Windows 11 now loads faster due to a major change to the startup process

Windows 11 insider build 25917 has brought a major improvement to the way the operating system loads. Specifically, the way startup works has been changed, and it's intended to speed up boot times.<br><br>Microsoft said that in this latest insider release, the startup process has been sped up by several seconds, which is quite a significant change. Microsoft said that this is thanks to "reordering" applications when loading, which it thinks should provide a more efficient startup experience.<br><br>Specifically, the system is prioritizing the running of more critical apps first, which are defined as those which automatically load when the computer is booted up, such as antivirus or antivirus offerings: "[We've] reordered applications and services that run as the system starts. Critical applications and services that run as the system starts will be prioritized over non-critical item to make the core Windows applications more responsive faster," said the Windows Insider blog post.<br><br>This is likely to have a bigger impact on older machines compared to newer ones, and so if you're on an aging piece of hardware, you might want to give the new build a try to see how it compares to the current state of affairs.<br><br>As Windows Central (opens in new tab) notes, this move is seemingly part of Microsoft’s initiative to improve the overall responsiveness of Windows 11, which was kicked off further with the launch of Windows Copilot.<br><br>>View Poll on www.windowscentral.com<br><br>The above change is part of a batch of other alterations in this latest preview version, including improvements to Copilot, and tweaks to the Taskbar.