why is Windows 11 so slow?

What computer are you using? How much RAM, what type of processor? Is it a computer with Windows pre-installed, or a custom system where you had to install the OS yourself? Are you on a Mac computer, trying to virtualize windows?
Looking forward to your response.

I know that certain screen readers can be a little sluggish with Outlook, especially the newer Web app Outlook that Microsoft introduced a couple of years back. However, Outlook Classic works amazingly well. I do not know what screen reader you use, but if you use NVDA, there's a nice little add-on to make Outlook Classic work even better for you. Ultimately though, I would recommend using a different email client. I don't know how many here actually use Outlook to be honest, besides myself and a few others.
As for your computer itself, yeah you definitely would do well with a newer, more advanced computer. Personally I would never recommend Acer if you can help it, and more RAM is always good.
That's why I asked for more info in my first reply to you, because I was shocked that you were having a problem with applications being slow to load. I don't have a, "top-of-the-line computer", or anything like that, however the laptop I use is pretty decent, and applications are pretty instantaneous. Except for the aforementioned newer Outlook that I mentioned above.

HTH.

I am using an Asus laptop, and haven't notice any slowdown for windows 11. But of course, if you're running windows 11 on older computer models, it is going to struggle with Windows 11. Because Microslop decided that it's a good idea to runs background entensive tasks without you knowing, making Windows 11 a resource hungry operating system. That's why most people who ran Windows 11 on their computer these days like to debloat their Windows 11 after installation.

DeBloat is amazing, and it's reversible. However it is wonderful for speeding up your computer, including boot time, and application processes. Definitely worth doing if you have a computer brand with lots and lots of bloatware, like my HP laptop for example. 😅

https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat

My computer can’t even run windows 11. It’s something with the hardware or something like that but I really don’t use a computer that much anymore so I don’t really care. I have Josh 2025 on it that I got last year because I thought I was gonna be using a computer more but I ended up not really using it too much so I’m not liking any rush to go get a computer that can run Windows 11 or anything that I really can’t really go to a computer right now anyway so I’m OK with that. I have a Lenovo laptop. I don’t remember the exact model or anything. I mean heck I still have a Lenovo computer that runs Windows 7. It’s yes still running the highest version of Jaws for that one was just 2021. I’ve been using my phone for basically everything now so I’m not too concerned about trying to find a new computer.

Could it be tire and need a brake. Depend on the PC, Processor, RAM and updates. Have windows 10 and is OK. Using a desktop. Long live cats.

If you're still on Windows 10, make sure you look into the ESS from Microsoft, it will extend your ability to download updates until October of this year. 🙂

Yes, it's really a thing. More information below.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/extended-security-updates

Edited because I originally posted the wrong link. 🙁

do the following to clear any unwanted apps:1. press windows plus x and let go.

2. you'll hear installed apps alt plus p, press enter on that.

wait for your apps to load, tab to them and once you hear the first app, arrow down until you hear an app you don't want, then press tab and you'll hear options button, press space or enter on that, arrow to uninstall and press space or enter.

3. press space or enter again on the warning and the app should be uninstalled.

so to recap, windows plus x, press enter on installed apps, tab to the apps list, arrow down, find one you don't want, press tab once to options, press enter or space, arrow down to uninstal, press enter or space twice once to press the button and another time to press ok on the warning, and you should be good to go.

Modern Windows versions are bloated, and there's no getting around it. Having said that, Windows isn't slow if you have decent hardware and take a few steps to improve the experience.

Make sure you're using a computer with at least a SATA SSD, though NVMe is much better. You should have at least 16 GB RAM. You can still get acceptable performance with 8, but I recommend 16 as the new baseline. Don't use a mechanical hard drive as your boot drive if you value your sanity! Modern Windows isn't optimized to run on those drives, and hasn't been since Windows 8 or 10. You should also be using an AMD Ryzen or Intel Core CPU from at least the last 10 to 12 years. If you've got some piece of junk like an Intel Celeron, Pentium, or those garbage AMD A CPUs with the built-in APU, that's a big reason why the experience is so bad. Those processors are extremely cheap, and you'd be far better off running something less resource intensive like Linux or ChromeOS.
If you got your computer from one of the big OEM manufacturers like Dell, HP, Acer, Asus, Lenovo, etc, take the time to perform a clean installation using a USB drive created with Microsoft's Media Creation Tool or Rufus. You'll get rid of manufacturer bloatware and have a faster, cleaner system.

It was the most painful laptop experience I’d ever had. 10+ seconds worth of lag when trying to do the most basic things. I’m so relieved to have an actual decent laptop now. Haha.

Need one, I have several external hardrive and wireless keyboard and headset connected to my PC. Typing ffrom my couch and the desktop is in my desk. Need to use windows 11. Would get a desktop mac but my external are for windows and same for keyboard and headset.

I could get along with disabling services I don't need and forcefully stopping edge from ever running, but man! These latest batches of laptops are really a joke.
A friend got a decent machine and it's still lagging like mad doing menial tasks"
It's insane. And come to find out that Maximum Performance power plan is hidden from the user unless you do a shell command to restore it.
How very frustrating, we have AI data centers chewing through energy so people can post vapidity on their Tiktoks but we need to disable every feature of a laptop to save power. Such is the modern experience.

As others suggest, get a fresh install or get WinAeroTweaker or some other debloatware and go through with a fine tooth comb. Set machine to max performance if possible, and always have a backup of your important files. Don't use Windows Restore or whatever, it never works right and loves to thrash SSD's creating restore points whenever you do anything besides boot your machine.

Have fun and hope you can wrestle your machine into being a good bit of kit.

I’m running a premium Lenovo equipped with the new Intel Ultra 7 Series 2, yet the performance is bafflingly sluggish. It throttles significantly on battery power and remains noticeably slow even when plugged into AC. Compared to my MacBook Air—which has its own software quirks—the Lenovo feels miles behind in raw speed.
To make matters worse, Outlook is a constant nightmare, and I’m plagued by persistent audio bugs where the system claims to be connected to Bluetooth headphones that aren't even on. I shouldn't have to toggle Bluetooth off just to get my speakers to work on a flagship device.

Could the RAM affect it? Long live cats.

It has 32GB of RAM and a 258V processor. So with range of specs I am not supposed to encounter any issue.

I really wish I understood why so many people have issues with Windows 11, on laptops that are far superior than mine. I am running an HP laptop, with a 3 GHz AMD processor, Radeon graphics, 16 GB of RAM, and one terabyte of onboard storage, And while it is absolutely a decent machine, it is in no way top-of-the-line.
Yet... Windows 11 runs like a dream. The only issue I have, which others have stated as well, is with the newer Outlook. Not Outlook classic, which actually runs really nice, if not for a bit of a cluttered interface. The new Outlook on the other hand, gives me a headache. so, I just don't use it. I use Outlook classic. Perhaps one day I will switch to an alternative email client.
I also prefer Firefox as my default browser, but that is just personal preference. Otherwise, my laptop runs great, Windows runs great, and I have long since removed all of the bloatware from it.

So, why do those of you with high-end PCs have such a hard time with Windows 11? I really, really would like to know this. Note I am not judging anyone here, I am genuinely asking out of curiosity.

Sometimes I doubt it is NVDA causing this. And yes my laptop has decent specs, yet I remember I read somewhere that the Ultra Series 2 processors have less P-Cores than the earlier Ultra Series 1. So this is another possibility.

Personally, I try to avoid Intel processors whenever possible. In my experiences, they are really only good at:
1. Overheating.
2. Subpar performance.

And really bad at:
1. Multitasking.

I will always choose AMD over Intel. I realize this is personal preference, but just offering my two cents. 🙂

Change the settings for power usage in Settings>System>Power. Set everything to best performance and make sure energy saver is never enabled. Of course, the tradeoff is that you'll get less runtime from your battery, but if performance is more important to you, go for it!

It works fine. I use Firefox and Microsoft edge and thunderbird with no issues. I've removed apps i odn't need. My laptop has 8 gigs of ram so yeah I'm confused. I've not even made many huge changes..

Agree with Brad. My laptop runs absolutely fine with no messing about with settings. So there must be something somewhere that is affecting certain people for some reason. Sounds like the odd iOS issues some have and others do not.

All of mine were set to balanced for plugged in and battery. Have changed them as suggested above to see if I can detect any difference. However, as I said my laptop seems fine so not sure anything will be obvious.

This is just personal preference, so take it for what it is.
Anyways, I have my laptop set up like this:
On battery power, I run it on balanced mode.
Plugged in, I run it on best performance.

Like someone mentioned above, I got rid of applications I don't need.

Honestly, sometimes it's more than just what brand/make of CPU you have. Yes that is important, but I've seen good and bad performances from AMD and Intel. I've ran into overheating, slow AMD boxes and fast quiet Intel ones, and vice versa.
Admittedly it could also be the latest versions of these CPU's with less cores and clock speed, or some new efficiency mode that may use lots less energy but takes twice as long to do basic stuff.

Or it could be Win11 itself. What version are you running?

Stay away from any of the Insider builds. Beta software can often cause issues, such as slowdowns, overheating, etc.

I have an HP laptop for work, and I use Fusion 2026. Lagging when on battery is so bad as to make the computer actually unuseable. My IT department tested a power machine, and same problem.
I need to use the laptop where plugging in isn't practical.
I had an idea last evening, and tried it at work today. I plugged the laptop into a power bank. It was not powerful enough to charge the laptop, but it fooled it into thinking it was plugged in, so the throttling stopped, and everything worked as normal.
Hopefully someone eventually figures it out, but this will work in the short term.

You may not be able to get past the throttling issue unless you have a really expensive gaming laptop. Laptops by their very nature conserve power when running on battery, because battery life and portability are prioritized over raw performance.

If you have $3500 check this out.Although is for gamers, you could do anything with it. My birthday is coming, Just saying.
ASUS ROG Flow Z13 Kojima Special Edition - The ULTIMATE GAMING LAPTOP - YouTube

I hear Asus make pretty good computers, however I also hear that their customer service is a matter of folklore.
Your mileage may vary.

I can easily find that by googling, but thought I may ask here considering that I may remove something screen reader rely on.
what apps to remove from Windows 11 to improve my experience?
My machine is a decent one, 32GB RAM and a 258V Intel Ultra 7 processor, yet lags do happen, and when it happens it drives me crazy.

I would remove anything that is branded software, if I remember correctly you are running a Lenovo laptop, so get rid of Lenovo stuff. The only thing I would consider keeping would be the thing that lets you alter BIOS settings. I hear it's actually accessible with the screen reader, which is pretty sweet. Otherwise, I would get rid of any of the Lenovo additions to Windows 11. Also, if your laptop comes with any third-party antivirus whatsoever, get rid of it. Windows Defender is quite adequate, not only for keeping viruses off of your computer, but keeping your ports safe and secure as well. That comes from Someone who has been in the field of cyber security for decades, and was in fact one of my teachers when I took a Cisco Cybersecurity course, a few years ago.
Otherwise, I would recommend running a DeBloat script on your computer. I posted this earlier in this thread, but I will post a link again below. I highly recommend you read it thoroughly, and choose which script you want to use. It is amazing for removing garbage applications, as well as speeding up boot time and application processes.

https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat

My hp has an aweful boot time of around 2min because of sure start. Can this debloat thing fix it?
Fortunately my hp is one of the last rare good one I guess in terms of keyboard, I can just do fn + left shift to toggle between media and function keys. No need to go in the bios.

You can DeBloat it, or at the very least disable/uninstall it. There are a couple of options here.
• you could perform a Windows search, and type HP surestart. If you have an application, assuming it is screen reader friendly you can just run that and disable the service. Surestart is a BIOS protection utility, it's supposed to be meant to keep your BIOS from becoming corrupted, either from an unstable firmware patch, or from malicious software. still, it can be disabled/removed.
• you can go into the Security tab under your BIOS, and just disable it.
• DeBloat it using one of the DeBloat power shell scripts from my link above.

HTH.

It depends on the specifications of your laptop/desktop. How much ram do you have? How many tabs do you keep open? Is your computer's storage filled up? All of these things effect the speed of Windows.

True, but let's not forget that sometimes software configurations can also be the cause of slow down. Definitely happens a lot more frequently with some of the more popular brand-name computers.
I'm looking at UHP. 🫣

Hey Brian, you know how people will post about how the Mac is unusable junk, and I'm like, nuh uh? Take your post on Windows and laptops, and apply it exactly to my feelings on Mac. People claim I can't take criticism of Mac, not at all true.

But you get this on both sides, oh Mac is unusable, Windows 11 is unusable, it sucks so much! But clearly, people use both to get stuff done. I'm not denying people's issues and experiences. But when you have so much stuff that more than one person has admitted to being terrified of even trying a Mac, I feel like we're going too far with the negativity, you know?

I don't think you get that with Windows, because it's got so much more market share. If you get a computer, you're likely getting Windows. But I'll bet you still have some people really scared of the experience of using a computer because of all the Windows hate.

But anyway, yeah, just that idea that it can work and do stuff just fine? That's where I'm at, with both of them. Your post on lapttops and Windows is exactly how I feel about all of it. People are obviously using both systems, throw Linux in there too, for getting whatever stuff they need done, and they're doing it all day every day.

It was such a great post capturing it I figured I'd respond. Because like you, I'm not trying to say anybody's wrong about their experiences or lying or anything. People say Linux is amazing and it's been pretty slow on everything I've tried it on. But I assume that's just me, and I could fix that, if I cared to take the time to figure out what's going on. Because there are clearly people using it all the time and loving it.

And now ... time for the excitement of laundry, oh boy!

The history of AppleVis can be summarized with the following statement:
People who prefer Mac, look down their noses at people who prefer Windows, and vice versa. Some of the posts in this thread, for example, are nothing more than a public display of distain for the Windows operating system. For the people who fit this category, if you prefer Mac, then by all means use Mac. Why, however, do you need to let us know just how much disdain you have for Windows?
Furthermore, why should we care? Like what you like. Use what you prefer to use, but for all that is good and right in this world, stop trying to convince us of what the best operating system is, the best computer is, or what the best piece of technology is in general, just because, you, think so.
Furthermore, if you are using Windows, and you're having issues, make sure you are at the very least on a stable build, and not part of the Insider program. I can't tell you how many times I have seen people on other platforms complaining about Windows Insider builds not working right. It's about as bad as people on here downloading beta OS, then five minutes after installation complaining because something isn't working. Not bug reporting, mind you, but just complaining in general.

It works well for me. Eventually I need to move to 11. So much thing to do for it. I use a desktop. Have wireless keyboard, and headset that I use and never get near the desk. My desktop is connected to a TV/ PC screen from Samsung that is over 8 hears. Long live cats. PS do like my iPhone and watch and iPad. Is OK but for typing my PC is what I need.

I forgot about these, but one thing you can try is killing background services. For example, I'm pretty sure both Google Chrome and FIrefox have background services that run by default to check for and download updates and the like. Sometimes the settings for these are in the programs themselves, sometimes they are things that run at startup.

You need to be careful about what you kill that runs on startup, but if you google each program, you should be pretty safe. Office programs, MS Office used to and might and OpenOffice/LibreOffice still do run programs in the background, again updates and supposedly faster startup.

Do your research rather than randomly killing things you don't know about, and you should be fine. You always want to learn what you're stopping and whether or not it's actually useful, or in particular, necessary for something you use to function, whether that's a program or the entire operating system. Google, ask on forums, stuff like that.

For Windows 11:
1. Press the Windows key plus 'i'.
2. In the search field, type Startup (all one word). Do not press enter.
3. Press the down arrow, until Startup apps is highlighted, then press enter.
4. Navigate to the list of startup apps, and navigate with arrows up/down. If you find one you want to stop, press tab one time, then press enter or space on it. That should change it to its off state.
5. Rents and repeat until you have disabled the applications you do not want to start at Windows launch.

HTH.

Every OS has its issues. It's just that Microsoft seems bent on trashing their OS faster than Apple. Thus, you can't really be confident in any OS for long. This is why as much as I appreciate REAL, actual security fixes, most Win11 updates are just going in the wrong direction and not fixing anything.

Modern software in general, at least from the vender (Microsoft, Apple, Google, etc) all claim security fixes and fear mongering to keep people updating and also keep their newest OS with good usage statistics. I'm not saying these updates have /no/ value at all, but they rarely fix actual bugs.

It took Microsoft until 2024 to fix a longstanding wifi issue in basically all Windows versions. Only last year certain Win11 updates were giving people the dreaded BSOD after updating, rendering their current install hosed and having to start fresh to get back in. Better hoe you have backups when that kind of wonderful update happens.

How many of us still update apps weekly on our phones? How many times has that actually fixed a bug or improved the application? Most changelogs are the usual "various fixes and enhancements" boilerplate unless working with smaller developers.

If big tech would try to truly fix issues rather than introduce more bloat every update, I'd have fewer reasons to be cynical about updating my Windows boxes. It's just not been the trend, and hasn't been in a long time.

I myself have a couple Win11 boxes and a Win10 laptop. Honestly, they're both not as awesome as Win8 or 8.1 was, and that's fine. I do have to remain on the cutting edge because quite a lot of actually well-coded software I do need requires modern Windows. Just imagine though, for a sec. If the big tech guys took even six months away from market and boardroom bonking and just fixed stuff like all the little guys have to, man what a thing that would be.

Every so often I see things in good software changelogs like:
*workaround for a bug introduced in the newest Windows 11 24H2, or some such.
I'm just sayin'.

Use whatever you wish. Ultimately, get WinAeroTweaker or the other debloat scripts and turn off things as you see fit. I just askk people to wonder once in a while about why so many updates, and why nothing really ever gets that much better. Or if it does, bang! Next major version knocks the existing version off the map.

And let's not even talk about linux. If you're a terminal dweller that's fine. But GUI Linux is shit and has been for 20 years. Nobody is actually bothering to fix at-spi or anything else.. So it's basically: Pay a lot and get a decent but gatekept system with an outdated screen reader. Or: Get A Windows laptop and debloat it, spend a weekend disabling all their stupid crap and uninstalling the nonsense, disabling Win update because your soundcard config might be hosed (Waves Soundmax on Dell, anyone?), and so on. Also, a billion features that nobody truly uses, and WTF is up with removing Wordpad? Just why? Not selling enough Office suites?
Let's face it. They've not fixed real issues in forever.

I've had an Alienware M15 R7 for almost 4 years now and it's running the latest version of Windows 11 Pro 25h2, and this machine is still running just as fast as it did when I first took it out of the box.

I've got a 12th generation i7 processor with 32 gigs of RAM with 1 TB M.2 SSD drive with an NVIDIA RTX 3060 video card. Granted I did uninstall a few applications after initially setting up the laptop.

As for Outlook, I do not like the new web version and prefer to use the Outlook Classic. I also stay away from the Insider Builds and just install the usual Windows updates.

As for platforms, I like both Mac and Windows. Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses and as long as a user finds the one that works best for them, then who cares. I find it so frustrating when users from one camp or another say that theirs is better. Enough of this childish behaviour and in the words of some famous person from a movie... "Can't we all just get along?".

I've had literally no issues with Windows 11, I don't understand the hate, and it honestly makes me feel guilty and like I'm not good enough for preferring and even liking Windows. I don't like MacOS, I swear I have some trauma response around MacOS VoiceOver, but I did use Mac (and Windows to play Sims) when I was low vision, grew up using Windows XP and Vista as a child too. So, no issues for me, and honestly I kinda think Microsoft cares more about accessibility than Apple does on the computer front.

It reminds me of my ex-best friend going "ewwww, iPhone!" when I was using my phone and I was just thinking "I don't go ewww, Android or ewww, LG."

my very first smart phone, circa 2010, was an LG Optimus from MetroPCS. I was low vision back then, and this was early, early Android. Like android 2.2 or something.
Good times. 🤯

I don’t think it’s appropriate—or even remotely fair—to dismiss someone’s experience with an operating system as “childish” or driven by “hate.” When people are speaking from actual use, that kind of language isn’t just inaccurate—it’s dismissive.
With Windows laptops in particular, the experience varies massively depending on the manufacturer and build quality. Some machines are excellent; others—especially lesser-known or generic brands—are simply not. So no, you cannot confidently predict how any given device will perform unless you’ve used it yourself or at least have the protection of a return window.
And let’s be clear: even for sighted users, Windows 11 is not consistently smooth or problem-free. So brushing off complaints as exaggeration or emotion doesn’t hold up.
In my own case, I’m using a premium Lenovo laptop, and my experience has been far from ideal. I’ve had ongoing issues with the right Shift and Enter keys, and noticeable slowdowns when running on battery. These are real, practical problems—not opinions, not exaggeration. No one has the right to dismiss that as childish or hateful, and frankly, no one needs to “demand evidence” when someone is describing their direct, lived experience with a device they own.
At the same time, my MacBook Air isn’t perfect either. Yes, it feels snappier than my Lenovo, but I’m not trying to convince anyone to switch to macOS. I have no stake in Apple, and I genuinely don’t care what operating system others choose to use.
If your setup works well for you, that’s fine—but that’s your experience, not a universal truth. It doesn’t give you the right to dismiss others. And for those quick to label people’s frustration as “childish” or “hate,” that kind of reaction is just as dismissive and unhelpful as what you’re accusing others of. Show some basic respect for the confusion or frustration people are dealing with instead of trivializing it.

Well when I share my issues with iOS and bugs I call negative and people jump allover me. I am sure I will get an email from applevis about this. Just saying. Have no issues at this time with W10 and JAWS 26. However I do mostly browse and watch movies that I have in my external hardrive. Also check facebook, emails, and listen to music and use Word here and there. My desktop is old but still good. Long live cats.