Overview #
If your computer takes forever to start, fans spin constantly, or your CPU usage stays high even when idle, the problem often isn’t your hardware — it’s too many background processes.
Every installed app tends to add auto-start entries, background updaters, or hidden services. This guide helps you identify what’s running, decide what’s necessary, and safely clean up your system so it runs faster from boot to shutdown.
What you’ll learn
- How to view and analyze background processes
- How to disable unnecessary startup programs and services
- How to optimize boot speed on Windows and macOS
- How to confirm real performance improvement
Estimated time: 20–35 minutes
Skill level: Beginner–Intermediate
Terms and Definitions #
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Startup Program | Software that launches automatically when your system boots |
| Service / Daemon | Background program running without user interface |
| Task Scheduler | Windows component that triggers background processes |
| Login Item | macOS equivalent of startup apps |
| CPU / RAM Utilization | Measure of how much processing or memory each process consumes |
Steps #
Step 1 — Check Current System Load #
Windows PowerShell
Get-Process | Sort-Object CPU -Descending | Select-Object -First 10 Name, CPU
This shows the top CPU-consuming processes.
For memory:
Get-Process | Sort-Object PM -Descending | Select-Object -First 10 Name, PM
macOS Terminal
top -o cpu
or for memory usage:
top -o mem
You’ll quickly see if background apps (like OneDrive, Zoom, Dropbox) are using excessive resources.
Step 2 — Disable Startup Programs #
Windows
Get-CimInstance Win32_StartupCommand | Select-Object Name, Command
This lists all apps that start automatically.
To disable them:
- Press
Ctrl + Shift + Esc→ open Task Manager → Startup apps tab. - Right-click unneeded items → Disable.
Common items safe to disable: Spotify, Teams, OneDrive (if unused), Adobe Updater, Discord.
macOS
List login items:
osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to get the name of every login item'
Remove unwanted ones:
osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to delete login item "AppName"'
Or go to System Settings → General → Login Items and toggle off unnecessary apps.
Step 3 — Identify Background Services #
Windows PowerShell
Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq "Running"} | Sort-Object DisplayName
If you see third-party updaters or helper services (e.g., Google Update, Adobe Acrobat Update, etc.), they can often be safely set to Manual:
Set-Service -Name "gupdate" -StartupType Manual
macOS
sudo launchctl list
This lists all active daemons.
Disable unused agents temporarily:
launchctl bootout system /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.vendor.updater.plist
(You can restart them later with bootload or re-enable via Settings.)
Step 4 — Clean Up Scheduled Tasks #
Windows
Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object {$_.State -eq "Ready"} | Select TaskName, Author
Disable unnecessary ones:
Disable-ScheduledTask -TaskName "UpdateTaskName"
Focus on vendor or updater tasks that frequently trigger CPU spikes.
macOS
ls /Library/LaunchAgents
You can remove persistent update agents here:
sudo rm /Library/LaunchAgents/com.vendor.autoupdate.plist
Step 5 — Adjust Power & Startup Behavior #
Windows
To optimize boot speed:
powercfg /h off
(Disables hibernation, which can delay startup on older systems.)
Then enable Fast Startup:
powercfg /hibernate on
→ Control Panel → Power Options → Choose what power buttons do → Turn on fast startup.
macOS
sudo pmset -g
This shows power management settings.
Reduce wake triggers:
sudo pmset -a tcpkeepalive 0
Prevents network wakeups from slowing startup.
Step 6 — Remove Unused or Duplicate Apps #
Windows
Get-AppxPackage | Sort-Object Name
Remove bloatware safely:
Get-AppxPackage *Xbox* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *Skype* | Remove-AppxPackage
macOS
sudo rm -rf /Applications/AppName.app
or use Finder → Applications → Move to Trash.
Step 7 — Reboot and Measure Boot Time #
Windows PowerShell
Get-WinEvent -LogName System | Where-Object {$_.Message -like "*system boot*" } | Select-Object TimeCreated -First 3
Compare time differences before and after cleanup.
macOS
log show --predicate 'eventMessage CONTAINS "Previous shutdown cause"' --last 24h
You can measure time from power-on to login readiness.
Step 8 — Optional: Use Built-In Performance Tools #
Windows
perfmon /report
Generates a full performance report showing startup delays.
macOS
Use Activity Monitor → Energy tab to check which apps have high background energy impact.
Verification #
| Check | Command | Expected Result |
|---|---|---|
| CPU usage | Get-Process / top | Lower overall idle CPU |
| Startup programs | Get-CimInstance / osascript | Only essential apps enabled |
| Services | Get-Service / launchctl list | Minimal third-party daemons |
| Boot time | perfmon /report / log show | Shorter startup duration |
Conclusion #
A sluggish computer rarely needs more RAM or a new processor — it just needs fewer background tasks.
By trimming startup apps, disabling unnecessary services, and cleaning update daemons, you can restore responsiveness and cut boot time by 30–60%.
Repeat this cleanup every few months to keep your system running efficiently and avoid silent software buildup over time.
