Ah, Windows 11—beautiful design, cool features, but man, sometimes it just refuses to run smoothly. Whether it’s after a big update like KB5062553 or just because your system starts lagging out of nowhere, it’s super frustrating. The good news? There are a handful of tweaks and tricks that actually helped fix sluggish performance, making your PC feel a lot snappier again. These fixes aren’t all magical, but they’re worth a shot—especially since Windows still has its quirks, and sometimes, fixing one thing might just improve overall speed and responsiveness.
How to fix it when Windows 11 is slow?
Most of the time, slow Windows 11 performance boils down to basic things like too many apps launching at startup, low disk space, corrupt system files, outdated drivers, or some background process hogging resources. It’s also not uncommon for Windows updates to introduce bugs that cause lag. Fixing this is often about troubleshooting step-by-step: cleaning up, updating, disabling unnecessary stuff, or repairing damaged files. Sometimes a restart or a quick system scan can do wonders—other times, you might need to dig a bit deeper. Whatever, here’s what worked on a few machines that started feeling painfully slow after updates or just over time.
How to Fix Windows 11 Slowness: Practical Fixes that Usually Help
Update Windows 11 to the Latest Version
First, make sure Windows itself isn’t the culprit. Bugs or outdated system files can slow everything down, and Microsoft’s often pushing out fixes. To check, go to Start menu > Settings > Windows Update. Hit Check for updates, then let it download and install whatever’s available. After that, restart — because, of course, Windows has to make this harder than necessary. On some machines, this actually clears out bugs causing lag or freezes.
Disable Unnecessary Startup Apps
It’s weird but, a ton of apps secretly launch on startup and eat up resources. Pretty sure on one setup it worked instantly, on another, not so much, but disabling these usually helps speed up boot times and overall sluggishness. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), head over to the Startup tab. Here you’ll see a list of whatever tries to run when Windows starts. Disable whatever isn’t essential. Sometimes, it takes a few reboots to see a real difference, but it’s worth it. You can also disable startup programs from Settings > Apps > Startup to be more selective.
Repair Corrupt System Files
If Windows is acting weird—like freezing randomly, or sluggish after a new update—it might be corrupted system files. Here’s where the good ol’ SFC and DISM commands come in. You must run them from an admin Command Prompt. Hit Windows key + S, type cmd, right-click “Command Prompt, ” choose “Run as Administrator.” Then run these commands:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth— this scans your core Windows files and repairs any damage. Sometimes it takes a few minutes, and you might see some errors, but if it reports success, you’re in luck.sfc /scannow— this checks all protected system files. If it finds any corrupted ones, it replaces them with cache copies. Expect a progress bar, and once it finishes, restart and see if performance improves.
On some setups, these commands fail at first, then work after a reboot or two. It’s a bit of patience, but generally fixes stuff that’s broken deep inside.
Turn Off Fast Startup
Fast Startup is meant to get you booting faster, but sometimes it causes slow or inconsistent boots. To toggle this, press Windows key + R, type powercfg.cpl, hit Enter. Click on Choose what the power buttons do, then select Change settings that are currently unavailable. Look for Turn on fast startup, and if it’s checked, uncheck it. Save, exit, and restart. Sometimes this alone makes your Windows 11 boot smoother and quicker.
Clear Temp Files and Free Storage Space
When your disk’s packed, Windows slows down—no surprise there. Clear out junk files by pressing Windows key + R, typing %temp%, and hitting OK. Select all (Ctrl + A), then hit delete. Also, go to Settings > System > Storage and choose Temporary Files. Select what can be removed—like old setup files, cache, etc.—and delete them. Extra tip: move large files or downloads to an external drive or cloud if you’re running low on C: drive space.
Disable Visual Effects to Speed Up Windows 11
Bright, transparent windows look nice, but they eat up GPU resources, especially on older hardware. Disable these effects through Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects. Turn off Transparency effects and animation toggles. That quick change can shave off some visual load, making Windows faster and snappier.
Update Graphics Drivers
Graphics drivers are often the sneaky culprits behind sluggishness, especially if they’re outdated. To update, open Device Manager (Windows key + X > Device Manager), find Display adapters, right-click your graphics card, and pick Update driver. Choose Search automatically for drivers. If Windows finds a new version, install it and restart. Sometimes, grabbing the latest driver manually from the manufacturer’s site (like NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel) works even better—just keep in mind, older hardware might struggle more after updates.
And if none of this works, sometimes it’s worth considering a clean reinstall or even downgrading to Windows 10 if you’re fed up with the constant lag. But these steps should hopefully help those nagging performance issues.
Summary
- Check for Windows updates regularly and install them.
- Disable startup programs that aren’t needed.
- Run system repair tools like DISM and SFC.
- Turn off Fast Startup if it causes issues.
- Clear temp files and ensure enough storage space.
- Disable fancy visual effects to lighten the load.
- Update your graphic drivers—you’d be surprised how often this solves lag problems.
Wrap-up
Most of these tricks are simple and don’t require heavy tech know-how, but they tend to bring noticeable improvements. Sometimes, it’s all about a bit of cleaning up and making sure everything’s up-to-date. Fingers crossed, this guide helps turn that sluggish Windows 11 into a more responsive machine. Because, honestly, it’s kind of frustrating when your shiny new OS drags like it’s 10 years old. Good luck!