How to Make Your Old Computer Feel New Again 2/2

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Step 5: Limit which apps launch on startup

The hardest parts are over! Now that you have only the apps you need, it’s time to select which ones you want to launch every time the computer starts up. Turning some startup apps off will make your computer boot faster, and it’ll feel faster with fewer programs running constantly in the background.


Most apps do not need to launch every single time you boot your
Windows computer.


In Windows, you can see which apps launch automatically on startup by going to Settings > Apps > Startup. You should toggle most of them off—keep only those apps and features that you want running every single time you launch your computer, such as your password manager, backup software, or any software necessary for your peripherals. Specific apps such as Slack or Discord may not need to launch automatically every time you start your computer.


On a Mac, you can customize which apps open when you log in
and which ones can run in the background.

In macOS, open System Settings and go to General > Login Items & Extensions. Here you can remove items you don’t want automatically launching when you log in and trim those that you don’t want running in the background.

Step 6: Consider the humble browser extension

Next up, you should remove unused browser extensions and disable the ones you use only occasionally. Doing so can improve performance and sew up potential security holes.


In Chrome and other browsers, you can remove unused
extensions and disable those you don’t use often.

• Chrome: Under the three-dot menu, go to Extensions > Manage extensions. Click the Remove button to uninstall unused extensions, and use the toggle to disable those you don’t need running all the time.

• Edge: Click the three-dot menu and then click Extensions. In the new window that appears, click Manage extensions. The Remove button uninstalls extensions, while the toggle disables them until you need them again.

• Safari: Click Safari in the menu bar and then choose Settings > Extensions. Here you can select extensions from the list and click Uninstall on the items you don’t need.

• Firefox: Click the puzzle piece in the upper-right corner and then choose Manage extensions. To uninstall unused extensions, click the three-dot menu next to the extension and select Remove. As in the other browsers, you can use the toggle to disable extensions.

If you use Windows, you should check your extensions in Edge even if you don’t use that browser regularly. Edge may have automatically imported everything from Chrome, even if you didn’t tell it to.

Also consider using an ad blocker, which can make web pages load faster, especially on older, lower-performance PCs. Blocking ads also offers the bonuses of making websites look cleaner and making your browsing experience more secure.

Step 7: Enable automatic updates and update your drivers

Now you need to make sure that your operating system is current and that you have automatic updates enabled so you don’t have to think about it going forward. This helps keep your computer secure, and the updates can also fix bugs, improve performance, and add new features.


Toggle these four options on in macOS to enable automatic
operating system and app updates.

On a Mac, open System Settings and then click General > Software updates to install any outstanding updates. Also in this menu, you can click the “i” symbol next to Automatic Updates and toggle on all four options to keep your operating system and apps automatically updated.

In Windows 11, go to Settings > Windows Update and then select Check for updates. Download and install any updates that are currently outstanding. Windows 11 is already set to automatically download and install updates, but you can go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options and set your active hours so that Windows Update doesn’t run during your workday. Then open the Microsoft Store, click the portrait in the top-right corner, select Settings, and make sure the App updates toggle is enabled.


You can check for, download, and install any available updates in
Windows Update.

If you have a Windows PC, you should also check for driver updates to keep all your hardware in working order. Go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates. There you’ll find drivers to install for specific devices. Windows Update should take care of most drivers, but you may also want to check for and run any updates available in the app provided by your computer manufacturer—Dell SupportAssist, Lenovo Vantage, MyAsus, HP Support Assistant, or the like—to ensure that your PC continues to run smoothly.

If you have a gaming PC with a dedicated graphics card, you can also update your graphics drivers using the Nvidia App, AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, or Intel Arc Control.

Even though future OS updates should download and install automatically, you may need to reboot your computer now and again to complete the update process. Be sure to do so when it asks!

Step 8: Turn off features you’re not using

You may also be able to improve performance, reclaim storage, and reduce visual clutter by turning off operating system features you’re not using.


By default, the Windows search screen and taskbar are a cluttered mess.


But with a bit of cleanup, you can more easily access the apps, files,
and settings you use.

Here are a few quick and easy ways to tidy up Windows 11:

• Right-click the Taskbar at the bottom and select Taskbar settings. There you can turn off Widgets and customize how much space Search takes up. You can unpin taskbar shortcuts you’re not using by right-clicking the icon and selecting Unpin from taskbar.

• In the Start menu, you can right-click apps you don’t use and select Uninstall to remove them. You can also select Unpin from Start for any apps you don’t want pinned there.

• Go to Settings > Personalization > Start and disable Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more and Show account-related notifications. You can also customize the ratio of pinned apps to recommended apps and recently opened files.

• Click Settings > Privacy & security > Search permissions, scroll all the way down to More settings, and toggle Show search highlights off to remove a bunch of clutter from the search menu.

• To turn off the ads and widgets that appear when you log in to your computer, go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen. Under “Personalize your lock screen,” select Picture to get access to the option to uncheck Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen. Then, next to “Lock screen status,” select None.

• Go to Settings > Privacy & security > General to disable personalized ads, turn off suggested content in the Settings app, and more. (I personally toggle them all off.)

• You can turn off feedback notifications by going to Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback and setting “Feedback frequency” to Never.

• And finally, go Settings > System > Notifications, scroll all the way down, and click Additional settings. Uncheck all three boxes there to reduce the number of times your computer bloops at you about Game Pass and disable future full-screen “Finish setting up your PC” nags.

In macOS, if you don’t use GarageBand (and you didn’t do this in a previous step), you can free up a couple gigabytes of storage by opening System Settings and going to General > Storage > Music Creation > Remove GarageBand Sound Library. And if you have a Mac with 8 GB of memory or a relatively small SSD, you may be able to improve your computer’s performance by disabling Apple Intelligence if you don’t want to use any of those features. Apple’s documentation says that the on-device models take up about 7 GB of storage and that those models “may be removed from your device” if you disable Apple Intelligence. We weren’t able to free up storage this way in our testing, but it’s worth a shot if you aren’t using the features anyway. To disable it, open System Settings, click Apple Intelligence & Siri, and toggle off Apple Intelligence.

Step 9: Customize the look of your PC, as a little treat

You did the hard part! Now for the fun part: making your computer look uniquely your own.


Ah, all tidied up.

In Windows, you can customize your desktop background and lock screen by going to Settings > Personalization > Background and Lock screen, respectively, and selecting an image or creating a slideshow. And under Personalization > Colors you can select Light or Dark mode and choose fun accent colors for windows and menus.


You can choose from Apple’s fun dynamic wallpapers or set a photo of your own.

On a Mac, you can change your wallpaper by opening System Settings and clicking Wallpaper. There you can select from Apple’s options—some of which change depending on the time of day—or add your own. You can also go to System Settings and click Screen Saver to choose from Apple’s screen saver options or add your own by choosing Other > Photos and selecting a folder of photos you’d like to cycle through. To choose Light or Dark mode and change the accent color, go to Appearance within System Settings.

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