By default, Windows includes a 10-second wait before all of your applications and programs are available upon boot; this is known as the Startup Delay”. It ensures that everything functions when you turn on your computer. However, you’re used to rocket-like startup times if you have a fast SSD. You may not realize that you can speed up this process even more by removing the startup delay that Windows provides to prevent your hardware from overloading. This post will guide you to enable or disable the Windows Startup delay in Windows 11 and Windows 10.
What Is the Startup Delay in Windows?
There is a 10-second delay before all of your applications and programs are available when you power up Windows. This is referred to as the Startup Delay. It allows you to reduce the amount of time spent getting a hold of their PC. It also allows your desktop and Windows services to finish loading, helping things operate a little more smoothly.
How to Enable or Disable the Windows Startup Delay (Windows 11/10)
This process requires you to make changes to the Registry via the Registry Editor. A fair bit of warning here: the Registry Editor is a potent and complex tool. Making unwanted changes may cause your system to become unstable, if not completely unusable. We recommend you take a backup of the Registry before making any changes.
- To bring up the Registry Editor, search for the same in the Start Search Box and choose the best match from the results list.
- Now, navigate to the following path in the Editor with the help of the left navigation pane. Alternatively, you can also copy and paste the below-mentioned path for quick navigation.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Serialize
- If you notice that the Serialize key/folder is missing, you will need to create it. To do that, start by navigating to the below-mentioned path, right-click on the Explorer key, choose New > Key, and name it Serialize.
- Next, please right-click on the Serialize key, choose New > DWORD (32-bit) value, and finally name StartupDelayInMSec.
- The next step would be to modify the DWORD’s value. Make a double-click on the new StartupDelayInMSecvalue, and ensure that the value is set to 0 in the Value data text field.
- Click on OK, close the Registry Editor, and restart your computer for the changes to effect.
Suppose, for some reason, your want to turn it back on. In that case, all you need to do is head back to the Registry Editor, navigate to the same path, and delete the previously created DWORD named StartupDelayInMSec by right-clicking it and then clicking Delete.
Registry Method to Enable or Disable Startup Delay in Windows 11/10
If you do not prefer playing around with the Registry Editor, there’s a registry hack you can use. You can copy the code on Notepad and save it as a REG file. To use it, double click on the REG file, and click on Allow in the following prompts asking whether you’re sure you want to make changes to your Registry.
Essentially, what these REG files are, is nothing but the Serialize key exported from the Registry.
Disable Startup Delay
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Serialize] "StartupDelayInMSec"=dword:00000000
Enable Startup Delay
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Serialize] "StartupDelayInMSec"=-
Should I Disable Startup Delay?
If you’re running a computer on a solid-state drive or an SSD, we recommend disabling the startup delay. However, if you run an HDD, it is generally not recommended to disable the option.
How Do I Fix Slow Bootup in Windows?
If you’re facing slow bootup issues with Windows, you can try disabling startup applications from the Task Manager. Use Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch the Task Manager. Then switch to the Startup tab, and check the list of applications set to start with Windows.
If you feel you do not need it to be available immediately, you can disable it.
How Different It Is from Delay Option in Services — Automatic(Delayed Start)
The Delayed Start is for Windows services, and the default time is set to two minutes. However, Startup delay is for applications and set to 10 seconds by delay. So even if you have Windows apps set to launch as you log in to the computer, it will delay all of them.
That said, what is the average boot time of your computer? Do let us know by dropping a comment down below.
