In this Windows 10 performance optimization guide, you’ll learn 13 proven methods to make your computer faster, more responsive, and reliable, especially for gaming, audio recording, or professional use.
1. Disable Sleep Mode to Avoid System Glitches
Sleep Mode can cause serious performance issues in Windows 10, especially with external devices like audio interfaces or USB controllers.
Go to Start → Power Options → Sleep → Never.
Sleep Mode suspends drivers instead of reloading them properly. When your PC wakes up, devices may lose connection, causing pops, clicks, distortion, or even total audio loss. For best results, turn off Sleep Mode completely, or manually unplug devices before sleeping your system.
💡 Tip: Always reconnect your audio device after waking your PC for fresh driver enumeration.
2. Set Power Options to “High Performance”
One of the easiest yet most effective Windows 10 performance optimization tricks is switching to the High Performance power plan.
Steps:
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Right-click Start → Power Options
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Click Additional Power Settings
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Choose High Performance
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Then go to Change Plan Settings → Change Advanced Power Settings
Now set these:
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Turn off hard disk after: Never
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Sleep after: Never
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USB selective suspend: Disabled
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Processor minimum state: 100%
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Processor maximum state: 100%
These tweaks ensure your CPU always performs at its best without throttling down during intensive work.
3. Disable USB Port Power Management
Windows sometimes powers down USB ports to save energy — bad news for connected devices.
To fix this:
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Open Device Manager
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Expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers
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Right-click each USB Root Hub → Properties → Power Management Tab
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Uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”
This ensures stable device connections during long sessions.
4. Turn Off Drive Indexing
Drive indexing speeds up file searches but can slow down system performance.
To disable:
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Open File Explorer
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Right-click C: Drive → Properties
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Uncheck “Allow files on this drive to have contents indexed.”
This change minimizes background disk activity, improving read/write speed.
5. Manually Set the Page File Size
Windows automatically adjusts your virtual memory, which can lead to lag.
Instead:
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Type Advanced System Settings in the Start menu
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Go to Performance → Settings → Advanced → Virtual Memory → Change
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Uncheck “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.”
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Set a Custom Size of 1024 MB or higher.
This keeps memory allocation consistent and prevents unnecessary slowdowns.
6. Disable System Sounds
System sounds might seem harmless but can interfere with audio drivers.
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Go to Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Sound
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Under the Sounds tab, select No Sounds
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Click Apply → OK
This simple tweak is especially useful for recording studios and gaming setups.
7. Adjust Visual Effects & Processor Scheduling
Visual effects look great but consume resources.
To disable:
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Right-click Start → System → Advanced System Settings
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Under Performance, click Settings
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Choose Adjust for Best Performance
You can keep “Smooth edges of screen fonts” for readability.
Then under the Advanced tab, set Processor Scheduling to Background Services, this gives priority to audio and driver performance.
8. Disable Windows Background Apps
Background apps drain memory and CPU.
To disable:
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Go to Settings → Privacy → Background Apps
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Turn off apps you don’t use regularly.
This frees up valuable system resources.
9. Turn Off “Updates from More Than One Place”
Windows 10 uses your internet bandwidth to share updates with other PCs, not ideal for performance.
Read more about it here: Microsoft Power User Guide
Turn it off by navigating to:
Settings → Update & Security → Delivery Optimization, then disable “Allow downloads from other PCs.”
10. Disable Fast Boot
Fast Boot acts like a “mini sleep mode” and can cause driver issues.
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Go to Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do
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Uncheck “Turn on fast startup (recommended)”
Though it speeds up boot time slightly, disabling it gives you a cleaner system start.
11. Enable Deep S4/S5 States in BIOS
Some motherboards disable deep sleep states (S4/S5) by default. Enabling them ensures your PC shuts down completely.
Refer to your motherboard manual or visit Microsoft Documentation on Power States to learn more.
12. Disable Firewalls and Antivirus (For Offline Systems)
If your computer is dedicated to professional work like music production and doesn’t need internet access, disable antivirus and firewall tools to reduce CPU load.
Learn how to use your router’s firewall here: Lifewire Guide
Heavy antivirus software like Norton, McAfee, or AVG can slow down system performance. Instead, use built-in Windows Defender or rely on safe browsing habits.
13. Disable Unused Network Adapters
Most PCs have both Ethernet and Wi-Fi adapters, if you only use one, disable the other to reduce background processes.
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Open Device Manager → Network Adapters
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Right-click unused adapters → Disable
This step improves overall system responsiveness and reduces network interference.
Final Step: Restart Your PC
After applying all these Windows 10 performance optimization techniques, restart your computer. You’ll notice smoother performance, faster load times, and fewer glitches. If you still experience audio or driver issues, contact your hardware manufacturer’s support team for specialized help.
