Windows 11 offers some nice animations when you open a window or navigate through it. Start menu (Start). However, some users may find it a power-hungry feature that negatively impacts their computers. You can completely turn off animations on Windows 11 to make it more engaging and even conserve power on laptops. Here are the top 3 ways to turn off animations in Windows 11.
Windows 11 offers a few different ways you can disable animations. In this post, we'll discuss all of them and more. So, let's get started.
1. Use the Settings app to turn off animations in Windows 11.
Perhaps the easiest way to turn off animations on Windows 11 is through the Settings app. Read on to learn how.
Step 1: Open the Start menu and click the Settings icon. Alternatively, you can also press Windows key + I to quickly launch the Settings app.
Step 2: Use the left pane to go to Accessibility and click Visual Effects on your right.
Step 3: Turn off the switch next to Animation Effects.
2. Turn off animations in Windows 11 from the Control Panel
If you are old school like me and prefer to use Control Panel To make changes to your PC, here's how to turn off animations on Windows 11 via the Control Panel.
Step 1: Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type control.exe in the Open field and press Enter.
Step 2: In the Control Panel window that opens, switch the view type to Large icons and go to Ease of Access Center.
Step 3: Under Explore all settings, click Make the computer easier to see.
Step 4: Select the checkbox that reads “Turn off all unnecessary animations (when possible)” to disable animations on Windows 11. Finally, click “Apply” followed by “OK.”
3. TWEAK Performance Options
Aside from the Settings app and Control Panel, Windows 11 also provides a dedicated Performance Options menu that you can use to disable animations and other visual effects. You can use this menu to customize your animation preferences. Here's how to access it.
Step 1: Open the Start menu, type View advanced system settings, and press Enter.
Step 2: In the System Properties window that appears, go to the Advanced tab and click the Settings button under Performance.
Step 3: In the Performance Options window, select the "Adjust for best performance" option under the Visual Effects tab to disable all unnecessary visual effects. Doing so will make your Windows computer run faster.
Alternatively, you can also select the “Custom” option to check and uncheck the animation and visual effects boxes yourself.
Bonus: Change the menu scrolling speed on Windows 11
While the above methods only allow you to disable animations, by modifying the registry editor, you can speed up or slow down menu animations on Windows 11.
A word of caution. The Registry Editor is an integral part of the Windows operating system. Any changes made without knowledge can cause irreparable damage. Therefore, be sure to follow the steps carefully when making any changes, and don't forget to Back up registry files First.
Next, here's how to change menu animation speeds on Windows 11.
Step 1: Press Windows key + R on your keyboard to launch the Run dialog box.
Step 2: Type regedit in the Open field and press Enter to open the Windows Registry.
Step 3: In the Registry Editor window, use the address bar to paste the following address:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop
Step 4: On the right side of the window, double-click the MenuShowDelay key. Here, you can enter a new delay value in milliseconds to specify the menu animation speed on Windows 11.
By default, the value is set to 400. You can set it to 200 or even 100 to reduce the animation time. Conversely, increasing the value will slow down the animation speed.
After completing the above steps, restart your computer for the changes to take effect. Now follow along and see if you can feel any difference while using the menus in Windows 11.
Speed up Windows 11
Ultimately, it all comes down to personal taste. As we just learned, Windows 11 offers a few different ways to turn off animations that make them appear faster. However, if you can't decide, play around with animation speeds a bit if you're comfortable making registry changes. If you want to get the most out of multitasking, check out how Use multiple windows at the same time on Windows 11.
