How to Turn Off Windows 11s Animation Effects to Improve Performance

Windows 11's animation effects make the UI look more fluid. However, enabling animations on a slower machine can cause a sluggish feeling where apps take some time to open or close.

If you prefer performance over aesthetics, it is easy to turn off the animation effects in Windows 11. Here's how.

1. How to Turn Off Windows 11 Animation Effects via Settings

You can customize the visual effects in Windows 11 via the Settings app. To turn off Animation effects, do the following:

1. Press Win + I to open the Settings panel.
2. In the left pane, click on the Accessibility tab.
3. Click on the Visual effects option in the right pane.
4. Toggle the switch for Animation effects, setting it to Off.

Your screen may flash and feel stuck for a couple of seconds as Windows 11 turns off the animation effects for the control elements.

Now, when you open an app, it should feel faster than ever before. That said, if you turn animations off, it will likely also disable the fluid motion in other Microsoft apps, such as Office.

If you dislike having the animations off, you can always go back and undo the changes. To enable animation effects again, go to Settings > Accessibility > Visual Effects and toggle the switch so it's On.

2. How to Turn Off Windows 11 Animation Effects via the Control Panel

The classic Control Panel allows you to make changes to the accessibility settings. To disable Animation effects using the Control Panel, do the following:

1. Press Win + R to open Run.
2. Type control and click OK to open the Control Panel.
3. Next, click on Ease of Access and then on Ease of Access Center.
4. Click on Make the computer easier to see under the Explore all settings section.
5. Scroll down to the Make things on the screen easier to see section.
6. Select the Turn off all unnecessary animations (when possible) option.
7. Click Apply to save the changes, and your screen may freeze for a few seconds. When it resumes, click OK to complete the process.

Disabling animations via the Control Panel has a similar effect as doing so via the Settings app. Again, if you change your mind, open Control Panel, uncheck the Turn off all unnecessary animation option in the Accessibility section, and click Apply to undo the changes.

3. How to Turn Off Windows 11 Animation Effects via Performance Options

The Performance Options dialog in Windows 11 allows you to change visual effects elements for your computer. However, unlike the earlier options, this gives you more control over different system control elements.

To disable animation effects using Performance Options:

1. Press Win + S to open the search bar.
2. Type Adjust appearance and then click on Adjust the Appearance and performance of Windows.
3. In the Visual Effects tab, select the Custom option.
4. Next, uncheck - Animation controls and elements inside windows, Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing and Animation in the taskbar options.
5. Click Apply and OK to save the changes.

To restore the visual effects, open Performance Options and select Let Windows choose what’s best for my computer. Then, click Apply and OK to save the changes. This should restore the animation effects with the Windows operating system auto-optimizing the effects for performance and appearance.

Turning Off Animation Effects in Windows 11 to Improve Performance

Windows 11’s animation effects help enhance the user experience and are a welcome change overall. However, at times, it may make your system feel sluggish. Follow any of the methods in the article to turn off the animation effects and see if that helps restore performance.

If you experience issues with Windows 11 slow startup or boot time, turning off animation effects may not help. Startup bloatware, bad updates, and hardware limitations often cause Windows machines to start up slowly.