• Windows 11 introduces several optimizations to make laptops and desktops run faster.
  • New memory management will make launching and working with apps feel snappier and responsive.
  • Optimization to sleep feature will help to resume devices almost instantaneously.
  • Windows Hello will be up to 30 percent faster and Windows 11 now further reduces the footprint on disk.

Microsoft reveals system improvements on Windows 11 that will make laptops and desktop computers a lot faster. Alongside the redesigned experience, new features, and updated apps, the programming team is also introducing under-the-hood improvements to utilize resources better to make the system more responsive.

Snappier and more responsive

According to a new video published in the company’s YouTube channel , after upgrading, Windows 11 will feel snappier and more responsive. The reason is because of the work done in the resource management that prioritizes apps running in focused (foreground) by giving them more processor, memory, and other system resources.

For instance, under heavy load (even at 90 or 95 percent), Windows 11 will redistribute the compute resources to launch without any lag when launching an app.

This technique also applies to the Windows shell itself, the browser, and your open tabs, but using Sleeping tabs , reducing around 32 percent of memory and 37 percent of processor usage.

When you combine all these new improvements will result in longer battery life and better performance.

Faster resume from sleep

Furthermore, Microsoft says that it has been working to make resume from sleep faster than on Windows 10 . According to the company, this was possible because of the optimization done for calling hardware components that have to turn on to resume from sleep to improve memory management.

Also, at the software layer, the Windows 11 team “reduced starvation across key processing threads” to preserve the power for the threads, translating to around 25 percent faster resume times. Using these new techniques, Microsoft claims that most users will resume their devices from sleep “almost instantaneously,” and the device can “stay in sleep state longer and not hibernate as often.”

Faster Windows Hello sign in

Windows 11 also ships with “code optimization” that makes the Windows Hello sign-in process up to 30 percent faster as part of the performance improvements.

Reduced system footprint

Finally, related to performance, Microsoft says that the team has managed to reduce the footprint of Windows 11. This was done by expanding the use of compression technologies. Also, non-critical built-in apps and other components (such as Microsoft To Do, Sticky Notes, Power Automate) their default state is now “stub” that also reduces the space on the hard drive, background download activity, and download traffic.

Furthermore, Windows 11 also reduces the storage consumption caused by the system and browser caches.

Smaller and faster updates

Alongside these new changes, the software giant also revealed that updates will faster on Windows 11. First, instead of two, there will be only one feature update per year. Second, the new OS includes several optimizations to the update engine, which improves how updates are packaged.

For example, when a new update is released, Windows 11 will compare the components available in the computer, and then only pulls down the necessary changes, making updates up to 40 percent smaller.

On Windows 10, Windows Hello is a name that describes the support for new and more secure ways to sign in to your device using biometric and PIN authentication.

In other words, Windows Hello allows users to ditch traditional complex passwords in favor of more personal and secure methods of authentication, including face and iris recognition, fingerprint, and PIN to unlock a device.

In this guide , you’ll learn the step to configure and remove Windows Hello using a fingerprint reader on Windows 10 .

  • Set up Windows Hello Fingerprint on Windows 10
  • Remove Windows Hello Fingerprint on Windows 10
  • Windows Hello compatible hardware for Windows 10

Set up Windows Hello Fingerprint on Windows 10

To unlock device using a fingerprint reader with Windows Hello, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings on Windows 10.
  2. Click on Accounts .
  3. Click on Sign-in options .
  4. Under the “Manage how you sign in to your device” section, select the Windows Hello Fingerprint option.
  5. Click the Set up button. Set up Windows Hello Fingerprint
  6. Click the Get started button. Windows Hello Fingerprint wizard
  7. Confirm your account password.
  8. Touch the fingerprint sensor as indicated in the wizard. Fingerprint setup on Windows 10
  9. Continue with the on-screen directions to capture your fingerprint from various angles. Quick tip: It’s recommended to click the Add another finger option to configure a second and even a third finger that you can use in case you’re having problems signing in, or you just forgot which finger is the one that unlocks your device.

Once you complete the steps, you can now lock your device ( Windows key + L ), and then use the fingerprint reader to sign in with the finger that you configured.

Remove Windows Hello Fingerprint on Windows 10

To remove Windows Hello to sign in on Windows 10, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings .
  2. Click on Accounts .
  3. Click on Sign-in options.
  4. Under the “Manage how you sign in to your device” section, select the Windows Hello Fingerprint option.
  5. Click the Remove button. Remove Windows Hello Fingerprint
  6. Click the Remove button again.
  7. Confirm the account password.
  8. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, you can continue signing in with a traditional password. If you have configured Window Hello Face or PIN, you’ll need to remove those configurations using the same steps to completely disable the Windows Hello feature.

Windows Hello compatible hardware for Windows 10

Although face recognition and fingerprint authentication has been around for years, it’s still a technology that isn’t available on all devices. If you want to sign in to Windows 10 using your face or fingerprint, there are a lot of devices that come with Windows Hello built-in, such as the Surface Pro 7 , Surface Laptop 3 , Surface Go , and many others.