12 Fixes For Windows 10 Slow Boot Issue

Booting Windows 10 with an SSD hard drive is impressively fast. However, sometimes if Windows is slow to boot, you should check the reason behind it.

Windows 10 was designed to speed up the hardware performance, but sometimes, Microsoft runs short of its promises for some users. 

The problem could be hardware or software issues, issues with the startup manager, or sometimes GPU (Graphical Processing Unit).

In this Windows article, we will discuss the most common slow boot issues faced by Windows 10 users and provide ways to fix them.

Black screen with slow boot – Windows 10 users often get stuck on a black screen while booting the system. A malfunctioning graphics card driver may be the cause of the slow boot issue.

Safe mode slow boot – Having problems with the hardware or BIOS configurations can cause Windows to slow boot even in safe mode.

AMD, Nvidia slow boot – Many AMD and Nvidia graphic card users have reported the slow boot Windows 10 AMD, Nvidia problem. To fix it, you must update or reinstall the respective drivers.

Hard Drive or SSD slow boot – Windows 10 users sometimes face slow boot with SSD and hard drive. You can fix the slow boot issue by following the fixes given in this guide.

Slow startup time – Windows 10 users facing slow startup time can follow the fixes in this guide to solve the problem.

Creators update slow boot – Users often have reported slow boot times problems after a creator’s update. An incompatible driver or software is a likely cause for slow boot times after the creator’s update.

Why Does Windows have Slow Boot Times After Updates?

After going through a significant update, the booting time for Windows 10 may have increased. However, there could be numerous culprits for the slow booting of Windows 10, such as:

• Fragmented files
• Incorrect BIOS configurations
• Windows startup programs
• Current Drivers and Windows 10 update incompatibility
• Malware, spyware, or virus
• Corrupted system files

It is possible that you don’t know the real reason behind the slow boot times. If so, you should follow the below solutions to identify the cause and fix the issue.

However, updating your computer before tackling the problem is essential, as Microsoft keeps releasing new fixes for known bugs.

Solutions To fix slow boot time in Windows?

Before tackling the fixes provided below, you should restart your computer. Once restarted, you can get on these solutions.

1. Install the latest updates
2. Remove Viruses or Malware to Fix the Slow Startup of Windows 10
3. Disable Unnecessary Startup Programs in Task Manager
4. Upgrade to SSD will Speed Up Startup Windows 10
5. Defragment Computer Hard Drive to Solve Slow Boot Times
6. Windows 10 Slow Boot After Update with System File Checker
7. Update Display Driver to Solve Windows 10 Slow Boot
8. Change BIOS Boot Order to Fix Windows 10 Slow After Update
9. Increase the Page File Size
10. Update your BIOS
11. Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter
12. Enable/disable Fast Startup

Fix 1. Install the latest updates

Windows 10 updates always include fixes for known issues, and hence you must update your operating system to the latest update.

Step 1. Simultaneously press the Windows icon, and I key. It will launch the Settings app.

Step 2. Tap the Update & Security section.

Step 3. Move to the Windows Update section and click on the Check for Updates button. Windows will search online for any available updates and provide you with a list of those available updates.

Step 4. Click on Download and Install updates button to install the updates.

Step 5. Windows will restart the system to install the updates.

Once restarted, check if the slow startup problem is fixed. If no updates are available or installing the available updates does not fix your issue, check the next solution.

Fix 2. Remove Viruses or Malware to Fix Slow Startup Windows 10

Cyber threats such as virus and malware attacks on your computer put you at risk of losing important files, encrypting folders, unnecessary application downloads, etc.

These attacks decrease the speed of your system drastically. You can scan and remove malware and viruses from your system using Windows Defender or other third-party antivirus software.

Windows Defender is the recommended security software. Here are some steps to follow for using Windows Defender.

Step 1. Simultaneously press the Windows icon key, and I key to open the Settings app.

Step 2. Navigate to the Update & Security window and go to the Windows Security option on the left pane.

Step 3. Tap the Virus & Threat protection section to open Windows Defender Security Center.

Step 4. Scroll to the Threat history section and click on the Scan Now button to scan your computer for any viruses and malware.

Step 5. If any threats are found, follow the on-screen instructions to get rid of them and reset this PC.

Fix 3. Disable Unnecessary Startup Programs in Task Manager

Some applications in Windows boot up with your computer. Some of these startup programs listed in task manager are necessary for Windows to start, while others are not.

The unnecessary startup programs in the task manager, such as your VPN, Spotify web app, etc., cause Windows to boot slower than usual, and hence you should disable them.

Note: While following the below instructions, do not disable any program that you don’t know anything about. In short, if you don’t know what a program does, don’t enable/disable it. Otherwise, you might disable some essential programs for Windows boot and do more harm than good to your system.

Step 1. Simultaneously press the Windows icon key and X key and choose Task Manager from the list of options. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys together to launch the task manager window.

Step 2. Navigate to the Startup tab to view the list of programs that load at startup.

Step 3. Look for the programs that have a high Startup impact or the ones you don’t think should launch with Windows startup.

Step 4. To disable the unnecessary programs, select each one by one and click on the Disable button.

Restart your system and check if the Windows boot time has increased. If not, then follow the next solution.

Fix 4. Upgrade to SSD will Speed Up Startup Windows 10

SSDs or Solid State Drives are an excellent alternative to your mechanical hard drive as they can improve your computer’s performance and boot time drastically. However, they don’t come cheap.

You can migrate Windows Operating System to your new SSD by creating a partition. If you know how then get on with it. If you don’t, you can use a third-party software called EaseUS partition manager to create the partition.

Step 1. Download and install the EaseUS software on your system.

Step 2. Launch the EaseUS Partition Manager software and click on Migrate OS option available in the top menu.

Step 3. Select the HDD or SSD as the destination disk and hit Next.

Step 4. If your disk contains any data, ensure that it is backed as the drive will be formatted. Click on the Warning: the data and partitions on the target disk will be deleted.

Step 5. Click the Continue button.

Step 6. Preview the targeted disk layout and click proceed to initiate the migration process.

Fix 5. Defragment Hard Drive to Fix Windows 10 Slow Boot

The data stored on your hard drive is sometimes stored in fragments or noncontiguous areas on the disk. Fragmentation causes inefficient memory utilization and reduces the hard drive performance.

Thus, defragmentation will help eliminate the fragmented memory on your hard drive and improve the read and write speed of files on your computer. This will allow Windows to load faster and improve the booting time.

Step 1. Press the Windows icon key and type defrag in the search box.

Step 2. Click on Defragment and Optimize Drives to open Optimize Drives windows.

Step 3. Choose the one you want to optimize from the list of drives and click on the Optimize button.

Windows will defragment the selected drive. Reboot your system to check if the boot time has increased.

Fix 6. Fix Windows 10 Slow Boot After Update with System File Checker

Corrupted or missing system files may have caused the prolonged booting of Windows. Other issues such as system crashes and Windows 10 boot failures are also caused due to problematic system files.

Windows provides System File Checker utility tools to help you repair missing or damaged system files.

Step 1. Press the Windows icon key and type cmd in the search box.

Step 2. Select the Command Prompt option and choose the “Run as administrator” option from the right side. Alternatively, you can right-click on it and choose to run as admin.

Step 3. In the prompt window command line type: DISM .exe /Online / Cleanup-image /Restorehealth. This will run the DISM command to protect your data by creating a Windows image.

Step 4. Once the DISM command completes its execution, you can run the SFC command. In the command prompt, type: sfc /scannow.

Step 5. Windows will start scanning and repairing the system files.

Please wait patiently until the process completes and then restart your computer.

Fix 7. Update Display Driver to Solve Windows 10 Slow Boot

Slow boot times of Windows paired with a black screen could be caused by an incompatible display driver. Updating the graphics driver can help you fix the slow boot times issue.

Step 1. Simultaneously press the Windows icon key and X key and choose Device Manager from the displayed list.

Step 2. In the Device Manager windows, scroll down to display adapters and expand it.

Step 3. Right-click on your display adapter and choose Update Driver.

Step 4. In the next window, click on Search automatically for drivers.

Step 5. Windows will now check if any latest graphic driver is available and install it. You can also choose the Browse my computer for drivers option and then navigate your system to where you have manually downloaded the graphic driver.

Step 6. Restart Windows once the driver is updated and check if the slow booting is fixed.

Fix 8. Change BIOS Boot Order to Fix Windows 10 Slow After Update

Improperly configured BIOS could impact your computer’s startup process. The system hard disk must be the first boot device in Boot Order.

Step 1. Power on your PC and press Esc, F8 F10, F1, or F2 keys to enter BIOS. The key will differ according to the BIOS manufacturer.

Step 2. From the displayed menu, choose BIOS setup to enter BIOS Utility.

Step 3. The mouse doesn’t work inside BIOS, hence use the arrow keys for navigation. Navigate to the Boot tab.

Step 4. A list of system devices in priority order will be displayed. Move the system hard disk or any other drive you want to give priority to the first position.

Step 5. After making the changes, press F10 or other relevant keys to Save and Exit BIOS.

Step 6. Your PC will restart to reflect the changes made.

Fix 9. Increase the Page File Size

Windows provides a virtual memory called a page file system that supports the physical memory, RAM, by moving some data from RAM to page files. It eases the workload of RAM and increases Windows startup time.

Step 1. Press the Windows icon key and type advanced system in the search box.

Step 2. Choose View advanced system settings option.

Step 3.  Navigate to the Advanced tab and click the Settings button under the Performance section.

Step 4. Click the Advanced tab in Performance options and hit the Change button.

Step 5. Tap the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives checkbox and click on the Custom size option.

Step 6. Please set the initial size and maximum size. Refer to Microsoft page file size guide.

Step 7. Press Set and then hit OK.

Step 8. Restart your computer and check if the slow booting has increased.

Fix 10. Update your BIOS

Caution: BIOS update is an advanced and potentially dangerous process and hence should be done with caution. Make sure to back up your BIOS before proceeding.

Step 1. You can check the BIOS version from the BIOS manufacturer’s website and then download it and save it on a bootable USB.

Step 2. Insert the USB stick and restart your computer.

Step 3. Enter BIOS using function keys (F1, F2, F8, or F10) and use the board’s UEFI interface to navigate to the BIOS update section named “M-Flash,” “EZ-Flash,” etc.

Step 4. Select the USB stick when asked to navigate to the BIOS file.

Step 5. Follow on-screen instructions to complete the BIOS update.

Fix 11. Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Windows 10 comes with a Windows update troubleshooter that can troubleshoot and fix common issues related to corrupted windows updates.

Step 1. Simultaneously press the Windows key and I key to open the Settings app.

Step 2. Navigate to the Update & Security option and scroll to the Troubleshoot tab on the left side panel.

Step 3. Click on Additional Troubleshooters and select Windows Update given under the Get up and running section.

Step 4. Select the Run the troubleshooter button.

Fix 12. Enable/disable Fast Startup

Windows allows users to disable or enable fast startup. Many users have mentioned that when they turn on the fast startup, they could fix the slow boot issue, while others have said that disabling the fast startup has helped them with the problem.

Step 1. Press the Windows key and type the control panel in the search box.

Step 2. Choose the Control Panel. Once the window opens, click on show large icons in the View option on the top-left corner.

Step 3. Tap the Power Options menu and click on Choose what the power button does from the menu given on the left side.

Step 4. Tap the Change settings that are currently unavailable. It requires administrator privilege.

Step 5. Check the Turn on the fast startup check box. If it is enabled, disable it. If it’s disabled, enable it.

Step 6. Press the Save changes button and restart your computer.