How to Do a Clean Boot on Windows 11 Without Losing Your Mind
Honestly, figuring out how to do a clean boot on Windows 11 was a bit more complicated than I expected. I kept running into the usual issues—services grayed out, startup apps missing or not disabling properly, and assumptions that I could just flick a switch and be done. Turns out, it’s not exactly straightforward, especially if you’re not used to digging into system configs or BIOS options. But after some trial and error, here’s what finally worked for me, and what might help you do the same without losing your mind.
Getting to the System Configuration Tool (msconfig)
The first thing you need is the System Configuration utility. If you’re anything like me, you probably just type msconfig into the Start menu or Run dialog (Windows key + R) and hope for the best. Sometimes it’s buried in Settings, but honestly, the fastest way is just hitting Win + R, typing msconfig, and hitting Enter. It opens a window that looks kinda simple but hides a few crucial options.
Once you’re in the window, you’ll see five tabs at the top. The one you want is Services. A big checklist here is Hide all Microsoft services. A lot of guides forget to mention this, but it’s essential—otherwise, you might accidentally disable important Windows core stuff, which can cause weird crashes or even prevent Windows from booting properly. Checking this box helps you only disable third-party services that are more likely to be causing the problem, not the OS itself. I tried unchecking everything first, but that’s a bad idea unless you know exactly what you’re doing. Trust me on this.
After hiding Microsoft services, click Disable all. This will turn off all third-party services, leaving only Windows core services running. It’s pretty much the minimum setup needed to troubleshoot existing issues. Sometimes, I also toggle off Load system services—but that’s an optional step depending on how deep you want to go. You’re aiming for a stripped-back environment, and this method gives you that pretty quickly.
Shutting Down Startup Apps (The Hard Part)
This one caught me off guard—there’s no longer a direct “Startup” tab in msconfig. Instead, you’ll see a link that says Open Task Manager. When you click it, the Task Manager opens up right in the startup section. Yep, it’s MS’s way of hiding things just to keep us frustrated.
In the Task Manager’s Startup tab, you’ll see a list of apps with their status. Here, you want to disable everything that’s enabled—right-click on each app with Enabled and pick Disable. This is what really clears out the clutter of background apps and startup bloatware. Sometimes I disable stuff I don’t even recognize, especially on older laptops with pre-installed junk. After I’ve disabled everything, I close out of Task Manager.
Back in the msconfig window, make sure you click Apply and then OK. That’s what actually saves your configuration changes. When you’re ready, reboot your PC. Windows will then start with only the basics, hopefully making issues more obvious or fixing slowness or crashes caused by background programs.
Rebooting & Testing
When your system restarts, it’s in that minimal environment—no extra apps, minimal services, just Windows and the essentials. Sometimes it’s more responsive, sometimes it’s just a different feeling. If you’re troubleshooting, like me, you probably want to re-enable things one by one later—starting with core services or apps you actually need—so you can pin down what was causing the trouble. But do it carefully. Re-enable a couple, reboot, see if it’s better, then move on. It’s tedious, but worth it.
Getting Back to Normal (Re-enabling Everything)
Once you’ve figured out what was causing the problem—or if you decide the minimal setup just isn’t worth it anymore—you need to roll everything back. Just open Task Manager again (Ctrl + Shift + Esc works for me), go to the Startup tab, and re-enable all the apps you disabled earlier. Then fire up msconfig again (Win + R and type msconfig), go to the Services tab, and select Normal Startup under the General tab. Remember to click Apply and OK. This restores your full environment after troubleshooting. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries to get everything re-enabled properly—especially if you toggled things around the last time—you just have to double-check everything before rebooting.
Pro Tips & Warnings (Because No One Tells You This)
Warning: *clearing* all non-Microsoft services and startup apps can cause issues if you’re not careful. If something critical gets turned off—like a driver or app necessary for hardware you rely on—you could end up with a system that refuses to start normally. If that happens, just run msconfig again, switch back to Normal Startup, and reboot. Often, you’ll need to re-enable certain services or apps manually. Protect your data—if you have encrypted drives, like with BitLocker, be aware that disabling certain services or turning off TPM or Secure Boot features could risk losing access or keys. Always save your work, and if you’re not sure, do some research or backup first.
If you notice options are grayed out or missing, it might be due to OEM restrictions or BIOS settings like Secure Boot, TPM, Intel PTT (Platform Trust Technology), AMD fTPM, or virtualization features being turned off. Sometimes BIOS updates or manufacturer-specific firmware are necessary to unlock these options. Be cautious especially with laptops—some OEMs lock down certain settings to prevent tampering.
And finally, if these steps don’t work, consider checking for BIOS/UEFI firmware updates or OEM-specific tools. Some brands put their own spin on Windows troubleshooting and may hide or restrict certain options. Also, a fallback to Windows 10 might be a temporary workaround if Windows 11 just refuses to cooperate with these tweaks.
TL;DR
- Use
msconfigto hide Microsoft services and disable all other third-party services. - Open Task Manager via Startup tab to disable non-essential apps.
- Remember to click Apply and OK, then reboot.
- Re-enable apps/services step-by-step to diagnose or restore your environment.
- Backup your data before messing around with TPM, Secure Boot, or BIOS options, especially since some changes may cause security keys to be lost.
Hope this helped — it definitely ate up a good chunk of my late-night troubleshooting time. Just remember: patience and small tweaks. Good luck out there, and may your system be stable afterward.