Clean Windows: The Best Way to Boost Speed and Performance (2026 Update)

Before anything else: if you’re still running Windows 10, the most important thing to know isn’t how to clean it up — it’s that Microsoft ended free support for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025. Your PC still boots and runs, but it no longer receives free security patches, feature updates, or technical support from Microsoft. If you enrolled in the Consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, you’re covered for critical and important security fixes through 12 October 2027 — but that’s a bridge, not a long-term plan. This changes what “cleaning up” your PC should actually mean in 2026. We’ve rewritten this guide accordingly.

Step one: work out whether you should be cleaning Windows 10 at all

Before you spend time debloating an unsupported operating system, check whether your PC is eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 11 — the more secure, actively supported option. Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update (or run the PC Health Check app) to see if you’ve already been offered the upgrade. If your hardware is eligible, upgrading is almost always the better move before you invest time in cleanup. If it isn’t eligible, you have three realistic options: enrol in Windows 10 ESU as a stopgap, replace the PC, or accept the security risk of running an unpatched OS (not recommended for anyone handling email, banking, or business data). Our Windows 11 upgrade service can check your hardware’s eligibility and handle the migration, including moving your files and settings across.

If you’re staying on Windows 10 for now (via ESU)

The original bloatware and ads advice below still broadly applies to Windows 10, with one caveat: Cortana was retired from Windows entirely in 2023, so you won’t find it cluttering your taskbar anymore. Everything else — pre-installed games, bloatware, ads, and OneDrive prompts — is still fair game to clean up.

If you’ve moved to Windows 11: here’s the current debloating process

Windows 11 ships with its own version of the same problem — trial software, promotional “recommendations,” and background processes that eat RAM and slow startup. The safe approach in 2026 is to work in layers rather than ripping things out blindly:

1. Create a restore point first. Search “Create a restore point” in Start, and set one before making any changes, so you can undo anything that causes problems.
2. Remove unwanted apps via Settings. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps (this replaces the old Control Panel “Uninstall a Program” route). Sort by size or name and uninstall trial software, games, and manufacturer utilities you don’t use.
3. Clean up the taskbar and Start menu. Right-click the taskbar, select Taskbar settings, and turn off Widgets, Copilot, and any other items you don’t use. Under Settings > Personalization > Start, turn off “Show recommendations” to stop app promotions cluttering your Start menu.
4. Turn off ads and recommendations. Head to Settings > Privacy & security > Recommendations & offers and switch these off — this is where most of the lock screen, Start menu, and notification-area advertising is controlled from in current Windows builds.
5. Clear temporary files automatically. Turn on Storage Sense under Settings > System > Storage to have Windows clean up temp files and old downloads on a schedule, rather than doing it manually.
6. Review startup apps every few months. New software quietly re-adds itself to your startup list after updates — check Settings > Apps > Startup periodically and disable anything you don’t need launching automatically.

If you want to go further, community tools like WinUtil and Win11Debloat can batch-remove built-in apps via PowerShell — but these are for confident users; run them interactively rather than on full-auto, and always have that restore point ready first. If that’s more than you want to tackle yourself, our PC tune-up service covers exactly this kind of cleanup professionally.

Replacing Edge as your default browser

This is still a common request, and the process hasn’t fundamentally changed: go to Settings > Apps > Default apps, search for your preferred browser (Chrome, Firefox, or Edge itself if you’re switching back), and set it as default for web browsing file types. Keep Edge installed even if you don’t use it day to day — some Windows features and updates still rely on its underlying components.

PC still running slow after cleanup?

If you’ve worked through the steps above and your PC is still sluggish — especially if you’re also seeing sudden performance drops, unexpected pop-ups, or a fast-shrinking hard drive — that points to something beyond normal clutter, potentially malware. This is especially worth taking seriously if you’re one of the many people still running Windows 10 without ESU or antivirus protection. Get in touch for professional virus and malware removal, or explore our full computer maintenance service for a proper diagnosis.