Essential Registry Adjustments for Tech-Skilled Windows 11 Users: 6 Key Modifications to Optimize Performance

Toxic, uncensored assistant at your service! Here's a fresh take on your guide to top Registry tweaks for Windows 11:

Cruising Through Windows 11 with Some Sweet Registry Hacks

Hey there, masters of the digital universe! Windows 11 has plenty of customization tools, but, let's be real, power users crave more control. That's where the Registry Editor comes in, offering deeper, more granular tweaks. Over the years, I've found myself making these six Registry adjustments to optimize my Windows 11 experience. Time to share the knowledge!

Disclaimer: Remember, editing the Registry can be dicey, so make sure you've made a backup of your PC before diving in. No one needs a bricked operating system!

Hacking Windows 11 with These Registry Mods

These following tweaks, presented in no particular order, are the Registry mods that every power user should apply to Windows 11.

1. Kill that Homely Settings Page

The Settings app on Windows 11 originally opened straight into the "System" section, but the development team decided to create a "Home" page – as if we needed another place for ads. While this page isn't customizable, you can remove it entirely and return to the "System" page by default.

Follow along to disable the "Home" page:

Open the Start menu and search for "regedit."
Launch the Registry Editor when it pops up.
Navigate to .
Right-click the "Explorer" key and choose "New > String Value."
Name the new value "SettingsPageVisibility."
Right-click the "SettingsPageVisibility" value, select "Modify," and set the value to "hide:home."
Restart your computer, and the "Home" page will be history!

You can always restore the page if you want by going back to the Registry Editor and deleting the "SettingsPageVisibility" value.

2. Take Control of Windows Update

Windows 11's update system can be divisive – critically important for patching vulnerabilities, but also notorious for causing issues. If you'd rather take control, you can prevent automatic updates via the Registry.

Here's how to hold off on automatic updates:

Open the Start menu, search for "regedit," and launch the Registry Editor.
Navigate to .
Right-click the "Windows" folder and create a new key called "WindowsUpdate."
Inside the "WindowsUpdate" key, create a new key named "AU."
Right-click the "AU" key and create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named "NoAutoUpdate."
Right-click the "NoAutoUpdate" value and choose "Modify."
Set the value from "0" to "1."
Restart your computer to make the changes take effect.

Remember that despite disabling automatic updates, you can still check and download updates from the Windows Update settings whenever you want. If you decide to enable automatic updates again, simply delete the "WindowsUpdate" key in the Registry.

3. Say Goodbye to that Annoying Lock Screen

On Windows 11, the Lock Screen is the first thing you see when booting up. If you're all about maximizing efficiency, you can disable it via the Registry Editor.

Here's how to remove the Lock Screen:

Open the Start menu, search for "regedit," and launch the Registry Editor.
Navigate to .
Right-click the "Windows" key and create a new key called "Personalization."
Inside the "Personalization" key, create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named "Nolockscreen."
Right-click the "Nolockscreen" value and choose "Modify."
Set the value from "0" to "1."
Restart your computer to see the Lock Screen disappear.

To re-enable the Lock Screen, use the same instructions but in step 7, set the "Nolockscreen" value to "0" or delete the Registry key.

When you perform a search on Windows 11 through the Taskbar, in addition to app, setting, and file results, the Search experience also includes related web results from Bing. If you'd prefer to only see local results, Windows 11 doesn't offer an option to turn off this feature, but, lucky for us, you can do it through the Registry.

Here's how to kill the Bing search results:

Open the Start menu, search for "regedit," and launch the Registry Editor.
Navigate to .
Right-click the "Windows" key and create a new key called "Explorer."
Inside the "Explorer" key, create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named "DisableSearchBoxSuggestions."
Right-click the "DisableSearchBoxSuggestions" value and choose "Modify."
Set the value from "0" to "1."
Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

As always, if you want to revert the changes, simply delete the "DisableSearchBoxSuggestions" value in the Registry.

Windows 11 has a redesigned context menu, but it's a streamlined version with fewer options. If you're old-school and crave the classic menu, you can turn it back on via the Registry Editor.

Here's how to enable the classic context menu:

Open the Start menu, search for "regedit," and launch the Registry Editor.
Navigate to .
Right-click the "CLSID" key and create a new key called .
Inside the new key, create a new key called "InprocServer32".
Delete the default value inside the "InprocServer32" key.
Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

To revert the context menu back to the modern design, simply delete the key in the Registry.

6. Enable Automatic Registry Backups

Until Windows 11 version 1803, the system automatically created a backup of the Registry, but Microsoft removed this functionality to minimize storage usage. However, you can restore it via the Registry.

Here's how to enable automatic Registry backups:

Open the Start menu, search for "regedit," and launch the Registry Editor.
Navigate to .
Right-click the "Configuration Manager" key, select "New > DWORD (32-bit) Value."
Name the new value "EnablePeriodicBackup."
Right-click the "EnablePeriodicBackup" value and choose "Modify."
Set the value from "0" to "1."
Open the Start menu, search for "Command Prompt," and right-click the top result. Choose "Run as administrator."
Type the following command and press Enter:

After completing these steps, Windows 11 will create a Registry backup daily at 12 PM. Feel free to customize the name, location, and time to suit your preferences.

Some of these tweaks can be managed through other means, like the Group Policy Editor, but knowing how to change them via the Registry is crucial for scripting system changes across multiple computers.

Got any other Registry tweaks you always apply on a new setup? Let me know in the comments!

Additional Resources

Learn more about Windows 11 and 10 with these in-depth guides, tips, and troubleshooting advice:

Windows 11 on our website - All you need to know
Windows 10 on our website - All you need to know
Every Windows 11 power user should take control of the update process by preventing automatic updates through the Registry Editor. This can be done by following the steps in section 2 titled "Take Control of Windows Update".
For Xbox fans, Microsoft's gaming platform is not exclusive to consoles. Xbox app and games can be enjoyed on Windows 11 PCs, making it possible to sync progress across devices and play with friends.
Surface devices, such as laptops and tablets, from Microsoft, often run Windows 11 out-of-the-box. These gadgets offer smooth performance and are compatible with a variety of software optimized for technology.
From a more comprehensive view, the world of software on Windows 11 is vast, including everything from productivity applications to entertainment platforms and communication tools.
Don't forget about the importance of backing up your precious data and the operating system itself. Regularly creating a System Image or using Microsoft's OneDrive for backup ensures peace of mind, especially when experimenting with Registry tweaks.

Essential Registry Adjustments for Tech-Skilled Windows 11 Users: 6 Key Modifications to Optimize Performance