Ways to improve your computer's performance

Performance Information and Tools lists tasks that can help improve the performance of your computer, and it also shows information about your computer's performance capabilities.

	• Open Performance Information and Tools by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Performance Information and Tools.

Tasks that can help improve performance

The left pane of Performance Information and Tools includes tasks that can help you improve your computer's performance. This table describes these tasks.

Task	Description
Manage startup programs	Some programs start themselves automatically when you start Windows. Too many of these programs opening at the same time can slow down your computer. To disable these programs from startup and improve performance, use Windows Defender. For more information, see Stop a program from running automatically when Windows starts.
Adjust visual effects	You can optimize performance by changing how menus and windows appear.
Adjust indexing options	Indexing options can help you find what you're looking for quickly and easily on your computer. You can search more efficiently by narrowing your search to focus on those files and folders that you commonly use. For more information, see Improve Windows searches using the index: frequently asked questions.
Adjust power settings	Change power-related settings so that your computer resumes from power-saving settings more efficiently, and adjust battery usage for portable computers.
Open Disk Cleanup	This tool deletes unnecessary or temporary files on your hard disk so you can increase the amount of storage space you have. For more information, see Delete files using Disk Cleanup.
Advanced tools	Access advanced system tools, such as Event Viewer and System Information, that system administrators and IT professionals often use to solve problems. You can also view notifications about performance-related issues and what to do about them. For example, if Windows detects that a driver is reducing performance, click the notification to learn which driver is causing the problem and view help on how to update the driver. Issues listed at the beginning of the list are impacting the system more than issues listed later in the list.

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View details about your computer's hardware

You can also find out your computer's Windows Experience Index base score. This score measures the capability of your computer's hardware and software configuration and is a general indication of performance. The index is used by other software publishers, so you can buy programs that are matched to your computer's base score. For more information, see What is the Windows Experience Index?

To view detailed information about the hardware on your computer, such as processor speed, the amount of random access memory (RAM) installed, and hard disk size, click View and print details.