[SOLVED] What if Your Computer Is Slow on Startup and Takes Ages to Boot Up?

If you’re reading this article, you probably turned on the PC, grabbed a snack, and still had to wait a few seconds more for the system to fully boot. It’s annoying, right? The good news is that there are really simple tweaks to speed up your PC if your computer slows down on startup. 

In this guide, I’ll walk you through methods that have worked for many Windows users to get your PC starting up faster in no time. 

With that said, let’s begin.

How to Speed Up Windows Startup

As we go through the solutions below, navigate and implement changes that work for your situation. 

We’ll start with the easiest, then move down to the intermediate and advanced options. 

Method 1: Use reliable third-party tools to stop Windows 10/11 slow boot

You can save yourself a ton of time and effort by using third-party tools such as CCleaner or Auslogics BoostSpeed to optimize your PC startup. 

These tools not only disable startup programs you don’t need or that are not essential for system performance but also run additional optimizations, like 

• cleaning your disk space, 
• optimizing your internet, and even 
• defragmenting fragmented hard drives. 

Here’s how you can use BoostSpeed’s Startup Manager to fix slow Windows boot: 

• Download and install the software from the official website.
• After launching the program, click on All Tools and click on Startup Manager. 

• When the window opens, you can turn off the programs you don’t want starting up at boot time. 

• After this, you can click on Background Tasks and disable any background processes you don’t need. This can reduce the load on your system resources. 

Windows built-in method allows you to turn off startup apps, but that’s just it. If you know which apps are safe to disable, it’s fine to use tools like Task Manager. 

However, BoostSpeed gives you clear information and recommendations to ensure you don’t accidentally disable essential programs. 

Additionally, BoostSpeed has real-time monitoring capabilities to detect any issues with your PC and suggest ways to fix them! And Auslogics has designed it to be simple to use—anyone can use the tool.

While third-party tools are incredibly effective, you can also use the manual way of optimizing your system’s Windows startup. I’ll show you how in the next method.

Method 2: Check for malware

Sometimes, malware may be the silent culprit behind the slow startups. This malicious software can bog down the system by running unwanted programs or changing key system files.

After infection, it can drastically impact your boot time because malware usually starts up with your system and begins consuming resources immediately.

To check if your system has malware, run your antivirus scan. Follow the steps below for Windows Defender: 

• Type “Windows security” in the search bar and click on it.

• Click on Virus & threat protection.

• Next, click on Scan options.

• Finally, click on Full scan and select Scan now to scan every part of your system. 

Also read: How to Fix Windows Defender Service That Won’t Start on Windows 10?

Method 3: Update your system

If you haven’t updated your computer in a while, you may want to check for updates because that may be causing the slow boot time. Windows regularly pushes out updates to fix bugs and improve security. 

By updating your system, it may fix outdated software that may be causing compatibility issues. Here’s how to check for Windows updates: 

• Go to your Settings window and click on Windows Update.

• Then, select Check for updates and wait for the system to check for any available updates. 
• If any update pops up, click on it to download and install. 

Method 4: Turn on fast startup

The first obvious choice to make your PC boot faster is to activate fast startup. It’s a built-in feature on Windows that puts your computer between hibernation and shutdown.

Once turned on, your computer creates a temporary file to reboot from, much like in hibernation mode. However, the file is smaller than the one created when you set it to hibernate normally.

The next time you power up your PC, the system quickly accesses those temporary files instead of the large files created when you hibernate. Again, the result is a quicker load time.

This feature is usually enabled by default on most machines. But, if for some reason it isn’t enabled on yours, it’s pretty easy to do so:

Windows 10 

• Hit the Win + I hotkeys and select System.

• Click Power & sleep and select the Additional power settings link under Related settings.

• This action launches the Power Options page in the Control Panel.
• Click on Choose what the power buttons do. If the options are grayed out, click the Change settings that are currently unavailable.

• Under Shutdown settings, check the Turn on fast startup (recommended).
• Finally, click Save changes to complete the process. 

Windows 11 

If you’re using a Windows 11 PC, you can still use the Control Panel to enable fast startup. Go through the steps below: 

• Type “Control Panel” in the search bar and click on it to open. 

• Next, type “power options” in the search field and click on Change what the power buttons do. 

• Check the Turn on fast startup (recommended) under Shutdown settings.

This method should help your system boot faster. However, if you run into issues after enabling fast startup, you can turn it off easily.

Method 5: Shut down startup programs

You can check the number of startup programs and disable some of them on your machine not only by using third-party software but also via Windows Task Manager using these steps:

• Launch Task Manager using the Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
• Switch to the Startup (Windows 10) or Startup apps (Windows 11) tab, where you’ll find a list of all the programs set to launch at startup.

• From here, you can disable the programs, especially the ones with high startup impact. 

Method 6: Change your power settings

The Power saver mode conserves power, but the computer performance takes a hit. When you adjust the settings to High performance or Balanced, the system allocates more power to the CPU and other essential components.

Also read: Essential Rules: How to Stop Your Laptop from Overheating Now and Forever

This move helps the CPU to run its full capacity, reducing the time it takes to initialize them. Here’s how to speed up startup in Windows 10 and 11 adjusting power settings: 

• Type “Control Panel” into the search bar and open it.

• Go to Hardware and Sound and click on Power Options. 

• Finally, click on High performance. If you can’t find this option, click on the arrow beside Show additional plans. Then, check if you see the option and select it. 

• Save the changes and close the Control Panel.

Method 7: Go for sleep mode

Consider using sleep mode instead of shutting down your computer if you face a slow boot. When you put your computer into sleep mode, it saves your current session to RAM and goes into a low-power state. 

This way, your computer resumes almost instantly when you press a key compared to full shutdown and restart. 

The only issue with sleep mode is that it uses more power than when the computer is switched off. Take that into consideration when switching to sleep mode.

Method 8: Clear your Windows cache

Memory caching stores data temporarily in your RAM to make it easy and faster for programs to retrieve data. Here are different types of cache you can clear to make your Windows startup faster:

• Temporary file cache: The system and applications create these files for temporary use. It’s safe to delete. 
• DNS cache: The DNS stores the IP addresses of the sites you visit to speed up future visits. 
• Windows Store cache: This cache stores data linked to the Microsoft Store.
• Location cache: This stores location data used by various applications.

You can use Disk Cleanup to clear your Windows cache. However, since Microsoft is now leaning more into Storage Sense, let’s go cover that: 

Windows 10

• Open the Settings app and click on System. Then, select Storage. 
• On the next window, click on Free up space now under Storage sense. 

• Select the files you want to delete and click on the Remove files button. 

Windows 11

Storage Sense in Windows 11 is slightly different from Windows 10:

• After opening the Settings window, click on System and select Storage. 

From here, click on Temporary files, check the ones you want to delete, and click on Remove files to start the process, just like in Windows 10.

Some files are already marked for deletion when you open Temporary files, like Thumbnails, Delivery Optimization Files, and DirectX Shader Cache.

You can delete all these files.

The system will recreate them whenever needed. However, you can also delete the ones unchecked if you want to, like Temporary Windows installation files.

It won’t affect system performance.

• After everything, go back to the Storage page and click on Storage Sense. Then, enable Storage Sense and check the Keep Windows running smoothly by automatically cleaning up temporary system and app files box.

• Next, scroll down and configure the cleanup schedules, like when to delete files during low disk space or the recycle bin. This can help boost the computer startup on a consistent basis. 

Method 9: Uninstall unnecessary programs

When you turn on your computer, Windows searches and opens different programs and files in a specific order, and that can cause your PC to slow down.

So to prevent Windows slow startup, minimize the number of apps and files it has to load. You can do this by deleting unnecessary programs and files.

Go through the steps below to uninstall unwanted programs: 

• Type “add or remove programs” in the search bar. 

• Then, uninstall any programs you don’t use or are unnecessary.

Method 10: Upgrade your hardware

Another way to speed up your Windows 10 or 11 startup is to upgrade your system hardware. Let’s quickly go through some parts you can upgrade.

Change your hard drive to an SSD

If you’re using a hard disk drive, you can upgrade it to a solid-state drive (SSD) to speed up not only your Windows startup but the overall PC performance.

With SSDs, your computer will boot up much more quickly because of the increased read and write speeds. Your programs will also launch much faster, significantly improving your user experience.

Of course, upgrading to an SSD isn’t something to take lightly, even though it is simple to install.

But the most important thing is to check if your PC is compatible. So verify which type of SSD your system supports. If you’re already using a solid-state drive, check what SSD you have to ensure it’s compatible.

Upgrade your RAM

Increasing your RAM gives your computer extra memory, allowing it to run more programs at once, including memory-intensive applications. 

If you’re a general user, 16GB is usually okay. However, if you’re a gamer, video editor, or performing similar demanding tasks, 32GB or more is ideal. You also need to consider the type of RAM you use. 

This may benefit your computer’s overall performance, including boot time.

We have a full guide describing these crucial points in detail, including how to install one: RAM Upgrade Made Easy: When and How to Upgrade Your RAM on Windows 10/11

Upgrade your CPU

When you upgrade your central processing unit, it also can help speed up Windows 10 or 11 startup by: 

• Processing the boot process faster and more efficiently. 
• Handling multiple startup tasks at the same time, which can speed up the overall process. 
• Improving data processing and faster boot times. 

Besides improving your Windows startup, it can also reduce bottlenecks caused by an older, slower processor. 

That said, make sure your power supply unit can handle the CPU upgrade or it could:

• cause system glitches,
• damage your hardware,
• cause system shutdowns, or 
• even further reduce the CPU’s performance.

Why Is Your Computer Slow on Startup?

Now, let’s briefly go through why your Windows startup is slow and what you need to avoid for the future:

1. Too many startup programs. When you install software, many programs sneak into the startup list and run when you boot your PC. These apps consume system resources, which can make your startup slow. Stopping these unnecessary programs on startup can fix the problem. 
2. Your hardware is outdated. If your hard drive is old or if you’re still using an HDD instead of an SSD, it’ll take a long time for your PC to boot. That’s because SSDs are much faster and can lower startup time from minutes to seconds. So, if all the methods don’t work, consider updating your hardware, especially if you’re using a hard disk drive. 
3. Software and drivers are outdated. If your system software or drivers are out of date, it may cause compatibility issues, which can slow startup times. You can easily resolve this by updating your operating system and drivers. You can use third-party tools to update and maintain your drivers regularly.
4. Your PC is infected with malware. Malicious software can cause your Windows startup speed to dip by embedding itself deep into your system. They then launch hidden processes as soon as you boot your PC. You can use reliable antivirus software to regularly scan your computer to resolve this.
5. Cluttered disk space. Over time, your hard drive becomes filled with unnecessary files, like temporary files, outdated system data, and other digital debris. This makes it harder for the PC to access the data it needs to start up quickly. Setting up a regular cleaning maintenance schedule can fix the problem.

How to Speed Up Your Windows Startup: Explained

Whether you’ve adjusted a few settings, cleared out unnecessary programs, or taken the leap to upgrade your hardware, your Windows startup speed should improve.

Give the methods above a try and let us know your experience in the comments below. Which solution worked for you? Share your experience with the community!

FAQ