If your PC is running slowly, the following suggestions might help speed things up. The tips are listed in order, so start with the first one, see if that helps, and then continue to the next one if it doesn’t.

Follow these steps to automatically diagnose and repair Windows security problems by turning on UAC, DEP protection, Windows Firewall, and other Windows security options and features.

Note: Recovery drives created and used on machines with the April 9, 2024 security update and the revocation policy applied may be impacted.For more, see KB5025885: How to manage the Windows Boot Manager revocations for Secure Boot changes associated with CVE-2023-24932.

Note: If you are in tablet mode, you may not be able to see your desktop icons properly.You can find the program by searching for the program name in File Explorer. To turn off tablet mode, select action center on the taskbar (next to date and time), and then select Tablet mode to turn it on or off.

Under System , select Display .Your PC should automatically detect your monitors and show your desktop. If you don't see the monitors, select Multiple displays , then Detect.

You can make additional apps available for automatic startup. The apps will show up in the options you see on the Startup page in Settings as you set apps to run automatically when you start your device (when selected, the apps might show in your taskbar or elsewhere—or the apps might start behind the scenes). To see which apps are available, go to Start > Settings > Apps > Startup.

Set up PC folder backup. Open OneDrive settings (select the OneDrive cloud icon in your notification area, and then select the OneDrive Help & Settings icon then Settings.). Open OneDrive settings (select the OneDrive cloud icon in your notification area, and then select the OneDrive Help and Settings icon then Settings.)

Switch Real-time protection to Off.Note that scheduled scans will continue to run. However, files that are downloaded or installed will not be scanned until the next scheduled scan.

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings. (If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)

If you're moving from a Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 PC to a new Windows device, you'll find that the best way to get apps and games is through Microsoft Store.