Sometimes, after a Windows update, everything just slows down for no good reason. It’s kinda maddening—like your system isn’t exactly the supercomputer it was before. If your PC suddenly feels sluggish, laggy, or just not as snappy as it used to be, it’s a common enough pain that plenty of folks run into. Usually, it’s not some major hardware fault but rather stuff like outdated drivers, cluttered storage, or pesky background apps eating up resources. Luckily, there are a few tricks to try before pulling your hair out or doing a full reinstall.
Follow these steps to iron out the lag and get your system running reasonably well again. Whether it’s lingering viruses, garbage apps, or Windows just being weird, these methods help pinpoint and fix the underlying issues.
How to Fix Windows 11 Lag After an Update
Fix 1: Run a virus and malware scan
Viruses or malware can sneak in and hog system resources, making your PC crawl. Even if you have an antivirus, sometimes malware slips past the defenses. Running a full system scan can identify and quarantine nasty stuff hiding around.
- Head to the Start menu and search for Windows Security, then open it.
- Click on Virus & threat protection. On some setups, that’s where malware likes to hide.
- Tap on Scan options, then choose Full Scan (this might take some time but covers everything).
- Hit Scan and wait. Once it’s done, restart your PC. If you’re using third-party antivirus software, run it the same way—just make sure it does a deep scan too.
On some setups, the scan might not catch everything the first time—on others, it’ll do the trick. Weird, but that’s Windows for you.
Fix 2: Disable unnecessary startup apps
Apps launching at startup can slow down everything, especially if you installed a bunch of things that don’t need to run all the time. Disabling these can give your machine some breathing room.
- Open the Start menu and go to Settings.
- Navigate to Apps, then click on Startup.
- See what’s enabled—disable the ones you don’t need every time you turn on your PC.
- After that, restart to make sure the changes stick. Sometimes, this alone gives a noticeable boost.
Not sure why some apps automatically decide to launch? Because Windows is sometimes, well, overzealous—like it has a mind of its own. Disabling unneeded apps helps keep resources free for what matters.
Fix 3: Update device drivers
Drivers are the middlemen between Windows and your hardware. Outdated or broken drivers can cause sluggishness, crashes, or weird glitches. So, keeping them up to date is crucial.
- Open Settings, then go to Windows Update.
- Click on Advanced options in the sidebar, then choose Optional updates.
- Look for driver updates (they usually have “driver” in the description).Select all relevant updates and hit Download & install.
- Restart your PC after the updates finish. This might fix some driver-related lag issues.
In some cases, especially with graphics or network drivers, a fresh update does wonders. On one setup, I had to grab the latest from the manufacturer’s website directly, which worked better than Windows Update in some cases. Because, of course, Windows has to make things more complicated than necessary.
Fix 4: Remove unwanted apps
Rogue third-party applications can be resource hogs, even if they seem innocent. So, cleaning out unnecessary programs is good practice.
- Press Windows + I to open Settings quickly.
- Under Apps, select Apps & Features.
- Find apps you don’t recognize or no longer use. Click on them and hit Uninstall. Confirm when prompted.
- Restart your PC and see if that improves things. Sometimes, bloatware or trial apps just sit there hogging RAM for no reason.
Fix 5: Free up storage space
If your disk is nearly full, Windows chokes—like it has no room to breathe. Cleaning out temp files and old data helps speed things up.
- Open Settings via the Start menu.
- Go to System, then Storage.
- Click on Temporary Files. Check the boxes for the types of files you want gone, then click Remove Files.
- If possible, consider a disk cleanup tool like Disk Cleanup—it’s built into Windows and straightforward to use.
Because Windows, of course, likes to store a ton of junk that just slows everything down.
Fix 6: Rollback to an earlier Windows version
If the lag started right after a specific update, rolling back might be the fix. Sometimes updates are just buggy or incompatible with your hardware.
- Open Settings, go to System, then Recovery.
- Select Go back (if available) and follow the prompts. You might need the admin password or restore point.
This isn’t always available—sometimes the rollback option disappears after a set period. If it’s an option, it’s worth a shot.
Fix 7: Use System Restore to go back in time
Before messing with complex stuff, System Restore can revert your PC to a working state before the update or problem started.
- Press Windows + S, search for Create a restore point, and hit Enter.
- Click on System Restore, choose a restore point before the lag started, and follow the prompts.
- If you want to be cautious, click on Scan for affected programs to see what changes will happen before confirming.
Use this if other fixes aren’t doing enough. Just a way to turn back the clock without massive reconfigurations.
Fix 8: Install optional updates
Sometimes Windows skips over updates that fix bugs or improve performance—so don’t ignore optional updates.
- In Settings, go to Windows Update.
- Click Advanced options, then Optional updates.
- Check the list for driver updates, tick them all, and hit Download & install.
- Reboot after they’re done. Helps ensure all your hardware works smoothly.
Fix 9: Run Disk Cleanup
Pile-up of junk files can bog down your system. Disk Cleanup clears out old temp files and frees up space.
- Search for Disk Cleanup in the start menu and open it.
- Select the drive (usually C:) and click OK.
- Pick what to delete, like temp files or system cache, then click OK.
- Confirm and wait for it to finish. Might give that extra boost needed.
Fix 10: Turn off visual effects
The latest Windows updates might be a bit heavy if your hardware is borderline. Turning off fancy visuals can help lighten the load and speed things up.
- Type Advanced System Settings into the search bar and hit Enter.
- Switch to the Advanced tab, then click on Settings under Performance.
- Select Adjust for best performance. All those animations and shadows will go away.
- Click Apply, then OK. That should make Windows snappier.
Summary
- Run a virus scan to clear out malware
- Disable startup apps to free resources
- Update drivers, especially for graphics and hardware
- Remove unnecessary apps cluttering your system
- Free up storage by deleting junk and temp files
- Roll back Windows if an update broke things
- Use System Restore to revert to a stable earlier state
- Install optional updates for bug fixes
- Run Disk Cleanup to clear out cache and temp files
- Turn off visual effects if hardware struggles
Wrap-up
When your Windows 11 turns sluggish after an update, it’s often just a bump, not a catastrophe. Trying a mix of these fixes usually clears out the bottlenecks. Sometimes, it’s as simple as disabling some apps or cleaning up disks. Other times, you might need to dive into driver updates or roll back to an earlier version. Things can be unpredictable, but with patience, most of the time your PC will get back to a decent speed. Fingers crossed this helps someone save a few hours — it was a journey trying all this out on different setups, so hopefully, it saves others the same hassle.