If you’ve been looking for a quick way to make your Windows PC feel faster, you may have come across Microsoft PC Manager. It’s an official app from Microsoft that advertises performance boosts, junk file cleanup, and general system optimization. It sounds ideal, especially since it comes from Microsoft itself, rather than some unknown download you’d have to side-eye. But after spending some time actually using it, the results feel a lot more modest than what the marketing implies.
- OS
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Windows
- Developer
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Microsoft
- Price model
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Free
- Operating System
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Windows 10 & 11
Keep your Windows PC running smoothly with Microsoft PC Manager. It optimizes performance, manages storage, and protects your system from potential issues.
It’s an all-in-one fix-it kit
The main value of PC Manager is that it brings a lot of Windows tools together in one place. The interface is organized into six sections: Home, Protection, Storage, Apps, Toolbox, and Settings. Each one acts as a central hub for features that would normally require jumping between different menus, like Task Manager, Windows Security, Disk Cleanup, and Storage Sense.
When you open the app, you land on the Home screen. Here you’ll see your current memory usage, the number of temporary files detected, and a prominent blue “Boost” button. You’ll also find quick-access cards for Health Check, Process Management, Deep Cleanup, and Startup Optimization.
The Health Check tool scans your PC to identify configuration issues, network problems, and files that can be safely removed. Essentially, it runs several built-in diagnostics at once and presents the results in a single report.
Once you move to the Protection section, you’ll find that most of the options simply redirect to Windows’ built-in features. “Virus & threat protection” opens Windows Security, the browser settings card just shows which browser you’re using (it’ll politely display Chrome while lightly nudging you to Edge), and tools like Taskbar Repair and Restore default apps are simply re-labeled versions of Settings options that already exist.
If you are someone who’s never ventured deep into Windows Settings, this consolidation genuinely helps. You don’t need to remember that Storage Sense lives deep under System -> Storage or that startup apps are tucked inside Task Manager. PC Manager puts everything where you can find it without hunting around.
But make no mistake—these aren’t new capabilities. You’re getting exactly what Windows already offers, just with a friendlier face.
The “boost” feature mainly clears RAM and temporary files
Performance placebo, but a satisfying one
The “Boost” button on the home screen is the feature PC Manager highlights most. When you tap it, the app closes background processes to free up RAM and removes temporary files. It looks effective when you see the numbers drop, but does it actually make your PC feel faster? The answer isn’t as exciting.
Reclaiming RAM can help in situations where your system is truly low on memory, but Windows already manages RAM dynamically. Modern systems are designed to make active use of available memory rather than leave it unused. So when you manually clear it, Windows will often reload the same services shortly afterward.
The temporary file cleanup works similarly. You’ll regain some storage space, but usually only a few hundred megabytes unless you haven’t cleaned your system in a long time. More importantly, one of the Deep Cleanup options removes Windows Prefetch files, which exist to speed up app loading. Clearing them forces Windows to recreate this data later, which can actually slow launch times instead of improving them.
In testing the boost feature on a pretty standard PC, the real-world results were barely noticeable. Startup times were the same, and everyday performance didn’t really change. Microsoft PC Manager itself is lightweight and uses a small amount of RAM (typically less than 200MB), so at least it isn’t adding extra strain. However, the improvements it offers are modest at best—closer to what you’d get from a quick Windows cleanup using built-in tools.
It aggressively pushes you toward Edge and Microsoft services
Boost your PC, but also your Bing searches
Here’s where PC Manager crosses from mildly useful to actively annoying. The app doesn’t just want to help you maintain your system—it seems it also wants to convert you into a full-fledged Microsoft ecosystem user.
The most egregious example is visible right in the Protection section (see the third screenshot in the gallery above): “Restore default apps” with the description “Reset default apps to open files and links.” This nuclear option will override every file association preference you’ve carefully configured, and may leave you wondering how to change default apps and settings in Windows. Your PDFs will open in Edge instead of your preferred reader, web links will bypass your chosen browser, and office documents will default to Microsoft Office applications. There’s no granular control here. It’s all or nothing, and “default” means “what Microsoft wants you to use.”
The Toolbox section makes this agenda even more obvious. The upper portion includes genuinely helpful shortcuts to built-in Windows utilities like Screenshot, Notepad, and Calculator. Scroll down, however, and the “Web tools” area tells a different story. Options like Bing Translator, Currency Converter, Weather, Image Search, and even the Edge Quick Links forcefully launch in Microsoft Edge, completely ignoring your default browser settings. Even if you’ve set Chrome or Firefox as your default browser, PC Manager will bypass that preference every single time.
Good intentions, mild improvements, classic Microsoft
Microsoft PC Manager isn’t harmful, and it’s not doing anything unsafe to your system. When you look at the full range of features, there is a real audience for it. If Windows’ scattered menus and hidden utilities tend to feel overwhelming, this app does a decent job of gathering the essentials into one spot with labels that actually make sense. For parents supervising a shared computer, older users trying to keep things in order, or anyone who’s just getting comfortable with Windows, it genuinely lowers the friction of basic upkeep.
That said, the improvements are modest. It won’t make your computer feel noticeably faster, and there are no hidden performance gains waiting to be unlocked. At best, your system ends up a little cleaner, and you reclaim a bit of disk space. At worst, you’ll notice you’ve been quietly rerouted into Edge more times than you’d prefer.