Microsoft offers advice on slow boot times for Windows PCs

Earlier this week, Microsoft published a new support page with tips for Windows users who want to start their operating system faster. The tips mainly focus on optimizing startup apps that can take a while to launch on a new boot.

The site contains a mix of tips that are really helpful for anyone who wants to improve their overall system performance but hasn’t done much to get there yet. We’ve summarized the tips for you below.

Related: How to Speed ​​Up Your Windows Computer’s Startup Time

Tip #1: Settings

The first step to discovering which applications are slowing down your Windows computer’s startup is to go to Settings > Apps > StartupHere you will find a list of all the applications that start automatically every time you start your computer.

If you know or suspect that a particular app is using a lot of resources and taking a long time to load, this is the best way to disable it at startup. Common culprits include web browsers with many open tabs, Microsoft Teams, Adobe Creative Cloud, Steam, and Discord.

Tip #2: Task Manager

Another way to disable applications that start automatically is to use the Task Manager, which can be opened by right-clicking on the taskbar and selecting Task Manager or by using Ctrl + Shift + Esc keyboard shortcut.

Task Manager is mainly used to diagnose which apps are using the most CPU or RAM and to force close apps that are stuck or malfunctioning. You can use Startup applications in the left navigation bar to see all apps and their startup status (enabled or disabled).

Use Startup Impact to see how much a specific app is slowing down the startup process, and switch accordingly.

Tip #3: File Explorer

Here’s a lesser-known trick that lets you accomplish the same thing as the methods mentioned above, while also making you feel a little more tech-savvy: You can switch startup apps using nothing other than File Explorer!

The principle of operation is as follows: if there is a shortcut to the application in the system Startup folder, Windows recognizes it and registers it as a startup application. If you delete the shortcut from the folder, Windows unregisters it.

There are two system startup folders: one that applies only to the current user and one that applies to all users. You can quickly open either of these folders using Run commands.

Open the Run Command window with Windows Key + R keyboard shortcut and type one of the following commands:

• shell:startup opens the Startup folder for the current user. (The path corresponds to %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup)
• shell:common startup opens the Startup folder for all users. (The path corresponds to %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup)

Simply delete the shortcut of any app you want to disable on startup. If you don’t see the app you want to disable in one folder, it’s likely in the other.

Tip #4: Registry

If you Really If you want to be tech-savvy, you can dig into the Windows registry to investigate startup issues. However, careless registry editing can damage your system, so you should only do this if you know what you’re doing and are willing to accept the risks.

The following registry paths can be used to customize startup applications for all Windows users:

• HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
• HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

The following registry path can be used to customize startup applications for the current user in Windows:

• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Run

Related: How to Clean Windows Registry to Speed ​​Up Your Computer

More tips to speed up Windows

Microsoft’s advice also focuses on startup apps, but there are other ways to speed up Windows and reduce startup times.

For example, Microsoft offers a free tuning tool called PC Manager that helps optimize and clean your system. Learn more about what PC Manager is and what it can do.

We also have our own collection of quick tips to speed up any Windows PC, so you can enjoy a better Windows experience whether your computer is older or brand new.