How to disable Superfetch and Prefetch in Windows

Superfetch and Prefetch are two features in Windows 10 that aim to speed up the performance of your computer by preloading commonly used applications and data into memory. However, in some cases, these features can actually slow down your computer, especially if you have a solid-state drive (SSD) installed. In this article, we will discuss how to disable Superfetch and Prefetch in Windows 10.

What is Superfetch and Prefetch?

Superfetch is a feature in Windows that analyzes your usage patterns and preloads frequently used applications and data into memory. This is intended to improve the performance of your computer by reducing the amount of time it takes to launch applications and access data.

Prefetch, on the other hand, is a feature that stores frequently used data in the memory cache to speed up the performance of the operating system. When you launch an application, Prefetch uses the data in the memory cache to load the application faster.

Why Disable Superfetch and Prefetch?

While Superfetch and Prefetch can improve the performance of your computer in some cases, they can also slow it down in others. This is especially true if you have a solid-state drive (SSD) installed.

Solid-state drives are faster than traditional hard drives because they have no moving parts. They can access data much faster than hard drives, so preloading data into memory is not as necessary. In fact, preloading data into memory can actually slow down the performance of an SSD because it takes up valuable memory space.

How to Disable Superfetch and Prefetch

To disable Superfetch and Prefetch, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type "services.msc" in the Run dialog box and press Enter.
3. In the Services window, scroll down until you see the "Superfetch" service.
4. Right-click on the "Superfetch" service and select "Properties."
5. In the Properties window, change the "Startup type" to "Disabled" and click "OK."
6. Repeat Steps 3-5 for the "Prefetch" service.
7. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

If you can't find the Superfetch service in the Services window, it's possible that it has been renamed or is not installed on your version of Windows 10. In this case, you can disable Prefetch instead, which is a similar feature that can also slow down your computer if you have an SSD installed.

To disable Superfetch or Prefetch, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type "regedit" in the Run dialog box and press Enter.
3. In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters
4. Double-click on "EnablePrefetcher" or "EnableSuperfetch" in the right-hand pane.
5. Change the value data from "3" to "0" and click "OK."
6. Close the Registry Editor window.
7. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Note that modifying the registry can be risky, so it's important to follow these steps carefully and back up your registry before making any changes. If you're not comfortable modifying the registry, it may be best to seek assistance from a professional or to leave these features enabled.

Conclusion

Disabling Superfetch and Prefetch can improve the performance of your computer, especially if you have an SSD installed. However, keep in mind that this may not always be the case. If you notice a decrease in performance after disabling these features, you may want to consider re-enabling them.