18 important Home windows 11 tweaks that make an enormous distinction
Abstract created by Good Solutions AI
In abstract:
- PCWorld outlines 18 important Home windows 11 tweaks targeted on enhancing privateness, lowering distractions, and enhancing person expertise by way of system customization.
- Key modifications embrace disabling personalised adverts and monitoring, customizing the Begin menu to take away app suggestions, and managing notification settings to scale back interruptions.
- These changes assist forestall Home windows from creating utilization profiles whereas sustaining performance, requiring common evaluate since Microsoft ceaselessly updates privateness settings.
There are a couple of essential choices that you need to examine and configure appropriately within the settings with the intention to run Home windows 11 successfully. Listed below are some useful suggestions for extra Home windows 11 options that ought to stay completely energetic in on a regular basis use — or be intentionally deactivated to keep away from pointless information assortment, efficiency slowdowns, and distractions.
Take away suggestions and account notifications from the Begin menu
By default, Home windows 11 shows just lately used recordsdata, app suggestions and account-related notifications within the Begin menu. This content material creates distraction and requires further utilization information. Open the settings with Home windows key + I, change to Personalization after which to Begin.
Deactivate “Present just lately added apps”, “Present most used apps” and all switches within the “Really useful” space. In Home windows 11, you can too choose the “Present most used apps” structure to fully suppress the advice space.
Sam Singleton
Management system-wide notifications and app pop-ups
Notifications are one of many greatest distractions. Open Settings, go to System and Notifications. First, disable the worldwide “Notifications” choice.
If you’d like particular person purposes to proceed sending messages, activate “Do Not Disturb” as a substitute and configure particular person apps particularly underneath this selection. In the identical menu, scroll all the way down to “Further settings” and deactivate “Obtain suggestions and options when utilizing Home windows”.
This can completely take away setup pop-ups and promoting notices. Microsoft repeatedly expands this space and typically modifications the names of the menu gadgets. Nevertheless, this doesn’t change the truth that it’s value having a look right here.

Sam Singleton
Defend your lock display screen from information leaks
Notifications on the lock display screen can show content material in plain textual content. Open Settings, go to System and Notifications and deactivate “Present notifications on the lock display screen”. This can preserve content material hidden so long as the machine is locked.

Sam Singleton
Disable promoting ID, language checklist and app monitoring
By default, Home windows creates utilization profiles for personalised promoting and app statistics. Open Settings, go to Privateness and safety and Normal. Disable “Let apps present me personalised adverts by utilizing my promoting ID”, “Let web sites present me domestically related content material by accessing my language checklist” and “Let Home windows enhance Begin and search outcomes by monitoring app launches”.
The system will proceed to perform as earlier than, however is not going to create profiles. Microsoft additionally modifications the names of the settings at common intervals.

Sam Singleton
Preserve Inking & typing personalization native
The “Inking & typing personalization” perform analyzes keyboard and pen inputs. Open Settings, go to Privateness and safety and Inking & typing personalization. Deactivate the “Customized inking and typing dictionary”. Enter stays totally usable with out textual content entries being evaluated.
Strictly restrict diagnostic information and switch off suggestions
Open Settings, go to Privateness and safety and Diagnostics & suggestions. Depart solely “Ship required diagnostic information” enabled.
Deactivate “Ship elective diagnostic information”. Increase all different areas and set “Suggestions frequency” to “By no means”. Use “Delete diagnostic information” to take away any info that has already been saved.

Sam Singleton
Disable or prohibit location providers
Open Settings, go to Privateness and Safety and Location. Disable location entry fully or prohibit it to particular person purposes. Climate apps will proceed to work with a manually set location.
Beneath Privateness and safety, you can see the areas “Digital camera”, “Microphone”, “Contacts” and different sensors. Open every class and revoke entry for purposes if it’s not completely mandatory. You will need to examine apps from the Microsoft Retailer, which regularly request extra permissions than mandatory.
Restrict background actions of apps
Many purposes proceed to run within the background. Open Settings, go to Apps and Put in apps. Open the Superior choices for particular person packages and set “Background app permissions” to “By no means”. This noticeably reduces reminiscence and CPU load. Nevertheless, these choices should not out there for all apps.

Sam Singleton
Prohibit app set up to verified sources
For programs utilized by much less skilled customers, it’s advisable to limit app sources. Open Settings, go to Apps and Superior app settings. Beneath “Select the place to get apps from”, set the choice to “Microsoft Retailer solely”. This can permit solely verified purposes to be put in.
Persistently clear up autostart
Proper-click on the taskbar and open the Activity Supervisor. Go to Startup apps and disable all packages that aren’t completely mandatory for system startup. Producer instruments and replace utilities particularly decelerate the startup course of.

Thomas Joos
Open Settings, go to Apps and Put in apps. Undergo the whole checklist and uninstall any software program that isn’t used. This reduces background providers, autostart entries and safety dangers.
Completely show file extensions
To instantly acknowledge harmful file varieties, open File Explorer, click on on the three dots and choose Choices. Go to View and deactivate “Disguise extensions for recognized file varieties”. Affirm with “Apply”.
Prohibit supply optimization for updates
By default, Home windows additionally distributes updates to different computer systems. Open Settings, go to Home windows Replace, then to Superior choices and Supply optimization. Disable “Enable downloads from different units” or prohibit the perform to the native community.
Consciously management replace restarts
Beneath “Home windows Replace” and “Superior choices”, you possibly can specify whether or not Home windows robotically restarts after updates. Enabling automated restarts will increase safety, however can interrupt ongoing work. Set the habits to fit your personal working type.
Optimize energy settings
Open the Management Panel, go to System and Energy and battery. Click on on “Lid, on/off, and standby mode button controls” and regulate the settings to your necessities.
Right here, Home windows additionally reveals the facility consumption of particular person purposes intimately. Determine conspicuous apps and restrict their background exercise. On notebooks, this considerably extends the runtime.
Configure person account management sensibly
Enter “Person Account Management” within the search discipline and open Change Person Account Management settings. Choose a stage that permits queries for app installations however not for inner Home windows actions. This reduces queries with out fully eradicating safety mechanisms.
Disable sport background recording
Open Settings, go to Gaming and Captures. Disable background recording. This reduces GPU and CPU load, even when no video games are actively getting used.
Use evening mode completely
Open Settings, go to System and Show and allow “Night time gentle”. Configure the schedule in order that the mode is activated robotically. Alternatively, it may be switched on immediately through Home windows key + A.
Allow superior clipboard
Open Settings, go to System and Clipboard. Activate “Clipboard historical past”. You possibly can then paste a number of copied gadgets utilizing Home windows key + V.
This text initially appeared on our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and localized from German.

