9 ways to keep your Windows 11 PC running smoothly

It’s always exciting when you buy a new PC and it runs faster than your old one and lets you do all kinds of things you couldn’t do before. Indeed, hardware keeps evolving, and buying a new computer is the most effective way to get better performance. But if you want to keep your computer snappy, there are a few things you can do to keep things running smoothly as time goes on, so you don’t have to start thinking about getting a new computer every year.

Some of these things may just be common sense, but many of them are easy to forget, or you might not even know you shoudl be doing them. So let’s take a look at some things that help your PC stay in tip-top shape over time.

9 Install your updates

I know no one likes it, but it’s good for you

Let’s get this one out of the way first, since I know it will likely anger some people. Dealing with Windows updates can definitely be a bit more annoying than fun, but they’re there for a reason. The monthly updates for Windows help keep you protected from potential threats on the internet, fix bugs, and add new features, so they’re generally a good thing.

Being proactive about installing WIndows updates is important, too. You sometimes see people complain about Windows prompting the user to restart or restarting a PC at an inconvenient time, but if you plan ahead, you can prevent that. Windows updates are released on the second Tuesday of every month, so if you want to avoid unexpected reboots, it’s a good idea to check for updates at the end of that day or as soon as possible so you’re not caught off guard. To check for updates, open the Settings app and choose the Windows Update section.

8 Don’t trust shady websites

Be careful what you install

One very important step in making sure your PC keeps running smoothly is to avoid installing things you can’t trust. It’s very easy to look up an app and find yourself on a website that has malicious intent, especially if what you’re doing isn’t exactly legal (piracy fans, beware).

Always make sure that when you’re downloading an app, you’re getting it from a reliable source. Most programs you want will have an official website you can trust, so go with that.

7 Uninstall apps you don’t need

Don’t let them just pile up there

Computers often come with a lot of apps you’re probably never gong to use. Some are installed by Microsoft itself, others are installed by the manufacturer of your PC. When you first get a new machine in your hands, it’s a good idea to go through the list of apps that’s already installed and remove anything you don’t plan to ever use.

But that care is also important to have later down the line. Over time, we tend to install a lot of apps on our PCs, and many times, we’re just trying something out and it’s an app we never use again. Every few months, it’s a good idea to go over your installed apps again to make sure you only have what you need. Having a lot of apps just hogs storage and, sometimes, other resources your PC needs to run more smoothly.

6 Use an antivirus

Don’t risk losing your data

One thing you definitely don’t want to risk while using your PC is losing access to your data or having someone spy on you, so it’s very important to keep your PC secure. Windows 11 (and 10) already come with Microsoft Defender built in, which offers pretty good baseline protection against threats. It also runs scans automatically every now and then, unless you turned them off. You’ll definitely want to check the Windows Security app and make sure all the features are enabled.

Related

Best antivirus for Windows 11

Protecting your data is always important, and when the built-in Windows security fails, these antivirus programs are your best bet.

But it can also be a good idea to use a third-party antivirus. One of the best programs out there is MalwareBytes, and while it doesn’t offer real-time protection unless you pay up, the free version lets you run a manual scan whenever you want. My recommendation is to keep using Microsoft Defender for real-time protection, and occasionally run a scan using MalwareBytes to make sure no threats have slipped through the cracks.

Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes is a solid antivirus app for Mac and Windows, offering patches for vulnerabilities without needing to update your software. WIth the premium version, you can protect up to five different devices for a year.

5 Delete files you don’t need

It’s time to stop hoarding

On top of piling up unused apps like we mentioned above, another problem many people tend to face is simply stockpiling files. Documents, images, memes, and so on — we download a lot of files we need once and then never again.

While filing up your storage won’t necessarily make your computer slow, it can be a problem if you have an SSD at nearly full capacity. Plus, being tidy is just nice, I believe it’s a good idea to treat your computer like your home, and no one likes a messy house. If you know exactly where to find things and how to do it quickly, you become more efficient, and that can only be a good thing.

So, every few months, it’s a good idea to open your File Explorer, especially your Downloads folder, and see what’s in there. I bet you don’t really need a lot of those files anymore.

4 Back up your data

And do it regularly

Even if you’re careful to avoid breaking your PC in any way, sometimes it’s inevitable that something will stop working, and you may need to do something to repair it. In these cases, having a backup of your data is incredibly important. Starting completely fresh is very time consuming, but if you back up important data, you can be up and running much more quickly even if your computer breaks.

You can use one of the many cloud storage providers to back up your data automatically. If you want a bit more control and you have an external storage device, there are tools like SyncBack that provide excellent features for backing up your data regularly.

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SyncBack is the best free backup software on Windows and everyone should use it

It’s time to start backing up your files

3 Check your running apps

Trying to run too much at once is a bad idea

Computers are wonderful machines that allows us to do a lot, so it can be easy to forget that they do have limits, and we sometimes ask too much of them. If your computer is running slow, a good idea is to open Task Manager (you can right-click your taskbar to see the option to launch it) and see what’s using up your resources. You might see apps like Adobe Photoshop or even your browser up there if you have a lot of tabs open.

If you have a lot of apps open at the same time and one of them is using a lot of resources, it’s a good idea to close the apps you don’t need and focus on one thing at a time. There’s only so much a computer can handle.

2 Delete temporary files

WIndows creates its own junk, too

We already talked about deleting files you don’t need anymore, but many times, the files we don’t need are things we might not even be able to see in the usual folders. A lot of those are temporary files created by Windows that are stored in folders you don’t even know about.

Thankfully, Windows does provide you with a tool to clean up these files, and you should definitely use it every now and then. if you go into the Settings app and check the System > Storage > Temporary files page, you can see a lot of files that accumulate over time, including cached files and even your Recycle Bin. Every few months or so, it’s a good idea to go here and check every box aside from Downloads, and simply remove all those files. It will make a big difference.

1 Manage your startup tasks

Not everything needs to start with your PC

Even if you only have the apps you need, you might not need all those apps to be running at the same time. A lot of apps like to register themselves to start with your PC, and sometimes that can be useful, but many times, it just makes your PC take longer to start up and it slows it down while you’re using it.

If you go into Task Manager (you can access it by right-clicking the taskbar) and choose the Startup apps section, you can see which apps are starting when your PC boots up, and disable the ones you don’t want running all the time. I usually disable Microsoft Edge, OneNote, and Microsoft Teams, and Steam, but you can choose what you need or don’t need.

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How to turn off startup tasks in Windows 11

Is your computer taking too long to boot and feeling slow? You can turn off startup tasks in Windows 11 to help your PC run a bit faster.

Extend the life of your PC

If you take these steps on a somewhat regular basis, your PC will be running at it sbest for a lot longer, and it might even last you longer since it won’t feel so slow after a while. Even with all these steps, sometimes it’s also good to simply reset your PC to its factory settings and start fresh, so if your computer is feeling slow, that’s always something you can try.

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How to reset Windows 11 to its factory settings

Want to get your PC install back to a clean state? Here’s how you can reset Windows 11 to its factory settings to remove apps and files.