Windows tab
Windows Update controls, the full tweaks list, power plans, removing built-in apps, and managing what starts with your PC.
On this page
Where: Open TOOLS → Windows.
Looking for stress tests? They have their own STRESS tab: see Stress tests.
These tools change Windows or other installed apps. Pick the task you need; leave unfamiliar switches alone.
Before changing Windows settings#
- Save your work and finish the active gaming session.
- Create a restore point in PC Health and check that it succeeds.
- Change one setting at a time, then check that your usual apps and devices still work.
Changes in this tab may stay active after STOP. Each section below explains how to manage them.
Windows Update Settings#
Control Windows Update delivery, pause duration, and driver updates
The card shows your current mode as a coloured badge. Click Manage to change it.
| Mode | What it means |
|---|---|
| Default (green) | Normal Windows behaviour: all updates on, update services running |
| Security Only (amber) | You still get security fixes. Big feature updates are held back for a year, and Windows stops installing drivers for you |
| Disable (red) | Blocks automatic and manual update checks and installs. You get no security fixes until you switch back |
Pick one and click Apply.
Careful
Leave Default selected unless you need to change update behavior. Read the selected mode's explanation before applying it, and return to Default when a temporary pause is no longer needed.
Reset Windows Update#
Repair corrupted Windows Update module
If Windows Update is stuck, failing with errors, or downloading the same update forever, this repairs it.
Click Reset Windows Update. It works through several steps automatically and tells you which one it's on. Just let it finish.
Windows Tweaks Repair#
Detect and fix misconfigured Windows tweaks
Scans for Windows settings that some other "optimizer" or guide has left in a broken state, and offers to fix them.
Click Scan for Bad Tweaks. You'll get either "No bad tweaks detected" (green) or "N issue(s) found" (yellow).
Windows Tweaks#
System configuration, privacy, and shell behavior
Click Open Settings to open the tweaks window. This is a long list of individual Windows settings you can switch on and off, grouped into categories.
How the window works#
- A ring at the top shows how many are switched on, e.g. 12 / 87 APPLIED
- Category chips filter the list: All, AI, Ads, Edge, Gaming, System, Privacy, Appearance, Taskbar
- A search box finds a tweak by name
- Enable all / Disable all apply to whatever is currently shown, so if you've filtered to one category, they only affect that category
- Re-scan re-reads your PC's real settings
- Tweaks that don't exist on your version of Windows are hidden completely
Undo a tweak here
Find the switch you changed and turn it off to restore its recorded settings. Follow any restart prompt. STOP does not turn off separately applied Windows tweaks.
Restarts#
Some tweaks need a restart before you see them. A banner appears at the bottom with:
- Restart Explorer: restarts the Windows desktop. Takes a second; your taskbar flickers.
- Restart PC Now: a full reboot.
What's in each category#
The app groups available options by purpose and shows a customer-facing description and warning beside each switch. Read those descriptions before applying a change.
Power Plan#
Active Windows power scheme
Shows which power mode Windows is using, with two buttons:
- FPSHEAVEN Performance: TinyBoost's gaming power mode.
- Balanced: Windows' normal mode.
TinyBoost switches to its own plan automatically when you press START (if that switch is on) and switches back when you press STOP.
On a laptop
A high-performance power plan uses noticeably more battery. If you're not plugged in, leave it on Balanced.
Hardware Acceleration#
Disable HW acceleration in background apps possible reduce stuttering
Hardware acceleration lets an app use the graphics card for some of its work. This tool can turn it off in supported background apps. Test the result: disabling it can also change how those apps perform.
Click Manage to scan. You get a list of the apps found, with a Disable button for each, and Restart if the app is currently running (the change needs the app to restart).
Not undone by STOP
Once you disable hardware acceleration in another program, it stays disabled. To turn it back on, open that program's own settings and look for "use hardware acceleration when available".
Windows Services#
Disable selected Windows services system-wide
Click Manage to review the groups: Telemetry & Diagnostics, Disk & Storage, Microsoft Store, Print & Scan, Remote Desktop, Hyper-V Guest, Misc Disabled, Safe Networking & COM, and Safe Miscellaneous. Each has its own description. A summary line tells you how many are currently switched off.
Think before switching off
Turning off Print & Scan means your printer stops working. Remote Desktop means you can't connect to this PC from elsewhere. Only switch off groups for features you genuinely don't use, and remember you can switch them back on here at any time, or with Reset All Settings.
Windows Debloat#
Remove pre-installed bloatware apps
Remove only apps you recognize and no longer need. This is optional; removing more apps does not guarantee better game performance.
Do this
- Click Scan & Manage. TinyBoost lists which of the known apps are actually installed on your PC.
- Tick the ones to remove. A counter shows how many you've selected.
- Click Remove.
Apps are grouped into four categories:
- Microsoft Apps: the built-in Microsoft apps (Weather, News, Maps, Photos, Paint, Notepad, Skype, Teams, Mail & Calendar, Sticky Notes, and many more)
- Widgets & AI: Copilot, the widgets panel, and the on-device AI packages
- Xbox & Gaming: the Xbox app, the Game Bar and overlays, Solitaire
- Third Party: apps preloaded by your PC's manufacturer (Candy Crush, Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, LinkedIn and similar)
If nothing is found you'll see "No bloatware found / System is clean".
Putting apps back#
Switch to Re-Install Apps inside the same window, tick what you want and click Reinstall.
Not everything can come back
Reinstallation depends on which apps are supported and still available. Check the Re-Install Apps list before removing something you may need later. Reinstalling does not guarantee recovery of that app's previous settings or data.
Microsoft Store is in the list
You can remove the Microsoft Store itself. Doing so makes reinstalling anything else much harder. Treat it as the single riskiest item in the list.
After a scan the card shows N items to clean (yellow) or System is clean (green).
Startup Manager#
Checked programs run at sign-in; unchecked programs do not. Changes persist outside Game Mode.
Programs that launch automatically when Windows starts. Too many of these makes your PC slow to boot and wastes memory while you play.
Click Scan & Manage, then untick anything you don't need starting automatically. The change stays after STOP; tick it again to undo. It stays installed: it just won't launch by itself.
Scheduled Tasks#
Checked tasks may run on their schedule; unchecked tasks are disabled. Changes persist outside Game Mode.
Jobs that other programs have set up to run on a timer: updaters, cleaners, phone-home checks. Same idea as the Startup Manager: untick what you don't want.
Only tasks from other companies are shown; Windows' own tasks are left alone.
Services Manager#
Manage third-party Windows services
Background helpers installed by other companies (graphics driver helpers, game launchers, printer software).
The window explains it directly: "These are third party services that start with your PC. Unchecking them will remove them from startup. Be cautious."
The first time you use this, TinyBoost asks you to accept a notice about Microsoft Sysinternals Autoruns, a Microsoft tool it uses to do the scan. Click I Understand, Continue. You'll only be asked once.
Careful
If you're not sure what a service is, leave it alone. Some of them are needed for hardware you use every day.