5 Ways to Fix Slow Boot Times in Windows 10
# Speed Up Your Windows 10 Boot Time: A Comprehensive Guide
If you're experiencing slow boot times on your Windows 10 computer, you're not alone. Many users have reported this issue, and in this guide, we’ll walk through five proven methods to fix these low boot times, along with a bonus tip that could dramatically improve your PC's performance.
## 1. Disable Fast Startup
One of the most common causes of slow boot times is the **Fast Startup** feature. While it’s designed to speed up the boot process, it often has the opposite effect on many systems. Here’s how you can disable it:
- Left-click the **Start** menu and select the **Settings** icon.
- Navigate to **System** in the left pane.
- Choose **Power & Sleep**.
- In the right-hand section, under **Related settings**, click on **Additional Power Settings**.
- This will open the **Power Options** in the Control Panel.
- Select **Choose what the power buttons do** in the left panel.
- Click on **Change settings that are currently unavailable** ( administrator permission may be required).
- In the **Shutdown settings**, untick the box where it says **Turn on fast startup**.
- Click on **Save Changes**.
If you don’t see the option to turn off fast startup, you’ll need to enable hibernation first:
- Right-click the **Start** menu and select **Windows PowerShell (Admin)**.
- Type the command: `powercfg /hibernate on`
- Hit Enter on your keyboard to enable hibernation.
- Close PowerShell and follow the previous steps to disable fast startup.
## 2. Manage Startup Programs
Having too many programs set to load at startup can significantly slow down your boot time. Here’s how you can manage these programs:
- Right-click the **Taskbar** and select **Task Manager** from the menu.
- Click on the **Startup** tab at the top.
- You’ll see a list of programs with details like their names, publishers, status (enabled/disabled), and startup impact.
To disable a program from starting up automatically:
- Left-click to select the program you want to disable.
- Click on **Disable** in the lower-right corner.
Repeat this process for each program you don’t need at startup. If you’re unsure about any program, right-click it and select **Search online** to learn more about its purpose.
## 3. Adjust Virtual Memory Settings
Virtual memory is a feature that allows your computer to temporarily use disk space as additional RAM when physical memory is low. Sometimes, virtual memory settings can cause slow boot times. Here’s how you can adjust them:
- Type **Performance** into the Windows search bar.
- Click on **Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows**.
- Go to the **Advanced tab** and click on **Change** under Virtual Memory.
- In the window that opens, look at the **Total Paging File Size for All Drives** section.
If your currently allocated size is much higher than what’s recommended, untick the box where it says **Automatically manage paging file size for all drives**. Instead, select **Custom size** and enter values manually:
- For **Initial size**, enter a value slightly lower than the recommended minimum (e.g., 3,000 MB in this example).
- For **Maximum size**, enter the recommended maximum value.
Click on **Set** and then close out of the window. Reboot your computer to see if you notice faster boot times.
## 4. Update Graphics Drivers
Poorly optimized graphics drivers can also cause slow boot times. Updating them might help improve your system’s performance:
- Right-click the **Start** menu and select **Device Manager**.
- Scroll down to **Display adapters**, right-click on your graphics card, and choose **Update driver**.
If you have a dedicated graphics card with its own software, open that program and check for updates directly.
## 5. Disable Windows Subsystem for Linux
If you’ve been experimenting with the Linux Bash terminal in Windows 10, you might have turned on the **Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)** feature. This can sometimes cause boot issues:
- Type **Windows Features** into the search bar.
- Click on **Turn Windows Features On or Off**.
- Scroll down and untick the box for **Windows Subsystem for Linux**.
- Click **OK** and restart your computer.
## Bonus Tip: Upgrade to an SSD
If you’re still using a mechanical hard disk drive, upgrading to a Solid-State Drive (SSD) is one of the most effective ways to improve boot times and overall system performance. SSDs are much faster than traditional HDDs, making files load quicker and programs start up in seconds.
While adding more RAM is another great upgrade, an SSD offers even better performance improvements. Plus, if you’ve been monitoring SSD prices, now might be a good time to buy since they’re at an all-time low.
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By following these steps, you should notice a significant improvement in your computer’s boot times and overall performance. If you found this guide helpful, don’t forget to give it a thumbs up and share it with others. If you’re new to our channel, subscribe and hit the bell icon to stay updated with the latest Windows 10 tips and tech-related content here on Tech Gumbo!