△ Performance
Slow startup on Windows 11 — How to boot faster
Slow Windows 11 startup is almost always a stack of startup apps and Task Scheduler entries running in series. Cut the worst offenders and you'll usually shave 20-60 seconds off the boot.
- Time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Applies to
- Windows 11, Windows 10
- Updated
- May 25, 2026
Symptoms
- ▸Windows reaches the desktop but stays unresponsive for 30+ seconds
- ▸Task Manager startup impact is full of 'High' entries
- ▸First click after sign-in takes 5+ seconds to respond
Likely causes
- ▸Heavy startup apps (Discord, Spotify, OneDrive, Adobe, Razer/Logitech)
- ▸Fast Startup leaving driver state inconsistent
- ▸Task Scheduler entries set to run on logon
- ▸Aggressive antivirus scan at sign-in
How to fix it — step by step
- 01
Cull startup apps
Task Manager → Startup apps. Disable anything with 'High' impact you don't use immediately. - 02
Check Task Scheduler logon triggers
Task Scheduler → Task Scheduler Library. Disable any third-party tasks triggered At log on. - 03
Disable Fast Startup
Control Panel → Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do → Change settings that are currently unavailable→ untick Turn on fast startup. Counterintuitive, but it often improves boot reliability on systems with drivers that don't resume cleanly. - 04
Reduce visual effects
System → Advanced system settings → Performance → Adjust for best performance— or keep only 'Smooth edges' and 'Show window contents while dragging'. - 05
Check disk health
Old HDDs or dying SSDs are a leading cause of slow boot.
chkdsk C: /scanand a SMART check with CrystalDiskInfo.