Essential Steps to Take After Installing Windows 11

Essential Actions After Installing or Upgrading to Windows 11

Whether you’re transitioning from Windows 10, acquiring a brand-new Windows 11 machine, or reinstalling the operating system, there are crucial steps you can take to enhance your experience. These actions can significantly reduce frustration and streamline your workflow from the moment you boot your system for the first time.

This guide outlines five vital steps to follow after upgrading to or installing Windows 11. Unlike many articles that focus on personal preferences—like customizing your Start menu or changing wallpapers—this list emphasizes actionable improvements that genuinely impact your user experience.

Here’s a quick overview of the topics covered:

Backup Your BitLocker Key
Optimize Context Menus
Enable End Task
Reduce Annoyances and Ads
Disable OneDrive Auto-Backup

1. Backup Your BitLocker Key

An essential step often overlooked in installation guides is backing up your BitLocker key. Windows 11, starting from version 24H2, encrypts drives by default without notifying users or providing information on key storage. This can lead to significant issues when attempting to access encrypted data.

To ensure you can decrypt your drives without any hassle, back up your BitLocker key as follows:

Sign in to your Microsoft Account on your computer.
Visit account.microsoft.com and log in.
Navigate to the “Devices“tab and select your device.
Click on “Info and Support.”
Choose “Manage Recovery keys.”
Locate the “Key ID“and “Recovery Key“, and securely store them, preferably in a password manager.

If desired, you can disable BitLocker encryption during the installation process.

2. Optimize Context Menus

The context menus in Windows 11 include many unnecessary options, such as “Open in Paint”or “Edit with Notepad, ”cluttering the interface and slowing response times. This inefficiency can considerably hinder user experience.

You can simplify these menus by deleting unneeded apps or modifying the system registry to remove superfluous options. Here’s how:

Open Notepad or any text editor, paste the specific registry code for the app you want to remove, and save the file. Change its extension from.txt to.reg before executing it. For instance, use the following to remove “Edit with Clipchamp”:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Blocked]

“{8AB635F8-9A67-4698-AB99-784AD929F3B4}”=””

For additional entries, such as “Ask Copilot”and “Edit with Photos, ”similar codes are available and can be executed in the same manner.

3. Enable End Task Option

The End Task feature can save time when applications become unresponsive. Instead of struggling with Task Manager, simply right-click the app on the taskbar and select “End Task.”

This option is disabled by default, but activating it is straightforward:

Access the Settings app and click on the “System“tab.
Proceed to “For developers.”
Locate the “End Task“feature and activate it.

4. Reduce Annoyances and Ads

Windows 11 can often feel intrusive with its persistent ads and notifications. Here’s how to minimize distractions:

Disable notifications and prompts: Navigate to Settings > Personalization > Start, and turn off “Show account-related notifications.”
Turn off app recommendations: Go to Settings > Personalization > Start, and disable suggestions for tips and new apps.

Opt to disable feedback request notifications under Settings > Privacy & Security > Diagnostics & Feedback by setting “Feedback frequency”to Never. Furthermore, toggle off “Show me suggested content”in the Settings app for a cleaner experience.

5. Disable OneDrive Auto-Backup

Windows 11 automatically activates OneDrive backup, sending all your files from Desktop and certain folders to the cloud without your consent. To stop this, follow these steps after installation:

Click the OneDrive icon in the system tray and go to Settings.
In the “Sync and backup“tab, select “Manage backup.”
Turn off all backup functionalities.

Caution: Files marked with a green check will appear absent after disabling auto-backup, but they are merely stored in OneDrive. Check the relevant folders in File Explorer to access them.

Enhancing your Windows 11 experience isn’t limited to these steps—consider swapping out default applications for superior third-party alternatives as well. Explore articles like: