PC Slow Startup on Windows 11? Try Top 9 Fixes Here!

User case

What causes Windows startup extremely slow?

There are many reasons for extremely slow computer startup, and I have listed some common ones for you below.

• Corrupt or outdated graphics drivers. If the driver is not updated, the computer will start slowly.
• Too many startup programs or apps are loaded simultaneously when the computer starts.
• Insufficient hard drive storage space. If your computer is experiencing 100% disk usage will cause the computer to run slowly.
• The computer has suffered a virus infection or malware attack.

Having known the most likely causes for Windows 11 startup slow, in the next sections, I have summarized the top 9 effective solutions to easily finish this issue. Let’s explore them in turn together.

How to speed up Windows 11 boot time in top 9 ways

In the following part, I will show you the top 9 methods to tackle Windows startup extremely slow issue with a few simple steps.

Solution 1. Update Windows 11 to the latest version

It is also possible that your existing system is slow to boot due to poor compatibility with your computer. Windows system updates usually bring overall system improvements, so you can choose to update and install the latest release of Windows 11 22H2 version from Microsoft.

1. Open Start, select Settings, and select Windows Update.

2. From the right panel, click on Check for updates. Proceed to install all the critical updates and restart your PC to check if your PC startup is still slow.

Solution 2. Disable unnecessary startup apps and programs

When you install a new program, it may be configured to start automatically when your computer starts. Due to excessive load, your computer may have difficulty booting quickly when numerous programs try to start at the same time. So ensure to turn off unwanted apps for fast startup speed.

1.  Right-click the Start icon and choose Task Manager from the list.

2. Turn to Startup, select the programs or apps launching at startup that you want to disable, right-click it and tap Disable.

Solution 3. Disable Windows Fast Startup

By default, the Fast Startup function is enabled on Windows 11. Basically, this feature helps to boost the boot up time. However, sometimes, it can cause a problem of Windows 11 slow startup. Therefore, it is advisable to turn off Fast Startup using these steps:

1. Go to the Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options.

2. In the left pane, click on Choose what the power button does. Next, click the Change settings that are currently unavailable link.

3. Under the Shutdown settings section, uncheck the box Turn on fast startup (recommended). Then click Save changes to apply the changes.

Reboot your PC to check if the Windows 11 slow startup issue has been successfully fixed.

Solution 4. Scan for corrupted system files

For some reason, corrupt windows system files can also slow down your machine or affect windows 11 boot time. You can use the built-in system file checker to automatically scan and repair corrupt system files.

1. Press Windows + R to open run dialog, type cmd in the box then the command prompt window will appear.

2. Type the following command to run DISM restore health command to service and prepare windows images.

DISM.exe/Online/Cleanup-Image/Restorehealth

3. Next, input the sfc/scannow command to detect and replace the corrupted files with the correct one. It may take some time so wait patiently for the process to complete.

Solution 5. Enable storage sense

Having inadequate storage space on your computer can also worsen system performance and hamper boot speed. A built-in feature called Storage Sense helps you automatically free up space by deleting unnecessary temporary junk files, enabling you to manage the storage on your computer efficiently and improve its running speed.

Press Windows + I to open Settings. Under System tab, go to Storage, and toggle on the switch next to Storage Sense.

Solution 6. Update graphics drivers

Device drivers play an important role in the performance of your computer system. If you are using outdated drivers, you may encounter various system problems including blue screen error, computer slow startup and so on. To solve this problem, you can follow the steps below to update your graphics driver.

1. Right-click Start button, and select Device Manager from the list.

2. Locate and expand Display adapters, right-click the graphics that you are using and tab the Update driver option.

Solution 7. Change performance power plan

Power plans can help you save energy, maximize system performance, or achieve a balance between the two. An improperly set power plan may cause your Windows 11 to run slowly. To modify it, follow the instructions below.

1. To change the power mode, select Start > Settings > System > Power & battery. 

2. Select High performance to change your plan.

Solution 8. Run a virus scan

If you have recently installed an untrustworthy, unknown source application, you may have downloaded a virus that is having delayed startup problems. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you perform a virus check for Windows 11. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to Privacy & security > Windows & security > Virus & threat protection under Settings.

2. Click Quick scan to check your startup folders and the registry for viruses. You may also set a Full scan and a Custom scan by clicking on Scan options.

Give the scan time to run. If malware is detected, Microsoft Defender will suggest ways to deal with the problem. 

Solution 9. Reset this PC

If the above fixes do not take effect, then you can reset your computer and reinstall it.

1. Go to Settings＞Recovery, and click Reset PC next to the Reset this PC option..

2. On the Choose an option screen, choose whether to keep your files or remove everything.

3. Choose how would you like to reinstall Windows according to your needs.

4. When you set up well, approve the settings and click Next. Click Reset one last time to confirm and the PC will begin to reset.

Extra tip: Backup Windows 11 to an SSD for disaster recovery

If you have tried the above methods but booting your computer still takes a lot of time, then it is recommended that you backup your Windows 11 system regularly so that when such problems occur and cannot be solved, you can restore your computer to the earlier state where it was able to boot up quickly.

Here I highly recommend you use the best backup freeware – AOMEI Backupper Standard to backup your Windows 11 operating system. This freeware has the following prominent features:

✨You can backup your Windows 11 with fixed intervals (daily/weekly/monthly) and you can choose backup method, both full backup and incremental backup are available. You can also upgrade to Pro version to enjoy differential backup.
✨It offers different backup types to meet your different needs. You can choose System Backup, Disk Backup, Partition Backup, and File Backup.
✨It allows you to backup to various storage devices, such as USB flash drives, HDD, SSD, internal/external hard drives, etc.
✨It has great compatibility in the operating system (Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11, XP, Vista, etc.)

You can download this freeware to your PC to backup Windows 11 to an SSD for a recovery solution. Just follow the instructions to simply accomplish this task without effort.

To backup Windows 11 to SSD with AOMEI Backupper, just click Backup in the left panel and then choose System Backup.

When the backup task is complete, you will have a system backup of Windows 11 on an SSD. You can use the Restore feature of this tool to restore your computer when it is particularly slow to boot up. Click Restore and select the Windows 11 image file stored on the SSD to recover your PC.

Summary

Now you know how to solve PC slow startup on Windows 11 with the presented 9 methods in this post. If none of them works for you, you can move your system to a faster SSD to speed up the startup and improve the PC performance with AOMEI Backupper.

Moreover, it is also the best clone software for Integral SSD, Kingston SSD, WD Blue SSD, Samsung SSD, etc. Why not try it as your best data protection assistant?