Windows 11 is the new default Windows OS, but many of us still feel that it lacks optimization. Be it a large number of bloatware apps or a newly redesigned context menu, Windows 11 still feels alien more than a year after its launch. I wholeheartedly believe that the new Windows OS does bring some really cool new features.
For example, the Windows UI is more suited for touch-based laptops. The revamp of the settings menu is much better than before. Moreover, Windows 11 also gives you more granular control over when you want to update your operating system. As someone who always likes to wait for reviews before updating to the newest software, this feature is highly appreciated.
Windows 11 Tips & Tricks for your Laptop
So today, let’s take the mix of features that Windows 11 has and make it more awesome.
1. Clean Windows 11 Bloatware
Press the Windows button, and you’ll see a bunch of apps you never thought you’d see on a Windows PC. The list includes Facebook, Instagram, Prime Video, Twitter, and so on. Instead of installing 10 individual apps that’ll forever take up space on your PC’s drive, it’s much simpler to use the web-based version of these apps via Chrome.
Individually deleting these programs wastes time, and there’s a good chance you might miss one or two useless apps among so many. Enter ThisisWin11, it’s available on GitHub for download, and it searches your computer and compiles a list of every non-essential app it can find. From that list, you can select the ones you don’t want and delete all of them in a single click. Removing bloatware will also free up some memory on your laptop, making it perform better as well.
2. Bring back the Windows 10 Context Menu (Right-Click Menu)
If you want to open the “Properties” of any file or folder, you’ll have to first right-click on the same and then left-click on ‘Show More Options’ to get the full context menu. For many users, this extra click is annoying and a waste of time. But there’s a simple solution.
Right-click on the Windows icon in the taskbar and open “Terminal.” After that, copy and paste this command –
reg.exe add “HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32” /f /ve
Press enter, restart your PC, and you’re set. Now every time you right-click on any file or folder, the full context menu will open.
3. Make Windows react faster
Windows 11 animation looks cool, and a lot of people love it, but if you’re using a laptop, it can affect your battery life. To disable it, click on the Windows icon, go to settings, and then to Accessibility and select visual effects. Inside the menu, turn off Animation effects. Doing so will give a boost to your laptop’s battery life. And your PC becomes more responsive as well.
4. Storage Sense
The drive on an old Windows PCs tends to slow down. But it doesn’t have to remain that way forever. Running up “Storage Sense” is a quick and easy way to revitalize the drive on your system and clean a bit of locally available cloud content.
To perform storage sense – Go to settings, then to storage, and click on storage sense. It would be turned OFF by default. If so, then turn it ON and then click on it. Now, scroll down and click on “Run Storage Sense Now.” The process will take around a minute or two; after it’s done, it’ll boost your storage.
5. Lower Refresh Rate
A lot of gaming laptops nowadays come with a high refresh rate display. Usually, it ranges between 120Hz, 144Hz, 165Hz, and even goes up to 360Hz. When your laptop is plugged in, having the screen running at a high refresh rate isn’t an issue. However, if your laptop is unplugged, a high refresh rate display can drain your laptop’s battery very quickly.
Therefore, to lower the refresh rate go to settings, then system, and click on Display. Here, scroll down, click on Advance Display, and in the Choose Refresh Rate option, select 60Hz.
It will give a significant boost to your battery life.
6. Enable Windows Preview
Opening and closing every file in Windows just to view its contents is boring and consumes time. Instead, just press Alt + P, and it’ll open a preview tab on the right-hand side of the screen. Now, whenever you select a file, its contents will appear on the right side.
7. Adjust Power Settings
To further maximize your laptop’s battery, you can change your system’s power setting to efficiency or power saving mode. If you’re a gaming laptop, then it would also feature custom firmware. For instance, Acer gaming laptops have Nitro Sense, ASUS Gaming laptops have Armory Crate, Lenovo machines come with Vantage, and so on.
To adjust power settings, click on the Windows icon, go to settings, and select power and battery. Scroll down and find the power mode option and select either Best Power Efficiency mode. Now your laptop will drastically reduce CPU power and increase your laptop’s battery life.
8. Night Light
Watching Blue light late at night can force disrupt your sleeping schedule. To keep yourself protected, turn ON the Night light, which will cover your screen in an orangish hue. You can either turn this feature on instantly at any time of the day, or you can schedule it.
To do so, click on Windows, go to settings, click on System, and select Display. Here you can turn the night light ON or OFF. If you want to schedule it, click on Night Light and toggle Schedule Night Light. You can also set the strength of the orange-ish hue as per your preference.
These tips aim to improve your laptop’s performance and battery life and add a host of quality-of-life changes that you wish Microsoft would bring in a feature update. And if you’re in the market for a Windows laptop with super long battery life and top-notch performance, don’t forget to out our review of the Lenovo Yoga 9i.
