Optimizing Windows 11 for Gaming

Updates:

• 2025-01-11: Added link to second part, covering disabling services.
• 2025-01-09: Clarified issues if fully removing the GameBar and instructions to reinstall it.
• 2025-01-06: Added O&O ShutUp and O&O AppBuster apps, and Settings app links to most options. Kudos to Lobo666 for the suggestions!

My gaming PC was due an upgrade (more like a full replacement), and now I have Windows 11. Continuing the trend, Win11 contains more bloat and pseudo-hidden options than Windows 10, which was already worse than Windows 7. I want a fully updated system, so I won't downgrade it. And I will exclusively use this computer for gaming, which means that I can remove, disable and turn off a few things and free those resources for videogames.

This guide is based on my experience, so your mileage may vary, and I'll say it again: I only use this PC for gaming. Follow my recommendations at your own risk, and using your judgement to decide if something might not be OK for your scenario. I, of course, accept feedback, corrections and suggestions, but I won't provide any kind of technical support. In case of doubt with any step, don't replicate it.

Some of the options that I disable relate to privacy rather than performance, and one or two improve your system security. I'll indicate what relates to what using the following emojis:

• ⚙️ → Performance
• 🔎 → Privacy
• 🛡️ → Security

The guide will be mostly text because some screens might change in the future. By reading you can always deduce the intention and, if some label or button has been moved around or changed a bit, you can adapt.

I will go in the displayed order (which is not sorted alphabetically, as you will notice), and skip sections that are irrelevant (e.g. the "Focus mode").

Most of the "Settings App" options are hyperlinks to ms-settings: URIs (more info here), meaning that if you open them from Windows (only tested with Edge browser), they will take you directly to the corresponding section.

One last note: This guide covers tweaking Windows settings, removing bloat, and disabling many features, with one notable exception: Windows Services. Those are covered here: Disabling unneeded Windows 11 Services (for gaming).

Turn Off Hard-Drive Indexing ⚙️

This is the first thing I do, because it takes minutes to execute, even on an SSD drive. Searches for files will take long, but they do still work.

Open the File Explorer → Open My Pc → right click on C: (and/or other drives) → Uncheck "Allow files on this drive to have contents indexed in addition to file properties: → click Apply → Go grab a coffee.

If it warns that cannot apply changes on some files, just choose Skip or Skip All.

Note: You must apply this on each hard drive you have.

Settings App - System - Display ⚙️

Most of these options are unrelated to performance, but there are two sections to check:

• Scale and Layout section → Scale: At least in past versions of Windows, changing the scaling from the default 100% could a) cause visual glitches in a few games and b) incur a small performance penalty on Windows. My personal recommendation is that you instead lower the Display Resolution, so the graphics card does not need to do any extra scaling effort, as you can specify any in-game resolution inside videogames.
• Graphics:
  • Optimizations for Windowed Games: Important to ensure it is On, as quite a few games seem to favour a "borderless windowed" default mode.
  • Custom settings for Applications: If you have two (or more) graphic cards (e.g. a gaming laptop usually comes with a low-spec intel card, plus a nice AMD or NVidia GPU), I like to add every game and game launcher that I install to the Custom settings for applications list, ensuring that the GPU preference is set to the gaming GPU.

Settings App - System - Sound ⚙️

Nothing to change here, but I want to remark a good tip in case you have sound issues with older Windows games and emulators. If the sound sounds broken, check the following:

• Advanced → More sound settings → Speakers (or any other playback device you see listed) → Properties → Advanced → Default Format: By default it will be 16 bit, 48000 Hz (DVD Quality); that's good, but if having issues, lower it to 16 bit, 44100 Hz (CD Quality).

Settings App - System - Notifications ⚙️ 🔎

I don't like them, so I simply disable everything, but this is optional.

• Notification: Set to Off.
• Do not disturb: Set to On.
• Startup App Notification: Set to Off.
• Under the Additional Settings expandable section there are more Windows-related notification "types", I uncheck all of them.

The following Registry setting was supposed to fully disable the Notifications Center, but the task bar icon does not go away.

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer → New DWORD item → key DisableNotificationCenter → value 1 → Restart your computer.

Settings App - System - Power ⚙️

• Power Mode: Set to Best Performance.
• Screen, sleep & hibernate timeouts: I have all of them set to Never (either I play, or I turn the PC off).
• Energy saver: I have set it to Off.

Settings App - System - Storage ⚙️

• The list of categories is quite useful, specially the Temporary files one. I like to enter it and click the Remove files occasionally, but first be careful to uncheck the DirectX Shader Cache subcategory.

• Storage management → Storage Sense: Set to Off.

• Advanced storage settings → Drive optimization: Never run this on a Solid-State Disk drive (SSD)! This is for old SATA drives, where disk seeks hurt a lot [1].

Settings App - System - Nearby Sharing 🛡️ 🔎

I simply turn it Off.

Settings App - System - Clipboard 🔎

• Clipboard history across your devices: Set it to Off.
• Suggested actions: Set it to Off.

Settings App - System - System Components ⚙️

I have no idea how these apps differ from normal applications, services, or Windows components, but I'm past the research phase. I simply disable everything that I don't need. To disable a component, at the right of the item there is a three dots ... button → Advanced options → Background component permissions.

Out of my default list, I set the following run with background permission Never: - Dev Home - Get Help - Mobile devices - Phone Link

The remaining ones, I ensure they are with the permission type Power optimized.

Settings App - System - Optional Features ⚙️

From the Added features list, remove at your discretion those that you don't feel like using (e.g. Windows Hello, Steps Recorder and the like).

Settings App - System - About ⚙️ 🛡️

This apparently innocuous screen contains a few essential options!

The System Protection link opens the System Properties window, of which we're interested in:

• Advanced system settings:
  • Performance:
    • Visual Effects: Your mileage may vary, but I set it to Custom and leave checked only three settings: Show shadows under mouse pointer, Show translucent selection rectangle and Smooth edges of screen fonts.
    • Advanced:
      • Processor scheduling should be set to Programs.
      • Virtual Memory section → Change button:
        • Note: After each change, click Ok, ignore the restart requirement, and enter again.
        • Disable Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.
        • Set a Custom size with the same Initial Size and Maximum size. There are many theories of which size is optimal, but as long as you have enough RAM it won't paginate much, so I leave it at something around 10GB (10240 MB). What is important is to have it with a fixed size, to avoid extra I/O resizing the pagination file.
        • You should only set a pagination file in a single drive, make sure the others have No paging file selected. You can also fully disable it for all drives, but some old games explicitly check for its status, so it is best to leave it on.
    • Data Execution Prevention: Ensure it is on the Turn on DEP for essential Windows programs and services only choice.
  • Startup and Recovery: I don't have dual boot, so I uncheck all Time to display xxx boxes. I also set the Write debugging information to (none) because I don't know how nor want to analyze crash dumps 😉.
• System Protection: Creates restore points for when drivers get updated and the like. You might want to leave this option on, but since Windows Vista I've never had to use it, and you will get a few GBs back if you disable it. Click on the Configure button, and there you can both check Disable system protection and click on the Delete all restore points for this drive related button.
• Remote: I always disable Remote Assistance, as it is highly unlikely that you will ever need it, and it is an attack vector for phishing.

Settings App - Bluetooth & Devices - Mobile Devices 🔎

• Allow this PC to access your mobile devices: Set to Off
• Phone Link: Set to Off
• Show me suggestions for using my mobile device with Windows: Set to Off

Settings App - Bluetooth & Devices - Mouse ⚙️

Just one option to care about:

• Enhance pointer precision: Set to Off

Settings App - Bluetooth & Devices - AutoPlay 🛡️

Old habit, to play safe specially with USB-Drives.

• Use AutoPlay for all media and devices: Set to Off
• Choose AutoPlay defaults:
  • Removable drive: Set to Take no action
  • Memory card: Set to Take no action
  • If you see more, set them all to Take no action

Settings App - Network & internet - Advanced network settings ⚙️

• In the Network adapters section: For each one that you see listed, click to expand → Edit button → Uncheck or Uninstall the QoS Packet Scheduler if you see it.

Settings App - Personalization - Colors ⚙️

• Transparency effects: Set to Off.

Settings App - Personalization - Lock screen ⚙️ 🔎

• Personalize your lock screen → Get fun facts, tips, tricks [...]: Uncheck.
• Lock screen status: Set to None.

Settings App - Personalization - Text input ⚙️ 🔎

Customize Copilot key on keyboard: Set to None selected

Settings App - Personalization - Start ⚙️

Up to you, in my case I prefer the More pins layout, and disable everything related with "recommendations", notifications and "recently added apps".

You might want to check the Folders section, as there you can add a button to show a Settings icon near the power off one (instead of having to deal with a shortcut/icon to the "app").

Settings App - Personalization - Taskbar ⚙️

• Taskbard items:
  • Search: I Hide it.
  • Task view: Set to Off.
  • Widgets: Set to Off.
• Other system tray icons: I like having On the Hidden icon menu, so I know that Windows is hiding something from me (the default for all new or updated tray applications 🤷)
• Taskbar behaviors: I set everything to Off
  • Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels: I like the Always option, more space and I always have few things running at once.

Settings App - Personalization - Device usage ⚙️ 🔎

Simply set to Off every option that appears. Everything seems to be related with gathering metrics from you and targeting you.

Settings App - Apps - Installed apps ⚙️

Uninstall everything that you are not going to use. These are the apps I commonly leave:

• Gaming Services
• Microsoft .NET Runtime(s)
• Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable(s) (in time, you'll have a decent amount of these)
• Microsoft Edge (it needs its own share of clean-ups and configuration, but with an AdBlock it is good and fast)
• Notepad
• Photos
• Sniping Tool
• Terminal
• Web Media Extensions (if you leave Edge, I guess you need them)
• Xbox
• Xbox Live
• And any specific driver or application, e.g. sound card drivers

Settings App - Apps - Advanced app settings ⚙️ 🔎

• Choose where to get apps: Select Anywhere.
• Share across devices: Set to Off.
• Archive apps: Set to Off.

Settings App - Apps - Startup ⚙️

• Microsoft Edge: Set to Off.
• XBox and any other app you don't see as really critical to have running when Windows starts, set to Off.

Settings App - Accounts - Windows backup 🔎

I don't use OneDrive, so I uninstall it (from the Apps → Installed apps section).

• Remember my apps: Set to Off.
• Remember my preferences: Set to Off.

Settings App - Time & language - Typing ⚙️ 🔎

I turn Off every option as I only use the computer for gaming, but you might want to act differently.

• Typing insights → I turn this Off, I don't want any "AI"-enhanced keylogger.

Settings App - Gaming - Game Bar ⚙️

• Allow your controller to open Game Bar: Set to Off.

Settings App - Gaming - Game Mode ⚙️

• Game Mode: Set to On.

Settings App - Accessibility - Visual effects ⚙️

• Transparency effects: Set to Off
• Animation effects: Set to Off

Settings App - Accessibility - Narrator ⚙️

• Narrator: Set to Off.
• Keyboard shortcut for Narrator: Set to Off.

Settings App - Accessibility - Speech ⚙️ 🔎

• Voice access: Set to Off.

Settings App - Accessibility - Keyboard ⚙️

Some of these are more annoyances than real performance drainers, but good to turn off anyway.

• Sticky keys: Set to Off.
• Filter keys: Set to Off.

Settings App - Privacy & security - Windows Security 🛡️ 🔎

The most secure values are the ones set by default, so I won't enter into much detail. This section also simply opens the Windows Security application, so there are no options here.

Inside the Windows Security app, I personally only disable three options:

• Virus & threat protection settings → Dev Drive protection: Set to Off (what are Windows 11 Dev Drives).
• Cloud-delivered protection: I set to Off because I prefer the daily update.
• Automatic sample submission: Set to Off.

Settings App - Privacy & security - Find my device 🔎

• Find my device: I set it Off because have a desktop gaming PC, if I "lose it" I'll have bigger problems than just the PC.

Settings App - Privacy & security - General 🔎

Simply turn Off every option in this page, everything is related to tracking and advertising.

Settings App - Privacy & security - Speech ⚙️ 🔎

• Online speech recognition: Set to Off.

Settings App - Privacy & security - Inking & typing personalization 🔎

• Custom inking and typing dictionary: Set to Off.

Settings App - Privacy & security - Diagnostics & feedback 🔎

Turn Off every option in this page, and set Feedback frequency to Never.

Settings App - Privacy & security - Activity history 🔎

• Activity History → Store my activity history on this device: Set to Off.

Settings App - Privacy & security - Search permissions 🔎

• SafeSearch: Set to Off.
• Cloud content search
  • Microsoft account: Set to Off.
  • Work or School account: Set to Off.
• History
  • Search history on this device: Set to Off
• More settings
  • Show search highlights: Set to Off.
• Web search
  • Let search apps show results: Set to Off.

Settings App - Privacy & security - Searching Windows ⚙️

• Find my files: Set to Classic.

Settings App - Privacy & security - App permissions 🔎

This is very personal, but I advise going and checking every permission category ("Location", "Camera", etcetera) and ensure that everything is in order.

Settings App - Windows Update - Advanced options 🔎

• Receive updates for other Microsoft products: I set this to Off because I don't use office, so manage other application updates myself (as of late, most apps include update checks when starting up).
• Notify me when a restart is requiered to finish updating: I set this to On. I'd rather know that my shutdown will take extra and potentially include a restart, instead of it being a surprise.

Settings App - Windows Update - Advanced options - Delivery Optimization 🛡️ 🔎

• Allow downloads from other devices: Set to Off. Even if they check signatures of "network updates", as I trust they will do, I'd rather not have my computer snooping my local network, and by no means I want to be a peer-to-peer node for Windows updates.

File Explorer ⚙️ 🛡️

Windows File Explorer is getting worse and worse on each version, and lately, you can't even remove half of the useless stuff it contains. Oh, and the Apply to all folders option seems to still be not working (since Windows 10 at least, but I skipped Windows 8 so maybe they NOOP-ed it then).

Anyway, these are my Folder Options and recommendations (I'm omitting options that don't matter regarding performance or security):

• General:
  • Browse folders: Select Open each folder in the same Window, it is faster than having multiple File Explorer processes.
  • Show recently used files: Uncheck.
  • Show frequenty used folders: Uncheck.
  • Show files from Office.com: Uncheck.
• View:
  • Always show icons, never thumbnails: Check.
  • Decrease space between items (compact view): Check.
  • Display the full path in the title bar: Check.
  • Hidden files and folders: Select Show hidden files, folders, and drives.
  • Hide empty drives: Uncheck.
  • Hide extensions for known file types: Uncheck.
  • Hide folder merge conflicts: Uncheck.
  • Hide protected operating system files (Recommended): Uncheck.
  • Show preview handlers in preview pane: Uncheck.
  • Use Sharing Wizard (Recommended): Uncheck.
  • Navigation pane:
    • Show Network: Uncheck (unless you have network PCs you want to access).
• Search:
  • When searching non-indexed locations:
    • Include compressed files [...]: Uncheck.
    • Always search file names and contents [...]: Uncheck.

Disk Cleanup app ⚙️

This tool is very useful to clean most Windows temporary files. Perhaps the Settings App → System → Storage section uses this app under the hood? Because they are quite similar. Anyway, this is what I do once per month:

• I run it once per hard disk drive
• After selecting a drive, before anything else, click on the Clean up system files button (it will reload with additional options)
• I select every "file to delete" except DirectX Shader Cache

NVCleanInstall app (third-party) ⚙️

If you have an NVidia GPU, the official drivers' installer comes bloated with a lot of stuff you probably will never use, but that will consume resources anyway. NVCleanInstall is a remarkable free tool that allows you to download the latest drivers and repackage the installer, letting you choose before what features to include.

For example, I only install the video and PhysX drivers, remove the installer telemetry, and do an unattended upgrade express installation. A must-have.

O&O ShutUp10++ app (third-party) ⚙️ 🔎

O&O ShutUp is a free tool to easily and quickly disabling the privacy-invasive features of Windows 10 and 11. Plus many other than some people (like me) think that should also be opt-in, instead of opt-out.

I personally run it with every option selected.

O&O AppBuster app (third-party) ⚙️ 🔎

O&O AppBuster is a tiny free tool to show all Windows programs installed, including some hidden Microsoft ones. It also allows you to remove them, so for example, you can really get rid of OneDrive (instead of simply disabling it).

Note that you might not be able to fully remove some Microsoft apps, but you can always disable them for the current user.

These are the apps that I remove/disable:

• Cross Device Experience Host
• Dev Home
• Game Bar (do not remove, just disable [2])
• Game Speech Window
• Get Help
• OneDrive
• Widgets Platform Runtime

Extra: Other Windows Tools

For your information, I maintain a page on this blog about some Windows 10/11 tools that I like. It's a small list, but it might be of interest.

[1]: On an SSD drive, Defragging the space does a lot of extra writes (lowering the lifespan of the device) for a minimal performance gain. Remember that games often load a full level, or most of the data, into memory before you play the level or match. A potential extra second or two maximum of saved time it's not worth degrading the SSD life.

[2]: If you fully remove the Game Bar, Windows will annoy you with unassociated handler for ms-gamebarlink messages, and you can't avoid it. So it is best to only disable. And if you removed it, to get it back open the Microsoft XBox app, it will detect that the gamebar app is missing and allow you to reinstall it.