Which Services Can You Disable in Windows 11 to Boost Performance and Privacy 

There’s a lot to love about Windows, and then there are all the extras that run behind the scenes and slow down your machine. There are many services, some only a little better than bloatware, that hamper performance and (in some cases) infringe on your privacy.

In this article, we’ll be showing you how easy on Windows 11 remove background services can be and what services you can do without.

Where to Disable Almost Any Service

Services run in the background of Windows, fulfilling a variety of tasks. Some, like Task Manager, are vital for keeping tabs on programs and troubleshooting errors. Other services assist Microsoft in data gathering or serve functions you might not find useful in your workflow.

You’ll need to have Administrator privileges to enable or disable services.

Almost all services can be disabled through the Services menu, accessible in the following way:

Step 1. Open the Run dialog box (Win + R) and type in “services.msc.”

Step 2. Instead of hitting the “OK” button, press (Ctrl + Shift + Enter) to open as an Administrator.

Step 3. In the Service screen, right-click on any service you want to disable and choose “Stop” from the context menu.

Step 4. Clicking on “Properties” in the same menu will allow you to choose whether a service will start. If you want to disable one long-term, change the “Startup type” to “Manual.”

Windows 11 Remove Background Services: What You Can Remove

Let’s take a look at what services you can safely do without, while boosting your performance and safeguarding your privacy in the bargain.

Microsoft Telemetry Data

Let’s start with the service that kills two birds with one stone. Telemetry data is Microsoft’s way of gathering analytical and performance data from its many machines around the world. While data is gathered anonymously, according to Microsoft, it’s still being gathered. This service can also be quite a drain on performance, especially on older computers. Disabling it has no disadvantages to the running of your PC.

Error Reporting

The Windows Error Reporting Service is a way for Microsoft to gather data on crashes and bugs. Whenever something goes wrong, a report is sent to Microsoft. This is yet another data-gathering service (helpful to Microsoft in offering better service), but not necessary to keep around. Your time would probably be better spent searching for ways to solve issues as they pop up.

Diagnostic Policy Service

In much the same vein as above, diagnostics is Windows’ in-operating-system method of troubleshooting errors. Seeing as most of these solutions are ineffective and send frustrated users to the internet to ask for help, Microsoft may gradually phase out this service. As such, you can disable this service guilt-free and enjoy the performance boost.

Similar services you can also disable here are “Diagnostic System Host,” “Diagnostic Service Host,” and “Diagnostic Execution Service.”

Optimize Drives

Defragmenting your hard drives used to be something you had to remember to do semi-regularly. Windows now offers this service to do it automatically, and it will usually kick in if your machine is standing idle. As defragging is quite an intense process, this can affect performance. As long as you remember to manually defragment your machine from time to time, you can disable this service.

Optional Services

Many services will only affect you if you use a certain function on your machine, and can be disabled if you don’t use those functions. Here are a few:

• Phone Service – This service links your smartphone to your PC. It’s safe to disable it if you don’t need it.
• Print Spooler – It’s safe to disable if you don’t use your machine with a printer.
• Geolocation Services – If you don’t use maps and don’t want to be tracked, turn this off.