How to Speed Up Windows 11 Boot Time: Fix Slow Boot

Users love it when their computer boots up fast and they can immediately put it to work. Sometimes, Windows 11 PC can play against your expectations. After you start the machine, the boot-up takes forever to complete and you keep waiting for the desktop to load. In this guide, I have explained why Windows 11 is slow to boot up and the tips to fix the problem.

The slow boot-up is normally related to the HDD storage on a computer. If your PC/laptop has an HDD configuration, and the storage is loaded to the gills with volumes of data, the boot-up will be late. Besides, Windows 11 bugs, an outdated graphics driver, corrupt system files, and malware can also slow down the booting time of Windows 11 PC.

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Useful Tips to Speed Up Windows 11 Boot Time

Check out these common tips and tricks to tackle the slow boot time on your Windows computer.

1. Turn on Fast Startup

Enable fast startup from the Windows Control Panel if you shut down your PC and reboot it regularly. It saves boot information when you proceed to initiate a total shutdown of your computer. That helps the PC to boot up faster when you switch it on the next time.

Press Windows + R to access the Run box.
Type Control Panel and press enter.
Within the Control Panel home screen, click on Power Options.
On the left side, click Choose what the power button does.
Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
Under Shutdown Settings, click the checkbox Turn on Fast Startup (Recommended)

Now, shut down the computer and switch it on. Check if the boot time is faster than the previous state.

2. Disable Apps at Startup

Various apps installed on Windows 11 launch during the system startup causing the boot-up to slow down drastically. There may be no need for those apps to launch during the startup. You can learn about these apps in the Task Manager.

In the Task Manager settings for startup apps, disable the Windows applications from launching during bootup. The apps will not be uninstalled and they will continue to work just fine. It is just that you have stopped them from showing up during the system boot.

Press Ctrl + Shift +Esc to access the task manager.
Click the menu button at the upper left corner and select Startup Apps.
Right-click on the app you want to turn off during startup and select Disable.

Now, turn off your PC and restart after some time. Check if the boot-up time has become faster.

3. Cleanup System Files on the PC

Perform a disk cleanup to remove junk components from the Windows 11 system files.

Press Windows + R and summon the Run box.
Type cleanmgr and press enter.
Select the drive.
On the Disk Cleanup dialog box, click on Clean up System Files.
Select the components you want to delete under the Files to Delete section.
Press OK to proceed with the disk cleanup.

4. Install Windows Update

Install the latest build of Windows 11 to fix any bugs on the PC. Maybe some technical issue followed up with the previous software update you had installed. That may slow down the computer during startup.

To check for Windows updates, go to the computer settings by pressing Windows + I.
Click Windows Update.
Next, press Check for Updates.
If a new software update is available, click Download and Install All.

5. Upgrade to SSD

SSD or Solid State Drive data storage has become pretty common in the computer domain. Most laptops in the $300 range and above come with SSD pre-installed on them. If your laptop has HDD storage, I suggest upgrading to SSD. The process is not that expensive.

Stepping up the storage from HDD to SSD will boost the performance of the PC and also improve the boot-up time significantly. If you have plans to buy a new PC, make sure to get one with SSD storage.

6. Update the Graphics Driver

For users with a powerful dedicated graphics unit running on their PC, I suggest timely upgrading the corresponding graphics driver.

Press Windows + X to launch the power user menu.
Select Device Manager.
Expand the tab Display Adapters.
Right-click on the GPU unit and select Update Driver.
Click Search Automatically for Drivers.
Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the GPU update.

Alternatively, you can visit the official website of your GPU brand. They usually offer a repository to download the latest GPU drivers for free. Depending on your PC configuration, download the corresponding graphics driver.

Access Device Manager and go to Display Adapters.
Choose Update Driver.
Click on Browse My Computer for Drivers.
Follow the instructions on the screen to install the driver you downloaded previously.

After performing the GPU update, check if the boot-up time improves and the system boots in a lesser timeframe.

7. Scan for Corrupt System Files

If cleaning the system files did not fix the slow boot-up issue, use the command prompt to run SFC and DISM commands to find and fix the corrupt system files.

Press Windows + R to launch the Run box.
Type cmd and press Enter.
In the Command Prompt screen, write this command.
```
sfc/scannow
```
Separately, you may also run the DISM commands in the following order.
```
DISM/Online/Cleanup-Image/CheckHealth 

DISM/Online/Cleanup-Image/ScanHealth 

DISM/Online/Cleanup-Image/RestoreHealth
```

Do not interrupt the process as these SFC and DISM scans can take some time to finish. Restart the PC once the errors are fixed. Observe if the bootup time has improved.

8. Check if Windows Subsystem for Linux is Enabled

You can run Linux distros on your Windows 11 PC if Windows Subsystem for Linux has been enabled. However, most users aim to use the Windows OS features and never even use Linux.

Having the Windows Subsystem for Linux enabled may slow down the Windows OS during boot-up. Access the Windows Features list and turn off the feature.

Press Windows + S to launch the search.
Type Turn On or Off Windows Features.
Click Open when the search result appears.
Uncheck the box next to Windows Subsystem for Linux.
Click OK to save the changes.

9. Watch out for Malware Attack

Windows Defender may have missed out on any incoming malware on the PC. So, gear up and manually launch a malware hunt through the Defender program.

Press Windows + S to launch the search panel.
Type Virus and Threat Protection. Click Open.
Go to Scan Options.
Select Full Scan and click Scan Now.

Depending on the volume of data stored on your PC, the malware scan may take some time to complete. If any infected file or folder is discovered, follow Windows Defender instructions to remove those files.

10. Reset the Windows 11 PC

As a final tip to counter the slow boot-up issue with Windows 11, I suggest resetting your PC. Here are the steps.

Launch Windows + S to access the search panel.
Type Reset This PC and click Open.
Under Recovery Options, click Reset PC.
Select between Keep My Files or Delete Everything as per your preference.

Your PC will reboot after the reset process is over. Observe if the slow booting time has been fixed.

Bottom Line

If you use the computer for professional commitments, the slow boot-up can badly affect your work. In most cases, switching to SSD storage, removing unnecessary apps during startup, and updating the Windows 11 will completely fix the slow boot-up problem on Windows 11.

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