Eight things to do after upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11
Microsoft’s plan to discontinue standard support of Windows 10 on October 14, 2025 is probably known to every user who’s taking care of their hardware and software themselves. However, as we have pointed out in several posts dedicated to the matter, people are reluctant to migrate from Windows 10 to Windows 11. If you’re interested in some of the reasons why, read “Windows 10 is now 10; how does it compare to other Microsoft OSes?”; it sheds light on some of the causes.
The situation is changing, though: according to StatCounter, in June 2025 the market share of Windows 10 was marginally greater than that of Windows 11, but in July the latter’s numbers jumped to over 53.5% from the previous 47.9%.
It is clear that quite soon most users in the world will move up to Microsoft’s so-far latest OS. The process is quite straightforward and requires little explanation: the Installation Assistant downloadable from the developer’s website takes the guesswork out of the equation completely. After upgrading to Windows 11 from Windows 10, though, some housekeeping is in order; this post gives you eight such things.
1. Update everything
Yes, even Windows itself. Open Settings, proceed to Windows Update, and check if there’s anything to be downloaded there. Chances are, some security patches will start flocking in.
Don’t forget about drivers for your hardware; those usually drop in the same Windows Update section, but if you have some special hardware in the setup, like an external sound card or a plotter, check for updates for them manually in the Device Manager (Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager, find the hardware in the list, right-click it and select “Update driver”). Better yet, install the companion software for the said device and get the updates through it.
2. Check functionality of the devices and integrity of your data
One of the very annoying situations is when you need to print something, and pronto, but your printer refuses to obey. To prevent this sort of negative experience, check all the devices you use often right after installing Windows 11.
Also, check the important files and folders for integrity: the chances of them being corrupted are next to none, but it’s anyway advised to back up everything before doing the move, and it’s as sensible to do the suggested verification once it’s complete.
3. Reclaim your disk space
Upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 takes up hard drive space, which is expected; what’s not exactly expected is the amount of no-longer-needed data the system leaves there.
There are two proven ways to free up the GBs on our drive after the move, using the Settings routine and the Disk Cleanup tool. Both are described in the “Windows 10 to 11 upgrade: how to clean drive afterwards” post we published earlier, step-by-step. Nothing too complicated.
4. Get rid of unnecessary apps
Windows 11 does come with a bunch of applications that you may have no use for. For example, there will be the Xbox companion app that you may find unnecessary if you don’t have the console or don’t want to link it to your PC, or the OneDrive program that is also not needed unless you sync into Microsoft’s cloud.
Uninstalling unneeded apps is something best done right after installation of the OS, otherwise, you risk forgetting about this chore and just letting them live in your system, consuming resources. There is also a way to install the system without at least some of the bloatware, we’ve described it in the “Windows 10/11 without bloatware: concise installation guide” piece.
5. Adjust privacy and security settings
By default, Windows 11 shares a lot of data with Microsoft, tracking some of your actions and reporting them, presumably anonymized to the developer. The intentions are good, of course: the information helps make the product better.
If you’re concerned about your privacy and security, go to Settings → Privacy and security, and check everything in the “Windows permissions” section, disabling everything that doesn’t sit right with you.
6. Establish the backing up routine
Another step that’s best not put on the backburner is setting up backup software and patterns. The new system may feel like a breeze at the outset, which calms you down about the safety of your data, but it’s better to stay vigilant at all times.
We consider backing up an important part of operating a computer; check out these three pieces dedicated to this subject:
- The GFS backup strategy: never lose your data (again)
- Inexpensive cloud backup services with personal plans
- 6 free backup tools for Windows
7. Configure system security and performance for your needs
By default, Windows 11 will enforce rather strict system security settings and choose a balanced approach to the battery life vs. performance conundrum. If you have special requirements in what concerns these two aspects, do adjust the respective toggles after upgrading the system.
The former can be managed in the Windows Security app (hit Start, start typing “security” and you’ll get it), the latter is in the “Power & battery” section of Settings.
8. Manage startup programs
When there are too many applications loading up at startup and running afterwards, your machine may feel sluggish, so checking what the newly installed Windows 11 plans to get active when booting is a good idea.
This can be done after the very first log in to the system, especially if you have noticed something unusual in that process. Just open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), go to the Startup tab, and disable whatever you actually don’t need there.
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