10 hidden Windows settings you should change now

Most Windows users typically focus on the basic settings, such as changing desktop wallpapers, adjusting screen brightness, changing the default browser, or connecting to Wi-Fi. However, there are a bunch of hidden settings beneath the surface that can dramatically enhance the usability and performance of your computer.

These less obvious adjustments can greatly improve your system's responsiveness, battery efficiency, privacy, and overall comfort while using your PC. Taking just a few minutes to tweak these options can create a smoother, safer, and more personalized computing environment.

Adjust app permissions

Control which apps can access your camera, mic, location, and more

Apps often request more permissions than necessary, such as accessing your camera, microphone, or location services. Sometimes, you might not even know and provide unnecessary permissions to apps that don't require them to function. Limiting unnecessary permissions not only secures your data but also conserves system resources, resulting in improved battery life.

How to change it:

Navigate to Settings -> Privacy & security -> App permissions. Carefully review permissions such as camera, microphone, and location, and disable access for any apps that don't genuinely require these capabilities.

Disable "Let apps run in the background"

Save memory and battery life

Some apps, especially those that monitor your activity, continue to run in the background even when you're not actively using them, consuming valuable system resources and battery life. Thankfully, Windows allows you to restrict particular apps from running in the background. Disabling this unnecessary background activity helps improve your system's overall efficiency and responsiveness.

How to change it:

Go to Settings -> Apps -> Installed Apps, select individual apps, click the three dots, and select Advanced options. Under advanced settings, turn off "Let this app run in the background."

Turn off ad tracking and personalization

Limit how much Windows and apps know about you

Windows gathers information about your usage habits to deliver personalized advertisements and tailored user experiences. While seemingly helpful, this subtle monitoring can infringe on your privacy by quietly recording your usage patterns. It's best to disable these options because turning them off won't have any effect on the Windows functionality, but rather enhance your privacy.

How to change it:

Head over to Settings -> Privacy & security -> General and deactivate all ad-tracking and personalization settings to safeguard your private data.

Disable tips and suggestions

Stop those annoying “helpful” pop-ups

Windows regularly displays pop-ups offering tips, suggestions, or feature recommendations. While intended to enhance user experience, these notifications can often become distracting and interrupt your workflow.

How to change it:

Go to Settings -> System -> Notifications. Expand the Additional settings section and uncheck the "Suggest ways to get the most out of Windows" option, reducing unnecessary interruptions.

Enable Clipboard history

Copy and paste like a power user

If you frequently need to copy and paste items for your work and wish that you had an option to paste a previously copied item, then Windows comes with exactly the right feature for you in the form of the Clipboard.

Clipboard history dramatically boosts productivity by storing multiple copied items simultaneously. Enabling Clipboard syncing will allow you to quickly and easily retrieve previously copied content without having to repeatedly copy and paste the same items.

How to change it:

Visit Settings -> System -> Clipboard and enable "Clipboard history." You can also enable the "Clipboard history across your devices" option. To access clipboard history, press the Windows key + V.

Manage startup apps

Speed up your boot time

Numerous apps launch automatically during system startup, significantly prolonging boot times and consuming essential resources. Sometimes, when you install an app, you may accidentally grant it permission to run at startup. However, not every app needs that. Controlling which apps run at startup drastically improves boot speed and overall system responsiveness.

How to change it:

Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), switch to the Startup tab, and disable any apps that you don't need immediately upon booting.

Turn on storage sense

Automatically clean up junk files

If you regularly find yourself stuck because of low storage space on your Windows PC, enabling this feature can help you free up valuable storage on Windows 11. Storage Sense efficiently manages disk space by automatically removing temporary files, unused downloads, and unnecessary system data. This built-in tool ensures optimal storage use and enhances system performance without manual cleanup.

How to change it:

Navigate to Settings -> System -> Storage -> Storage Sense, and toggle the switch to enable it.

Prevent apps from reopening on startup

Improve startup speed after a restart

Windows automatically reopens previously active applications after the system reboots, cluttering your desktop and causing sluggish startup performance. Disabling this feature ensures your PC starts fresh each time, optimizing responsiveness.

How to change it:

Head to Settings -> Accounts -> Sign-in options and switch off the option "Automatically save my restartable apps."

Hide recently opened files in Quick Access

Add a layer of privacy to File Explorer

The Quick Access feature in File Explorer displays recently accessed files and frequently visited folders. Although convenient, this feature can inadvertently expose your activity to other users, affecting privacy.

How to change it:

Open File Explorer, click the "three dots" just below the navigation bar, select Options, and uncheck "Show recently used files" and "Show frequently used folders" to keep your activities private.

Set active hours for Windows update

No more mid-meeting or mid-game restarts

Automatic Windows updates can sometimes restart your PC unexpectedly, disrupting important tasks or gaming sessions. Defining active hours ensures updates occur during your non-working or inactive periods, eliminating inconvenient restarts.

How to change it:

Visit Settings -> Windows Update -> Advanced options -> Active hours. Either manually set your active hours or allow Windows to detect and set them automatically based on your typical computer usage.

Small changes, big upgrades

While each of these hidden setting adjustments might seem minor on its own, collectively, they significantly enhance your overall computing experience. Taking a few minutes to implement these changes provides improved privacy, boosts system performance, and creates a more personalized user environment.