Hidden performance settings to make Windows faster

Windows operating systems are packed with hundreds of settings, many of which are buried deep in menus or hidden by default to prevent accidental changes. While the standard “Balanced” or “High Performance” modes are sufficient for everyday tasks, there is a whole layer of configuration options that can force your hardware to operate at its peak capacity. Below is a detailed guide to these hidden performance settings, ranging from simple power plan adjustments to advanced system properties and even registry tweaks that can make your PC significantly faster.

1. Unveiling the “Ultimate Performance” Power Plan

One of the most significant hidden features in Windows is the Ultimate Performance power plan. Unlike the standard power plans visible in the Control Panel, this plan is often concealed by Windows to prevent users on battery-powered devices from experiencing rapid drain. Microsoft introduced this plan to push hardware to its limits by eliminating micro-latencies and power-saving delays. Specifically, it instructs the hardware to never throttle down, delivering power immediately rather than taking micro-seconds to evaluate whether the power is needed .

To enable this hidden plan, you cannot simply look in the standard Power Options menu. You must use the Command Prompt. Open a Command Prompt window as an administrator and type the following command: powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61 . Once executed, you can navigate to Control Panel > Power Options and you will see a new plan titled “Ultimate Performance” listed under “Show Additional Plans.” Selecting this ensures your CPU and other components run at maximum speed at all times, though it is highly recommended for desktop users, as it significantly increases power consumption and heat generation on laptops .

2. Advanced System Properties: Visual Effects and Processor Scheduling

Beyond power plans, the most impactful hidden settings reside in the Advanced System Properties menu. To access this, right-click on “This PC,” select “Properties,” and then click on “Advanced system settings.” Under the “Performance” section, click “Settings.” This opens a deep menu where you can control how Windows allocates its resources. The first tab, “Visual Effects,” allows you to toggle off resource-heavy animations, shadows, and transparency effects. By selecting “Adjust for best performance,” you disable all eye candy, freeing up GPU and CPU resources for actual applications, which is particularly beneficial for older machines or systems running integrated graphics .

On the “Advanced” tab within that same Performance Options window, you will find the Processor scheduling setting. By default, Windows is often set to let “Programs” have the resources they need, which is usually correct. However, if you are running a server or background service that requires more CPU time than your foreground applications, you can tweak this here. More importantly, this menu is also where you manage Virtual Memory (the paging file). If you have sufficient RAM, some advanced users opt to disable the paging file to force the system to use faster physical memory, though Microsoft generally recommends letting the system manage this .

3. Registry Tweaks for Responsiveness and Network Throttling

For those willing to dive into the deep end, the Windows Registry offers performance settings that have no graphical interface in the standard Settings app. The registry is a database of low-level instructions, and editing it can unlock features that Microsoft hides by default. However, extreme caution is required; it is vital to back up the registry before making any changes, as incorrect edits can cause system instability .

One of the most effective registry tweaks for performance involves disabling network throttling. Windows sometimes limits network bandwidth for background tasks to ensure fair distribution, but this can hinder high-bandwidth activities like streaming or gaming. By navigating to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Multimedia\SystemProfile and modifying the NetworkThrottlingIndex value to ffffffff, you can remove this artificial cap, allowing your network adapter to run at full speed . Another useful registry hack is adjusting SystemResponsiveness in the same path to prioritize foreground applications over background services, ensuring that your active window stays smooth during heavy processing loads .

4. Managing Startup and Background Applications

A significant performance drain that often goes unnoticed is the number of applications that launch automatically during startup. Even if you close them later, having them load in the background during boot consumes RAM and extends the time it takes before your PC becomes usable. Windows hides the full list of these startup apps in the Task Manager. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager and navigate to the “Startup” tab. Here, you can review the “Startup impact” of each program and disable anything that isn’t critical, such as Spotify, Discord, or Adobe updaters .

Furthermore, even after startup, many apps continue to run background processes. To stop this, go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps. Click the three-dot menu next to any application, select “Advanced options,” and under “Background app permissions,” choose “Never” . This prevents apps from consuming CPU cycles and memory when you are not actively using them, preserving resources for your active tasks.

5. Storage Sense and Fast Startup

Hidden under the “System” section of the Settings app are two features that keep your PC running quickly over time: Storage Sense and Fast Startup. Storage Sense is an automated maintenance tool that continuously clears out temporary files, previous Windows update installations, and old Recycle Bin contents. To enable it, go to Settings > System > Storage and toggle on Storage Sense. You can click into it to configure it to run daily, weekly, or whenever disk space is low, ensuring your drive never fills up with junk that slows down read/write speeds .

Fast Startup is a hybrid shutdown setting that helps your PC boot faster by saving a small image of the kernel and loaded drivers to a file (hiberfil.sys) when you shut down. When you turn the PC back on, it loads that image into memory, bypassing the lengthy re-initialization of system components. This setting is enabled by default on many systems, but it can be turned off after major updates. To verify it is active, open Control Panel, go to Hardware and Sound > Power Options > “Choose what the power buttons do,” and then click “Change settings that are currently unavailable.” Under “Shutdown settings,” ensure “Turn on fast startup” is checked .

By methodically applying these hidden settings, you can tailor Windows to prioritize raw performance over power savings or visual aesthetics. Whether you are unlocking the Ultimate Performance plan via command line, tweaking the registry to stop network throttling, or simply disabling flashy animations, each adjustment helps shave off milliseconds of lag, resulting in a noticeably faster and more responsive computing experience.