Software designed to make a PC perform better has saturated the market for decades. Many of these apps purport to optimise, clean-up and turbo boost a computer’s performance, whilst often making no discernible difference. Where some of these apps excel is their ability to promise superior streamlining performance in exchange for cash, so finding a product to make a PC perform better without bankrupting the user can be tricky. However, Microsoft has launched PC Manager. It’s free and certainly worth a look.
What is Microsoft PC Manager?
Microsoft PC Manager is designed to make a PC perform better by boosting performance, managing storage and performing health checks. Currently, it is a beta product which means that it isn’t quite finished, but probably safe enough to use without it destroying your computer. It’s available for Windows 11 and the newer versions of Windows 10.
How does Microsoft PC Manager work?
Interestingly, it utilises functions which already exist within Windows. Microsoft PC manager brings them together into one app, which is rather reassuring as the technology behind the product is well established. Clicking on Health check starts a rapid scan of the system, giving options to clean various cache and temporary files. Additionally, you can give the PC a performance boost by disabling startup apps from the list provided.
PC Manager also helps with storage analysis, performing cleanup scans and by searching for large files on the boot drive. Useful if you’re struggling for free space on a machine which has a small SSD. Process management lists apps which are running, giving the option to terminate any which are hogging resources.
Will Microsoft PC Manager work with my antivirus package?
Certainly. Microsoft PC Manager will work with any installed antivirus or internet security packages by completely ignoring it. Clicking the Protection will give you an option to scan your PC with Microsoft Defender, irrespective of whichever third-party security package is installed. This isn’t worth getting upset about as the Protection option gives access to a few more useful options including an easy way to change default browsers and a manual trigger to perform Windows updates.
Microsoft PC Manager’s Toolbox
Arguably Toolbox is the best feature of the app. Inside are quick-links to useful tool Windows tools such as screenshot, voice recorder and auto-caption. At the top of this page is a slider which will create a customisable desktop toolbar, handy for keeping certain apps under the finger, especially for touchscreen machines. It’s also worth looking inside the settings options too as there are options for automatic smart boost and pop-up management.
Microsoft PC Manager can certainly make a PC perform better. As it’s a beta product, there are new features being added to it. Technically, there is nothing fresh, but it centralises a portfolio of great tools which many Windows users will have missed or forgotten about. Many are already within Windows, so they’re not using extra resources to do the same (or usually worse) job. If you like clean caches and the crisp performance that an optimised system brings, then Microsoft PC Manager is worthy of your attention.
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