Disabling Startup Programs in Windows 10
There are plenty of Windows programs available to help reduce boot times, but they aren't always necessary. Everything you need to make Windows faster is already at your fingertips in an old built-in tool: the Task Manager.
This handy program is not only the place to stop annoying processes that refuse to shut down. The Task Manager can also help manage startup times. Open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Alternatively, press the Windows key, type 'Task Manager', and select Task Manager from the search results.
If the Task Manager is in minimal view, click on "More details" in the bottom left corner of the window to see the full program.
In the expanded view, select the Startup tab "Startup". This section lists all the various third-party programs that try to run at boot time. Almost all of these can be disabled, but there may be a few you want to leave unchanged.
To determine what should remain and what can go, look at the Startup impact column "Startup impact". Any programs marked as 'High' or 'Medium' are candidates for disabling. The exception might be any programs with critical tasks, such as the desktop software for your sound card, password manager, or anything related to your graphics card. On the other hand, items like web browser assistants or VPNs that you might actually need can wait.
How to Disable Startup Programs in Windows 10 to Speed Up Boot Times
To disable a program, select it so it is highlighted, then click the "Disable" button in the bottom right corner of the window. In the status column, you will now see that the program has changed from Enabled to Disabled. Continue as needed through the list of third-party programs.
Reducing the number of installed applications that compete for resources during boot time is a great way to speed things up. But what about reducing built-in Windows features that might slow things down?
There are a few additional things you can do to speed up Windows 10 boot times, but your options are limited. First, if you regularly shut down your computer, you should enable the Fast Startup feature if it isn't already turned on. This option reduces boot times by saving the system state when shutting down for a slightly quicker startup.
To squeeze a bit more speed out of boot time, you can also run Disk Cleanup. This will remove any unnecessary files and make your hard drive or SSD operate more efficiently.
Speaking of hard drives, if your computer is still using a mechanical drive as its primary drive, take boot times to the next level by upgrading to an SSD. If the motherboard supports an NVMe M.2 "gumstick" drive, that's the ideal choice, and with an M.2 drive, you can even keep your old hard drive as secondary storage. If your PC or motherboard manual indicates that you don't have an M.2 slot, a 2.5-inch SSD is an excellent second option. Installing an SSD is one of the simplest hardware upgrades you can make, and the difference it makes in overall performance is significant.
