Besides installing apps, setting up a new PC is mostly all about changing the right settings. But the Windows Settings app doesn’t cover everything. Microsoft doesn’t make it easy to disable annoying features like Copilot or web results in the Start menu, which means you have to rely on the good, old Registry Editor to get the job done.
As such, there are a few registry tweaks I always make before doing anything else on a fresh Windows 11 install.
Editing registry files can be risky, so it’s always best to back up the registry files or create a restore point before you make any changes.
Stop Windows Search from showing web results
Keep your searches local
By default, when you search for something using the Start menu, it also shows results from the web. While that’s a noble idea, it sadly uses Bing to fetch those results and always opens them in Edge, regardless of what your default browser is. While there’s no way to change that, you can get rid of those web results from the Search menu entirely.
Open the Registry Editor and head to the following path:
ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftWindows
Look for the Explorer key. If you don’t see it, right-click on Windows and choose New > Key. Name it Explorer. Right-click on the Explorer key and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it DisableSearchBoxSuggestions. Double-click it and change its value to 1.
Keep them within reach
App shortcuts are great, but it’s easy to end up cluttering your desktop up with too many of them. I personally like to keep things clean and rely more on pinning apps to the taskbar. And for the apps I need almost daily, I like to add them to the context menu instead.
Sure, setting up these shortcuts takes some time, but it’s absolutely worth it. Head to the following path in the Registry Editor:
ComputerHKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryBackgroundshell
Right-click the Shell key and choose New > String Value. Give it the app’s name, like PDF24. Now, double-click the Default entry in the right pane, and enter the name you want to appear in the context menu.
Right-click on the PDF24 folder you created, and choose New > Key. Name it Command. Now, double-click the Default entry in the right pane, and paste the EXE file path of your app. That’s it. You can repeat these steps to add more apps, but it’s best not to add too many since it can make the context menu unnecessarily long.
Skip the lock screen
No point if you’re the only one using it
PCs with SSDs are incredibly fast with the boot process, but what slows down your way to the desktop is that lock screen. Of course, it’s necessary for anyone who works in a public space. But if you’re like me who works from home, and aren’t worried about anyone using your PC, the lock screen is pointless. And the good news is that you can easily disable it.
In the Registry Editor, head to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows
Look for a Personalization key. If it’s not there, right-click on the Windows key and choose New > Key. Name it Personalization. Then, right-click it and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it NoLockScreen and set the value to 1.
Stop apps from delaying a shutdown
Stop babysitting your PC during shutdown
This is one of those features that’s meant to be helpful but ends up being annoying. Sometimes, certain apps won’t let your PC shut down and warn you about losing unsaved content. More often than not, that also includes apps that have nothing to save, like File Explorer. This forces you to click “Shut down anyway” before your PC actually turns off.
If you don’t find it useful, head to the following registry path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktop
Right-click on Desktop and choose New > String Value. Name it AutoEndTasks and set its value data to 1. Now create another string value called WaitToKillAppTimeout and set its value to 2000. This sets the wait time to 2000 milliseconds, which means Windows will wait for 2 seconds before closing an app. Create another string value called HungAppTimeout and set that to 2000 as well.
Get rid of Copilot completely
Not hidden, actually gone
It’s 2026, so it’s no surprise that Windows 11 is packed with all kinds of AI features. And while Copilot is useful for some things, it can also be a resource hog. I also don’t like how Microsoft injected Copilot just about everywhere.
I’m not against AI assistants in general, obviously, but it can be annoying when it’s forced. The good news is that it’s possible to disable Copilot completely with a registry tweak. For this, head to the following path:
ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftWindows
Create a key named Windows Copilot, right-click it and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it TurnOffWindowsCopilot and set its value to 1.