![\"picture\"\/](\"https:\/\/blog.mindworkshop.com\/image\/windows11-001.jpg\")
The Windows 11 operating system is rich with features and nuance, but it often feels like the slowest and most cumbersome Windows in history. If you have a lightning-fast computer — and you don\u2019t mind forsaking a portion of its power to Windows\u2019 internal machinations — you might not notice its languid disposition.<\/p>\n
For those of us who live in this<\/em> universe… with more modest hardware and work to get done… it\u2019s possible to configure Windows 11 to make it substantially less resource-hungry, and as such, noticeably quicker and generally better behaved. Some of these refinements are extremely obscure, but they\u2019re unquestionably worth investigating.<\/p>\n This posting is our canonical list of the Windows 11 improvements we use in house. We hasten to add that no one of these is likely to kick Windows into hyperspace, but collectively they\u2019ll make it seem like the simpler and much faster Windows of an earlier epoch.<\/p>\n As with all forays into Windows’ internal workings, we recommend creating a Windows restore point before you start clicking on things.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note:<\/strong> The following discussion involves making changes to the system settings and major changes to your computer\u2019s operating system. While the likelihood of all this going sideways and negatively impacting Windows\u2026 and your ability to use it\u2026 is remote, the possibility exists. By reading beyond this paragraph you agree that Alchemy Mindworks accepts no responsibility for any loss, damage or expense caused by your use of this page and the information therein, however it occurs. If you read any further, you accept these terms and you indemnify and hold blameless Alchemy Mindworks and all its stockholders, employees and suppliers from any and all monetary costs including attorney\u2019s fees and court costs arising out of your use of this page and any information provided by it. We are unable to provide assistance with anything discussed in this posting. <\/p>\n Windows runs a lot of things behind your back, and most of them are integral to its operation. A few are antiquated, ill-chosen or genuinely unnecessary. Disabling them is a great place to start improving the performance of Windows 11.<\/p>\n The first of these unnecessary components we\u2019ll look at here is a Windows service called SysMain. Services are background functions that Windows starts either automatically when it boots, or on demand at such time as they\u2019re called for.<\/p>\n The SysMain service is a legacy of simpler times. It was originally called Superfetch. It attempts to analyze your use of Windows\u2019 features and the applications you run, and pre-load things you\u2019re likely to need into memory. On a modern computer with lots of memory and a quick SSD, it\u2019s essentially useless. It consumes system resources just the same.<\/p>\n You can disable the SysMain service and speed up Windows. <\/p>\n Windows has a service to ostensibly optimize the Search function of File Explorer. It does so by maintaining an index of all the files on your hard drive, so it can search the index rather than the files themselves. In that the Search function in Explorer is somewhat crude, you might want to disable Windows Search.<\/p>\n This will also be the case if you just don\u2019t use Search very often.<\/p>\n Needless to say, the Windows Search service occupies significant system resources, especially if you frequently add, remove or relocate files on your hard drive.<\/p>\n You can disable the Windows Search<\/strong> service through the Services window, just like SysMain, above.<\/p>\n Disabling Windows Search won’t prevent the Search function in File Explorer from working. It will make it slightly slower, on those few occasions it gets to see daylight.<\/p>\n You can disable it in the Services window, as discussed earlier in this post.<\/p>\n You should also disable the collection of diagnostic data for your computer. <\/p>\n You might want to set the Feedback Frequency<\/strong> option to Never<\/strong>, so Windows stops asking you for feedback.<\/p>\n Windows has an internal mechanism to allow one computer on a local network to download Windows updates, and then distribute them to the rest of the machines on the network. If you look around and notice that you\u2019re living in a house rather than an office building, you probably don\u2019t need this feature. It soaks up a substantial amount of hard drive space, even if it\u2019s not used.<\/p>\n Disabling Delivery Optimization won\u2019t interfere with Windows downloading and installing updates for your computer.<\/p>\n Keep in mind that you\u2019ve done this \u2013 if you do get a printer in the future, you\u2019ll want to re-enable it. <\/p>\n If you have a printer but rarely use it, you can set the Startup Type<\/strong> field in the Properties<\/strong> windows to Manual<\/strong>. This will prevent the Print Spooler service from starting until you actually print something. <\/p>\n If you never access your computer remotely, you can safely lose the service that supports this. Use the Services<\/strong> window, as discussed earlier, to locate Remote Desktop Services<\/strong> and set it to Disabled<\/strong>. <\/p>\n If you think you might want it on occasion, set it to Manual<\/strong> \u2013 it won\u2019t run unless it\u2019s called for.<\/p>\n Several versions of Windows ago, Windows Fast Start appeared \u2013 and at the time, it was a cool idea. With Fast Start enabled, rather than boot up from an absolute standing start every time you hit the power button on your computer, Windows would open a large file of its core components and drivers, and read it into memory. <\/p>\n Fast Start was useful back when computers ran on relatively slow mechanical hard drives. It\u2019s something of an anachronism on a system that includes a quick SSD. The hibernation file created on your hard drive, hiberfil.sys, typically occupies several gigabytes. The speed improvement offered by Fast Start on a modern computer is usually too small to notice.<\/p>\n You can disable Fast Start:<\/p>\n When you have successfully disabled Fast Start, hiberfil.sys should be automatically removed from the root of your C: drive. Type In some cases, you might need to repeat the foregoing procedure to fully disable Fast Start and remove hiberfil.sys \u2013 this option occasionally needs to be cycled once or twice to relent and go away.<\/p>\n The ubiquitous Windows File Explorer application defaults to decidedly sluggish behavior. You can light its afterburners with a few simple adjustments.<\/p>\n One of the most resource-hungry aspects of File Explorer is its insistence on surveying every folder it\u2019s pointed at, deciding what the predominate file types therein do and configuring itself to display what it thinks is the most relevant information about them. It has pre-defined modes for folders with mostly music files, mostly pictures, mostly videos and so on. It takes a significant bucket of processor resources to manage all this.<\/p>\n If you tell Explorer to treat all the folders it encounters as having files it doesn\u2019t know the nature of, it will stop doing this. <\/p>\n You\u2019ll need to get to this item in the registry: You\u2019ll need to add an item to the Shell folder of the registry, like this:<\/p>\n You can arrive at the same result without involving the Registry Editor, like this:<\/p>\n The next time you start Windows, Explorer will be substantially quicker.<\/p>\n File Explorer is initially configured to open itself with a view to your Home screen, which takes a significant amount of time to access. This one\u2019s dead easy to change.<\/p>\n While you\u2019re in the General tab, you might want to locate the Privacy<\/strong> section. Disable the Show Recently Used Files<\/strong> and Show Recently Used Folders<\/strong> items. These pertain to Windows automatically adding recent files and folders to Explorer\u2019s Quick Access list, which expands it unnecessarily, and increases the time Explorer needs to start.<\/p>\n The structure of the right-click context menus in File Explorer, and on the Windows desktop, became somewhat unwieldy in Windows 11. They\u2019ll show you abbreviated menus, with the option to display more items. You\u2019ll need to select this option every time you use one, however, which gets old fairly quickly.<\/p>\n You can disabuse the right-click menus of this behavior and see complete right-click context menus by default.<\/p>\n The next time you restart Windows, all the afflicted right-click menus will have returned to their behavior as its was in Windows 10.<\/p>\n This too can get old very, very quickly. It also soaks up non-trivial levels of system resources.<\/p>\n If you habitually download a lot of questionable software and documents from web pages with innumerable spelling errors and links entitled \u201cclick here to install malware,\u201d you should arguably skip the rest of this section. Alternately, if you have two or more demonstrably functional brain cells, you might want to disabuse Windows of its overly paranoid nature in this regard.<\/p>\n The easiest way to tell Windows to stop warning you about everything you click on is through the Windows Group Policy Editor. Note that the Group Policy Editor is not included in Windows Home \u2013 we\u2019ll get to working around this issue in a moment. <\/p>\n To calm Windows down with the Group Policy Editor:<\/p>\n A more global resolution for this issue is to disable the entire mechanism by which Windows keeps track of where documents and executables arrive from, and whether they\u2019ve been opened previously. In the same Group Policy Editor window, above:<\/p>\n Click on OK.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n You can now exit the Group Policy editor.<\/p>\n If you have Windows 11 Home, and hence lack the Group Policy Editor, you can use the Registry Editor to arrive at the foregoing results.<\/p>\n To set a list of file extensions for Windows to avoid getting flustered about:<\/p>\n To completely disable Windows\u2019 zone information tracking logic \u2013 admittedly, our preferred resolution for this issue:<\/p>\n . Note that the foregoing is a single line of text.<\/li>\n Windows likes to pop up notification windows for just about everything it does. If you haven\u2019t grown to loath these yet, give it a few hours.<\/p>\n You can disable most or all notifications, as you prefer.<\/p>\n You might also want to scroll down to Additional Settings<\/strong> and click on it. Uncheck the boxes therein to prevent Windows from opening windows with tips and suggestions.<\/p>\n As it\u2019s initially installed, Windows will start a number of applications when it first boots up. This both extends the time required for it to crawl out of bed and get to work, and soaks up significant system resources to maintain these programs. <\/p>\n You might want to review what it\u2019s starting, and disable some or all of them.<\/p>\n Open the Windows Settings<\/strong> window, select Apps<\/strong> from the list near its left side and click on Startup<\/strong>. Review the list of applications therein, and turn off anything you don\u2019t need to have booted up when your computer first comes on line.<\/p>\n You might find a few low-level drivers or processes in this list that really should run when your computer starts. You also might find things you really want to come on line immediately \u2013 most of our computers boot The Ultimate Screen Clock to set the system time by referencing an on-line atomic clock, for example. Applications such as Microsoft Phone Link can be disabled for most users.<\/p>\n Keep in mind that disabling an application in the Start list usually won\u2019t mean that it\u2019s inaccessible \u2013 it will just require a few extra seconds to start when you need it the first time. <\/p>\n In answer to what will be a question for some users, turning off Windows CoPilot in this list won\u2019t disable CoPilot \u2013 once again, it will just entail a wait for a few extra seconds the first time you run CoPilot in a Windows session. We asked it about this, and it agreed with our understanding of this option.<\/p>\n You can prevent its interfering with your lock screen:<\/p>\n Windows 11\u2019s Start menu arguably suffers from a degree of disorganization and bloat. You can diminish this to some extent through the Settings → Personalization → Start window. You can also just replace the Start menu entirely with something that\u2019s easier to get along with.<\/p>\nDisable SysMain<\/h6>\n
![\"picture\"\/](\"https:\/\/blog.mindworkshop.com\/image\/windows11-002.png\")
You can access a list of Windows\u2019 services like this:<\/p>\n\n
services.msc<\/code><\/strong> in the Open field of the Run window and click on OK. A Services Window like the one to your right will open.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
Disable Windows Search<\/h6>\n
Disable Connected User Experiences and Telemetry<\/h6>\n
![\"picture\"\/](\"https:\/\/blog.mindworkshop.com\/image\/windows11-003.png\")
The Windows Connected User Experiences and Telemetry service collates diagnostic data on your machine and forwards it to Microsoft. It provides you with no tangible benefits, and it consumes system resources and Internet bandwitdth. <\/p>\n\n
Disable Update Delivery Optimization<\/h6>\n
\n
Disable Print Spooler<\/h6>\n
![\"picture\"\/](\"https:\/\/blog.mindworkshop.com\/image\/windows11-004.png\")
If your computer isn\u2019t connected to a printer, and you as such never actually print anything, you can free up some system resources by disabling the Print Spooler<\/strong> service through the aforementioned Services window. <\/p>\nDisable Remote Desktop Services<\/h6>\n
Disable Fast Start<\/h6>\n
\n
powercfg \/h on<\/code><\/strong> and hit Enter.<\/li>\npowercfg \/h off<\/code><\/strong> and hit Enter.<\/li>\npowercfg \/a<\/code><\/strong> and hit Enter to see the status of hibernation and Fast Startup. The last line in the resulting screen should say something to the effect that Fast Startup isn\u2019t available or operational.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\ndir \\ \/a<\/code><\/strong> in your Command Prompt window to see all the files in the root of your C: drive \u2013 if hiberfil.sys isn\u2019t there, you\u2019re good to go. Note that the Command prompt window has a scroll bar to allow you to see lines that have scrolled past.<\/p>\nSpeed Up File Explorer<\/h6>\n
![\"picture\"\/](\"https:\/\/blog.mindworkshop.com\/image\/windows11-005.png\")
You\u2019ll need to edit your system registry for this enhancement. Open the Windows Run window, as discussed about, type regedit<\/code><\/strong> in the Run field and click on OK. The registry editor will open.<\/p>\nHKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\Classes\\Local Settings\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\Shell\\Bags\\AllFolders\\Shell<\/code><\/strong> — you can either navigate to it through the Registry Editor\u2019s interface, or copy the foregoing text and paste it into the field above its item list, and then hit Enter. Note that the foregoing is a single line of text.<\/p>\n\n
FolderType<\/code><\/strong>. The F and the T must be in upper case, and there should be no spaces in the name.<\/li>\nNotSpecified<\/code><\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n
Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKCU:\\Software\\Classes\\Local Settings\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\Shell\\Bags\\AllFolders\\Shell' -Name 'FolderType' -Value 'NotSpecified' -Type String<\/code><\/strong> . Note that the foregoing is a single line of text.<\/li>\n\n
\n
reg add HKCU\\Software\\Classes\\CLSID\\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\\InprocServer32 \/ve \/d \"\" \/f<\/code><\/strong> . Note that the foregoing is a single line of text.<\/li>\nDisable File Warnings<\/h6>\n
![\"picture\"\/](\"https:\/\/blog.mindworkshop.com\/image\/windows11-007.png\")
In keeping with its emphasis on security, rather than getting any useful work done, Windows 11 defaults to warning you about opening any file you haven\u2019t opened before through File Explorer, or by double-clicking on a desktop shortcut icon. This includes actual executable software.<\/p>\n\n
gpedit.msc<\/code><\/strong> and click on OK. A Group Policy Editor window will open.<\/li>\n .lnk;.exe;.bat;.cmd;.zip;.bat;.ps1;.png;.jpg;.gif;.webp;.mp3;.mp4 <\/code><\/strong>. This covers Windows executables, and several common document types. You might want to adjust this list for your needs. Make sure there\u2019s a dot before each file extension, and a semicolon after all but the last one.<\/li>\n\n
\n
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Policies\\Associations<\/code><\/strong>. Note that the foregoing is a single line of text.<\/li>\n\n
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Policies\\Attachments<\/code><\/strong>\nDisable Notifications<\/h6>\n
\n
Disable Startup Applications<\/h6>\n
Reclaim Your Lock Screen<\/h6>\n
![\"picture\"\/](\"https:\/\/blog.mindworkshop.com\/image\/windows11-006.png\")
Left to its own devices, Windows 11 is disposed to adding things to its lock screen, the initial screen that appears when it has completed its boot-up. Usually they\u2019re advertisements. Aside from their annoying demeanor, they can add a few seconds to the time required for Windows to boot up.<\/p>\n\n
Replace the Start Menu<\/h6>\n
![\"picture\"\/](\"https:\/\/blog.mindworkshop.com\/image\/windows11-008.png\")
Windows includes a number of really cool on-screen visual effects that look seriously state of the art and leading edge… and soak up a remarkable amount of system resources, pretty much all the time. Disabling them will speed up your computer without losing any useful functionality. Here\u2019s how to access them:<\/p>\n![\"picture\"\/](\"https:\/\/blog.mindworkshop.com\/image\/windows11-009.png\")
Windows 11 prefers to have the hardware Secure Boot option enabled. This is usually managed through a setting in your system BIOS. Secure Boot is a somewhat niche security issue, but it offers genuine benefits in protecting your computer against specific types of malware.<\/p>\n