needs to allocate RAM for these programs and maintain it even while you work. So, a ton of RAM isn’t yours from start.

So, disabling unwanted programs at Startup is essential for a Speedy Computer. Also, some programs still stay active in the System tray even after closing. Right-click on them and click ‘exit’ to close them.

11. Disconnect Peripherals:

Screenshot from my PC

Having everything ready for your PC is cool, but not when it’s staggering. Peripherals do add load to your CPU, because they need to be constantly monitored for any I/O.

Make sure you ‘Safely Remove’ them.

Screenshot from my PC

12. Update Windows:

The culprits of a slow PC need not be programs that consume Excessive Memory. Little bugs here and there may slow down your PC too. Windows updates pack improvements that fix them. These make significant changes that enhance your PC.

The latest one is the Windows 10 October 2020 update a.k.a Version 20H2.

13. Uninstall unnecessary programs:

Screenshot from my PC

There might be Out-of-date software, finished games, or trial Software that came when you bought your Laptop, still lingering in your PC without your notice. It is recommended you uninstall these and save vital space.

14. Disable ‘Hey Cortana’:

Cortana, Microsoft’s Digital Assistant, may be good at serving users but it’s RAM hunger is inevitable. Cortana was easy to remove in the previous versions of Windows before 1809. But now, it’s a little trickier and is difficult explaining it here.

Mladjo123, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

However, disabling its response to ‘Hey Cortana’ shows a significant boost of your system performance. Because then, it would stop listening for the call at constant, leaving some free Memory for us.

In the Search box, type ‘Cortana’. Click on ‘Change how you talk to Cortana’ in the search results. In the ‘Hey Cortana’ section, turn off ‘Let Cortana respond to ‘Hey Cortana’ by setting the button to the Off position.

15. Exit programs that are not required:

Screenshot from my PC

Why do I need to leave these many programs open when I’m using only a couple of them?

16. Turn some Windows features off:

To access this menu, search for the same.

Screenshot from my PC

Windows brings many optional features, which may or may not be used by you, nevertheless, they occupy memory and disk space. So, if there are Windows features that you don’t use, make sure you turn them off to make your Windows speedier.

Here’s the guide that explains all the Windows features, so you could have an idea whether you need to disable them or not.

17. Turn off Background apps: