How to Set Up Automatic Maintenance in Windows 11

Automatic maintenance is a feature that allows Windows 11 to perform various maintenance tasks regularly, such as checking for updates, running antivirus scans, optimizing performance, and cleaning junk files. This feature is designed to run silently in the background, without interfering with your computer usage.

However, there may be times when you may want to adjust automatic maintenance settings, such as to change schedule times, disable certain features, or perform maintenance manually. In this article, we will explain how to set up automatic maintenance in Windows 11 with easy-to-follow steps.

Change the Time of Automatic Maintenance Schedule

By default, Windows 11 will run automatic maintenance every day at 02:00, when your computer is not in use. However, you can change the scheduled time according to your preference. Here’s how:

1. Open the Control Panel by pressing the Windows key + R, then type “control” and press Enter.
2. Select System and Security, and then select Maintenance.
3. Under the Automatic Maintenance section, click Change Maintenance settings.
4. In the window that appears, you can choose the time you want from the drop-down menu, or let Windows determine the optimal time for you. You can also check the Allow scheduled maintenance to wake my computer if necessary box if you want your computer to remain up during maintenance.
5. Click OK to save your changes.

Turn off Automatic Maintenance for Specific Features

If you don’t want Windows 11 to run automatic maintenance for certain features, such as Windows updates, antivirus scanning, or performance optimizations, you can disable it in the following ways:

1. Open the Control Panel by pressing the Windows key + R, then type “control” and press Enter.
2. Select System and Security, and then select Maintenance.
3. Under the Automatic Maintenance section, click Change Maintenance settings.
4. In the window that appears, click Change automatic maintenance settings at the bottom.
5. In the next window, you can select the features you want to disable from the list available, such as Windows Update, Security Scan, Disk Cleanup, or Performance Optimization. You can also select Disable all automatic maintenance tasks if you want to disable this feature completely.
6. Click OK to save your changes.

Run automated maintenance manually

If you want to run automatic maintenance manually, for example, because you missed a set schedule, or you want to check if any issues need to be fixed, you can do it in the following ways:

1. Open the Control Panel by pressing the Windows key + R, then type “control” and press Enter.
2. Select System and Security, and then select Maintenance.
3. Under the Automatic Maintenance section, click Start Maintenance.
4. Windows 11 will start running automatic maintenance, and you can see its status under the Maintenance Status section. You can also stop maintenance at any time by clicking Stop Maintenance.
5. Once the maintenance is complete, you can view the results under the Maintenance History section. You can also click View maintenance details to see more information about the tasks that have been performed.

Conclusion

Automatic maintenance is a useful feature to keep your computer safe, fast, and efficient. By following the steps above, you can set up automatic maintenance in Windows 11 according to your needs and preferences.