12 Windows 11 Settings I Recommend Changing on a New PC

Getting a new computer is always nice. Everything is clean, Windows starts quickly, there aren’t years of files scattered across the drive, and you haven’t yet accumulated the collection of programs that somehow seems to grow on every computer over time. But one thing I don’t recommend is simply taking a brand-new Windows 11 installation exactly as it comes and never looking through the settings.

That doesn’t mean Windows 11 is configured badly out of the box. Microsoft has to create default settings that work for millions of people using everything from inexpensive laptops to high-end gaming computers. The problem is that a good default for everybody isn’t necessarily the best configuration for you.

When I’m setting up a computer, there are several Windows settings and features I like to check before considering the machine finished. Some are about convenience, some are about privacy, some can reduce unnecessary distractions, and others simply make Windows behave more like I want it to.

Here are 12 areas I recommend looking at when setting up a Windows 11 computer.

1. Go Through Windows Update First

Before spending much time customizing a new computer, one of the first places I check is Windows Update.

A brand-new PC doesn’t necessarily contain the newest version of everything just because it’s new. The computer may have been assembled months earlier, and a Windows installation can be behind on security updates, bug fixes and drivers before you even take the machine out of the box.

Open Settings → Windows Update and check for updates. I usually repeat the process after Windows finishes installing and restarting because additional updates sometimes appear only after earlier ones have been installed.

I also look at the optional updates section rather than automatically installing absolutely everything I see. Optional driver updates can sometimes be useful when you’re troubleshooting a particular device, but I don’t believe in replacing a perfectly functioning driver merely because another optional one happens to be listed.

The goal is an updated, stable computer—not installing things simply because Windows gives you a button.

2. Review Which Programs Start With Windows

One of the reasons a new computer feels so fast is that it hasn’t accumulated a huge collection of programs loading every time Windows starts.

Unfortunately, that can change quickly.

Many applications want permission to start automatically with Windows. Some genuinely need to. Others really don’t. Go to Settings → Apps → Startup and look through the list.

Things such as security software, hardware utilities you actually use or applications that need to synchronize continuously may make sense at startup. A program you open twice a month probably doesn’t need to run every time the computer starts.

Disabling an application here doesn’t normally uninstall it. You’re simply telling it not to automatically launch in the background when you sign in.

Keeping the startup list under control is one of the simplest ways to prevent a fast new computer from gradually becoming a slow-starting computer.

3. Decide What You Want in the Taskbar

Windows 11 puts several features on the taskbar by default, but you don’t have to keep all of them.

Go to Settings → Personalization → Taskbar and look through the available options. If you never use something, I don’t see much value in leaving it permanently occupying space on the taskbar.

You can also change taskbar behaviours and decide whether you prefer the familiar left-aligned layout or Windows 11’s centred arrangement.

This isn’t going to make your computer dramatically faster. It’s simply one of those small changes that can make a computer feel much more comfortable when you use it every day.

4. Turn Off Notifications You Don’t Want

Notifications can be useful. They can also become incredibly annoying.

Windows applications may request permission to notify you about messages, updates, promotions and all kinds of other activity. If too many programs are allowed to do this, the notification area can quickly become something you automatically ignore.

Go to Settings → System → Notifications and review which applications are allowed to send notifications.

I don’t recommend disabling every notification. Some are genuinely useful. Instead, I prefer turning off notifications from applications that have no good reason to interrupt me.

If a notification isn’t important enough that I would stop what I’m doing to look at it, I probably don’t need it popping onto the screen.

5. Review Your Privacy Settings

Privacy settings are something I think people should actually look at instead of simply clicking through the initial Windows setup screens as quickly as possible.

Open Settings → Privacy & security. There are several sections here covering things such as location access, camera access, microphone access and permissions available to applications.

I don’t recommend blindly turning everything off because doing so can break features you actually want. A video-conferencing application obviously needs access to your camera and microphone if you want to make video calls.

Instead, look at which applications have permission to access each feature and ask whether that access makes sense. A calculator doesn’t need your microphone. Your video-chat software probably does.

Privacy settings are most useful when they’re treated as individual decisions rather than one giant ON or OFF switch.

6. Check Your Default Applications

This is one of the settings people often don’t think about until Windows opens something in an application they didn’t want.

Go to Settings → Apps → Default apps.

Here you can control which applications Windows uses for different file types and tasks. That can include your web browser, media player, PDF software, photo viewer and many other programs.

If you’ve installed a browser you prefer, for example, make sure Windows is actually configured to use it as your default rather than discovering later that links continue opening somewhere else. The same applies to PDFs, images, music and video.

It’s your computer. Files should open in the applications you actually want to use.

7. Look at Storage Sense

Computers have a remarkable ability to accumulate junk.

Temporary files, downloads, old update files and other unnecessary data can gradually consume storage space. Windows includes a feature called Storage Sense that can automate some of this housekeeping.

Go to Settings → System → Storage. From there, you can review what’s consuming storage and configure Storage Sense.

I recommend reading the options rather than simply turning everything on without looking. In particular, pay attention to anything involving your Downloads folder. Some people treat Downloads as temporary storage. Other people have important files sitting there for years.

Windows can’t know which type of person you are.

Storage automation can be useful, but I want to know exactly what it’s going to remove before giving it permission to do so.

8. Check Your Power Settings

Windows power settings can affect both convenience and performance, particularly on laptops.

Go to Settings → System → Power & battery on a laptop, or the applicable power settings on a desktop.

Laptop users need to balance battery life against performance. You may want different behaviour when the computer is plugged in compared with when it’s running on battery. Desktop users don’t have to worry about battery life, but sleep behaviour is still worth checking.

I’ve had people tell me their computer keeps “shutting off” when it’s actually configured to go to sleep after a short period of inactivity. Likewise, someone using a computer for a task that needs to run unattended may not want the system going to sleep in the middle of it.

There isn’t one correct power configuration. The right settings depend on how the computer is used.

9. Configure Your Display Properly

If you’ve purchased a new monitor—especially a gaming monitor—don’t assume Windows is automatically using every capability of the display.

Go to Settings → System → Display → Advanced display and check the refresh rate.

I’ve seen high-refresh-rate monitors capable of 120 Hz, 144 Hz or higher running at 60 Hz because the refresh rate was never changed. You paid for the faster display. Make sure you’re actually using it.

This is also a good time to check resolution and scaling. I generally recommend using a monitor’s native resolution unless there’s a specific reason not to. If text and interface elements are too small, changing Windows scaling is usually preferable to lowering the resolution and making everything less sharp.

Multiple-monitor users should also confirm that Windows has the displays arranged in the same physical order as they are on the desk.

Little details like that make a surprisingly large difference in everyday use.

10. Review OneDrive Before Moving All Your Files

OneDrive can be extremely useful, but I recommend understanding how it’s configured before moving years of files onto a new computer.

Windows may offer to synchronize folders such as Desktop, Documents and Pictures with OneDrive. For some people, that’s exactly what they want. For others, it can create confusion about whether a file is stored locally, online or both.

Before committing to a setup, understand which folders are being synchronized and how much cloud storage is available.

This becomes particularly important when moving from an old computer to a new one. You don’t want to start copying hundreds of gigabytes of information only to discover that Windows is also trying to synchronize all of it to an account without enough available storage.

Cloud synchronization is useful. Understanding what it’s doing is even more useful.

11. Remove Software You Don’t Need

Depending on where a computer came from, a new Windows PC may include trial software, manufacturer utilities and other applications you have no intention of using.

Go to Settings → Apps → Installed apps and look through what’s installed.

I don’t recommend randomly removing applications you don’t recognize. Some manufacturer utilities control useful hardware functions, particularly on laptops.

But if you know what something is and know you don’t want it, there’s little reason to keep unnecessary software installed.

I prefer starting a new computer as cleanly as possible rather than beginning its life with a collection of programs that will never be opened. If you’re unsure what an application does, find out before removing it.

12. Create a Restore Point After Everything Is Working

Once the computer is updated, drivers are installed, applications are configured and everything is working properly, I like having a known-good point to return to.

Windows includes System Restore, although its configuration can vary. Search Windows for Create a restore point and check whether system protection is enabled for the Windows drive.

A restore point isn’t a substitute for backing up your personal files. It primarily helps with Windows system files, settings, drivers and certain installed applications.

But if a future driver installation or system change causes problems, System Restore can occasionally save a considerable amount of troubleshooting time.

I think of backups and restore points as solving different problems. A backup protects your files. A restore point can sometimes help recover the Windows installation from a bad change.

Having both is better than confusing one for the other.

Bonus: Don’t Install Every “PC Optimization” Program You Find

This isn’t technically a Windows setting, but I think it belongs in any new-PC setup guide.

A brand-new computer does not need five registry cleaners, three driver-updater programs and a mysterious “PC Booster” promising to make everything 500 percent faster.

I’ve spent plenty of time fixing computers where the software supposedly installed to improve performance became part of the problem.

Windows already includes tools for updates, storage management, security and basic system maintenance. There are excellent third-party utilities for specific purposes, but software should be installed because you actually need what it does—not because an advertisement told you your brand-new computer has thousands of urgent problems.

A clean Windows installation with the programs you genuinely use is usually preferable to filling the system with utilities constantly running in the background.

Make Windows 11 Your Computer

I don’t believe there’s one perfect collection of Windows settings that everybody should copy. That’s really the point of this article.

A gaming computer, business workstation, family PC and battery-powered laptop can all benefit from different configurations. What I recommend is taking some time when a computer is new to actually go through Windows and decide how you want it to behave.

Check Windows Update. Control startup applications. Review privacy permissions. Set your preferred default programs. Configure notifications. Make sure your monitor is running correctly. Understand what OneDrive is doing. Remove software you know you don’t need.

None of these changes is particularly difficult on its own. Together, they can turn Windows from a generic installation designed for millions of people into a computer configured for the person actually sitting in front of it.

And if you’re setting up a new computer and aren’t comfortable deciding which settings, updates, drivers or applications you need, that’s exactly the kind of thing we can help with at Gigasoft Computers.