Windows 10 Settings to Customize First

After a fresh Windows 10 install, the default settings leave privacy, performance, and usability on the table. You should customize the following settings right away: privacy options, notification and focus assist, default apps, power plan, storage sense, startup programs, and the Start menu layout.

Why Default Windows 10 Settings Need Changing

Windows 10 ships with settings that favor Microsoft’s telemetry and cloud services over your privacy and system responsiveness. Many defaults are also tuned for a generic corporate environment, not a personal home PC. For example, background apps run by default, sending data and draining battery, while notifications from every app can interrupt your workflow. Taking 10 to 15 minutes to adjust these settings can make your system feel faster, more private, and less cluttered.

Privacy Settings: What to Turn Off

Microsoft collects diagnostic data and uses advertising ID for personalized ads. You can reduce this significantly:

Go to Settings > Privacy > General and turn off Let apps use advertising ID and Let websites show locally relevant content.
Under Diagnostics & feedback, set diagnostic data to Required (basic) instead of Full.
In Activity history, uncheck Store my activity history on this device and Send my activity history to Microsoft.
Review Background apps and disable any you don’t need, like Xbox Game Bar or Photos, to save battery and CPU.

These changes don’t break Windows updates or security. You’ll still get patches, but you’ll stop non-essential data collection.

Notifications and Focus Assist

Default notification settings allow every app to pop up banners and sounds. To reduce interruptions:

Open Settings > System > Notifications & actions.
Turn off Get notifications from apps and other senders or keep it on but turn off Show notification banners and Play a sound when a notification arrives.
Enable Focus assist and set it to Priority only during your working hours, or set it to Alarms only when you present or use full-screen apps.

Focus assist also suppresses notifications when you’re mirroring your display, which is handy for meetings.

Default Apps and File Associations

Windows 10 often opens PDFs in Edge and music in Groove Music. To set your preferred apps:

Go to Settings > Apps > Default apps.
Click each item (Web browser, Email, Maps, Music player, Photo viewer, Video player) and choose your installed app.
For file types not listed, scroll down and click Choose default apps by file type to set e.g., .pdf to your PDF reader.

This prevents accidental opens in the wrong program and makes your workflow smoother.

Power Plan and Performance

By default, Windows 10 uses the Balanced power plan. For desktops or when you need maximum performance, switch to High performance:

Open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options.
Select High performance (if not visible, click Show additional plans).
Alternatively, in Settings > System > Power & sleep, adjust when the screen turns off and when the PC sleeps.

For laptops, the Balanced plan is fine, but you can tweak the advanced settings to limit CPU maximum state to 99% to reduce heat and fan noise.

Storage Sense and Temporary Files

Storage Sense automatically frees up space by deleting temporary files and emptying the recycle bin. To enable it:

Go to Settings > System > Storage and turn on Storage Sense.
Click Configure Storage Sense or run it now to choose how often it runs (e.g., every day) and what to delete (temporary files, files in Recycle Bin older than 30 days).
You can also run a manual cleanup by clicking Free up space now.

This keeps your system drive from filling up with Windows update leftovers and app caches.

Startup Programs and Start Menu

Many apps add themselves to startup, slowing boot times. To manage them:

Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and go to the Startup tab.
Right-click any app you don’t need at boot and select Disable (e.g., Spotify, Adobe updater, or manufacturer utilities).
For the Start menu, go to Settings > Personalization > Start and turn off Show recently added apps, Show most used apps, and Show suggestions occasionally to reduce clutter.

You can also change the Start menu to show more tiles or use the full-screen Start layout if you prefer a tablet-like interface.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to disable all Windows 10 tracking?

No. You can turn off most non-essential data collection without harming functionality. Keep Required diagnostic data on, as it’s necessary for Windows Update and security. Disabling everything may cause some features like Cortana to stop working, but you likely won’t miss them.

Will changing power plan to High Performance damage my PC?

No, it won’t damage hardware. It keeps the CPU at a higher clock speed, which increases power consumption and heat. For laptops, this reduces battery life and may increase fan noise. For desktops, it’s safe and can improve performance in CPU-heavy tasks.

How do I stop Windows 10 from auto-installing apps?

Go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features and click Choose where to get apps. Set it to Anywhere, but let me know if there’s a comparable app in the Microsoft Store or Anywhere to prevent silent installs. Also, in Settings > Personalization > Start, turn off Show suggestions occasionally.

Is it safe to disable startup programs?

Yes, for most third-party programs. Windows core services are not listed in the Startup tab. Disabling an app like your antivirus’s updater might leave you with an outdated definition, so keep security software enabled. For everything else, disabling is safe and speeds up boot.

Why does my Windows 10 still show ads in the Start menu?

Those are “suggested” apps. To remove them, go to Settings > Personalization Start and turn off Show suggestions occasionally. Also, in Settings > Privacy > General, turn off Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID.

What’s the difference between Storage Sense and Disk Cleanup?

Storage Sense is automatic and runs on a schedule, cleaning temp files and recycle bin. Disk Cleanup is a manual tool that also removes old Windows updates and system files. Both are useful; Storage Sense for routine maintenance, Disk Cleanup for a deeper clean when you need space.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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