Windows has been storing all its settings in special database files called Registry since the days of Windows 95 and things have not changes much even on Windows 11. As we keep using Windows, these registry files keep growing in size and become fragmented. If you are using newer SSD drives then it won’t make any difference at all but if you are still using the slower HDD then you might experience some sluggishness.
The Windows operating system tends to take more time in accessing the settings and other data stored in the Windows Registry with time. This is only because of the fragmented nature of the registry files which reside on the system drive of your PC.
This is where a registry defragment program like WinASO RegDefrag might help you. It can analyze your registry files and find out its fragmentation status. If the registry files are fragmented for more than 2% then you can defragment them using WinASO RegDefrag. As a consequence it also reduces the size of the Registry files.
Since we are dealing with the Windows Registry, you should make a backup of your Registry files which can easily be done through the Windows System Restore. Only after making a backup or creating a system restore point, you should proceed to installing WinASO RegDefrag.
WinASO RegDefrag has a modern user interface. We have to choose quick or full defragmentation. After picking one of the methods, we begin by clicking on the Start button. After scanning the Windows Registry, it shows the results. The red spots in the chart are the parts that are fragmented.
We can proceed to the actual defragmentation by clicking on the Defrag Now button. Depending on the method that you had selected, it can finish the process quickly or take many minutes. After the defragmentation a system restart is necessary.
We tried it on a Windows 11 PC and we did not notice any adverse effects. It showed that it reduced the Registry size by 984 kilobytes and that the Registry access speed has been increased by 2%.
You can download WinASO RegDefrag from https://www.winaso.com/regdefrag/.