Windows 10 is a state-of-the-art operating system that has marked an important leap against Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. The user experience it offers is, in general terms, very good, in fact works pretty well even in equipment with relatively loose configurations, provided we reach a minimum level.
For example, I used Windows 10 in low-cost Chinese laptops equipped with processors Intel Atom and 2 GB of RAM and the result has been acceptable within its own limitations, although to enjoy a truly good experience we need at least 4 GB of RAM and a processor that is at the level of the Intel Pentium series.
As is evident the performance of this operating system hardware-based scale of the equipment on which it is installed. If we use a high-performance processor, we have 16 GB of RAM and we have installed it in a high-performance SSD Windows 10 will have a perfect operation, with a instant response by moving through the interface and performing certain tasks, and minimum wait times in other scenarios.
If you use Windows 10 on a modest PC with a tight hardware configuration, you may end up noticing at some point that performance is not always as good as you would like. The simplest solution to improve the user experience is to change the components of the equipment, that is, to update the PC, but if you cannot afford it, do not worry, in this article we will share with you a series of settings that will allow you to improve Windows 10 performance without spending money, and effortlessly
Improving the performance of Windows 10 is the main objective of this guide, but for everything to go well it is essential keep it in good condition, so we will also include a series of recommendations that will help you achieve it. I recommend you apply all the points we will see below to get the best result.
Windows 10 and the importance of the power plan
Energy consumption greatly affects the performance of PC components, and also influences other important aspects, like autonomy in the case of portable equipment and the temperatures of work. A higher energy consumption less autonomy and higher temperatures, although as a counterpart we can achieve greater performance.
In Windows 10 we can choose between different energy modes ranging from the plan that reduces performance to lower consumption to balanced and high-performance mode. Jump from the economizer plan to the high performance plan can help us greatly improve performance of the equipment, but it will also increase consumption, reduce autonomy if we use a laptop and it may significantly affect working temperatures, so keep that in mind.
Personally I think that this is one of the simplest adjustments and that the biggest differences you can make, so you must be the first to take into account. To change the Windows 10 power plan we just have to follow these steps:
- Press the Windows + S key and type, in the search bar, «Edit Energy Plan».
- We enter the first result and choose the option «Change Advanced Power Settings».
- Ready, we just have to choose one of the default plans. Too We can create a custom plan.
Optimize storage units
Storage units play a key role in the overall performance of the equipment. With normal system use it is normal for HDD discs fragment and lose performance. Luckily it is not a serious problem, and Windows 10 comes with a dedicated tool that allows us to quickly and easily optimize our storage units.
It is important to keep in mind that the drive optimization process that integrates Windows 10 It is different from the classic defragmentation process that we could find in previous operating systems, and is perfectly adapted to achieve optimal results with both HDD drives and SSD drives. And yes, it is totally safe, it does not reduce the life of this type of components.
Optimizing the storage units we use in Windows 10 can help us to improve performance and also the user experience in general of the operating system itself. To do this we just have to follow these steps:
- Again press the Windows + S key and type «Defragment and Optimize Units». We select the first result.
- We just have to select the unit we want to optimize and that's it. We can set scheduled executions automatically in custom periods through «Change Settings».
Kill applications that consume valuable resources
As a result of normal use of Windows 10 it is common to end up installing applications that they don't always offer the utility that we believed and that, in the end, they can end up consuming a lot of resources. One of the most frequent problems associated with this reality is the lack of storage space, but we can also find performance losses if they run constantly in the background.
Getting rid of applications that consume resources without offering real utility can help us free up space and improve the performance of Windows 10. It is not a complicated process, although it is true that identifying all the applications that we must uninstall can take a long time.
If you have doubts about the applications that consume resources and that you do not need, enter the "Task Manager" (Windows + S keys and type "Task Manager") and take a look at the resource consumption of each application (RAM, CPU usage, etc.) in the tab «Processes». Once you are clear about what applications you want to remove follow these steps:
- Press Windows key + S and type "Add or Remove Programs".
- Select the applications you want to uninstall clicking in them and ready.
Disable applications that load from startup with Windows 10
It is a very simple process and can make a big difference. When we install an application, it can give us the option to configure it to load from startup, that is, to run when we start Windows 10. This means that the application will be active in the background and that we can access it through the "Show Hidden Icons" section, present in the taskbar.
Loading startup applications can be useful in certain cases. For example, the Corsair iCUE software will automatically activate lighting effects and profiles that we have configured automatically if we have activated its execution with the start of the system, but other applications may not have any real utility, especially if we use them occasionally.
From the moment an application is launched from startup consume resources, and can affect both the on and off times of Windows 10, so disabling those we don't use can improve performance, timeouts and free resources. These are the steps you must follow:
- Press the Windows + S keys and type "Task Manager".
- We enter the tab "Start", we right click on the programs we want to disable and that's it.
- Remember that programs that load from startup can have an impact low, medium or high at boot time. Prioritize the latter.
Set up a less colorful but more fluid Windows 10
If performance is a problem because your device has very tight specifications do not worry, you can improve the experience of use with Windows 10 if you reduce the effects and animations. The operating system will be a bit more "bland", but its demands will be lower and you will notice A more fluid experience.
The list of options is quite wide, so we recommend that you take your time and take a look at everything you can deactivate to get a personalized configuration adapted to your preferences. In case you don't want to get complicated or don't have much time you can directly choose the default settings offered by Microsoft.
These are the steps What you should follow to customize the effects and visual details in Windows 10:
- Press the keys «Windows + R» to open the window "Run".
- Type, without quotes, «Sysdm.cpl».
- From the section "System properties" we came in «Advanced Options> Performance> Setting".
- Now we enter «Adjust to Get the Best Performance» And that's it, we can choose the settings we want.
Beware of bloatware and applications that you no longer use
Bloatware has become one of the most important problems in Windows 10. Microsoft does not offer a completely clean operating system, but rather It includes certain preinstalled applications that have a rather dubious utility For most users.
There are many ways to eliminate unwanted applications (bloatware). You can go to Start Menu, do right click in applications you don't want and select the option «Uninstall», or you can also enter «Add or Remove Programs» and remove them directly from the list you will find (follow the steps we have given you before).
Removing unwanted applications will help you free storage space, and if they were booting from startup you will also free up other resources and speed up the startup and shutdown times of Windows 10.
If you want to use other methods to eliminate the bloatware that Windows 10 brings, do not miss this guide, where you will find from the Windows 10 console commands Up to some third party tools.
Indexing and searches: an option to consider in very old PCs
The search function offered by Windows 10 offers a pretty good experience, since the results appear, normally, almost instantaneously. This is possible thanks to a small "trick" that consists in the creation and maintenance of an indexing list in that operating system.
Thus, when we do a search Windows 10 does not directly register all the storage units, so it would not be able to offer that response speed, but rather search that list, in that index that of content that keeps updated frequently. Maintaining that list entails a small consumption of resources that can, however, make a difference in very old equipment.
I do not recommend its deactivation unless we use a PC with some very poor specifications. These are the steps to follow:
- Press the Windows + S keys and type «Indexing Options».
- We came in "Modify" and uncheck all the boxes.
Clean up trash with the Windows 10 disk space freezer
Storage space is one of the most basic, important and limited resources of any PC. If we run out of free space we cannot do things as simple as installing new applications, save photos or documents and make, in general, a normal use of the operating system. It can also affect the overall performance of the system.
To free space we can uninstall applications and delete all those files that we are no longer going to need, and we also have the option of using the built-in tools of Windows 10. For example, the disk space freezer allows us to select which drive we want to "clean" and tells us what things we can erase and how much space we can recover.
We can also use the option «Free Space Now» to carry out a deeper cleaning that, in my case, has come to release up to 10 GB of space. These are the steps to follow:
- Press the Windows + S keys and type «Disk Cleanup» If we want to use the first tool. We choose the unit where we want to free space and the contents we want to erase.
- In case we want to use «Free Space Now» press Windows + S and write «Storage Settings», We enter "Free Space Now" and choose all the data we want to delete.
Install updates and look for new drivers
Updates play a key role both in security and in stability and performance Windows 10. This operating system has marked the leap of the operating system model as a service against the traditional product model, and has done so through a semi-annual update system that has ended up in a clear fragmentation problem.
Due to the presence of errors in many of those updates I do not recommend being one of the first to install the latest version of Windows 10, but we must have it updated at least to a version that receives support (1809 or higher).
Keeping the drivers of our components up to date is also essential to avoid compatibility, stability and security problems, and in some cases to enjoy performance improvements, so keep that in mind and look for updates periodically through the Support web pages of official manufacturers of your components.
If you have doubts about which version of Windows 10 you have installed quietly, it is very easy, you just have to press the keys Windows + R and write «winver» without quotation marks. The exact version you are using will appear.
Security is key: analyze the system for malware
Safety analysis can make an important difference and are key to enjoying good performance and for keep Windows 10 in good condition. With the normal use of the PC there is a certain risk that we end up committing some error that degenerates into a malware infection.
There are many antivirus systems that have barriers that stop malware from entering, but it is not always enough when these human errors occur. If we notice that our PC goes very slow or it has performance losses Punctual without a minimally sensible explanation we are likely to have one or more malware infections.
Thanks to the improvements that Microsoft has introduced in Windows Defender we can use this solution to perform a complete analysis and put an end to most malware infections. In any case, always remember that prevention is the best solution, and even if we manage to end a malware infection, it is possible that the system does not recover completely optimally and that we have no choice but to reinstall the operating system.
To perform an analysis we just have to press the Windows + S keys and type «Windows Security». Once inside we can customize the protection and security settings and perform a system analysis.
Game Mode will not work miracles, but it can improve performance a bit
Microsoft generated great expectations with the Game Mode or "Game Mode", a very easy setting to activate what makes Windows 10 prioritize key resources when the system detects that we are running a game. It does not work miracles, in fact I have seen scenarios in which the improvement it brings is practically zero, but there are other cases in which it can help us to “scratch” a few SPF.
When we move at very tight levels (from 20 to 25 FPS above all) getting two or three additional frames per second can make the difference between "passable" fluency and an unbearable experience. Since the "Game Mode" is free and does not involve any risk or problem, I recommend giving you a chance in those games that you can not move optimally. You may get that little performance bonus you needed.
To activate it we have to follow this steps:
- Again we open the search box with Windows + S and type «Game Mode Settings».
- We enter the first result and We activate it.
Free RAM
As we said at the beginning Windows 10 is an operating system that is better optimized than it seems a priori. In computers with 2 GB of RAM we can have a relatively good experience if we have clear its limitations from the beginning, and this happens by: not having many applications in the background, forget about multitasking and heavy applications and use light tools with low resource consumption.
If our equipment has a very limited amount of RAM we can release small amounts disabling startup applications, a process that we have already told you before, and also forcing application closure in background. Eliminating applications with a high resource consumption is a definitive solution that will prevent us from having to force those closures continuously.
To forcefully close applications we have to:
- Press the Windows + S keys and type "Task Manager".
- On the tab «Processes» We look for applications that are consuming RAM in the background and that we do not need.
- We click on them and select "Finish homework".
