How to Fix Windows 11 NVMe Slow Issues? | Here Are 8 Ways

NVMe, short for Non-Volatile Memory Express, is an advanced protocol to access high-speed storage devices, especially SSDs. It is a new optimized and highly scalable storage interface that can directly connect to the CPU via PCIe lanes. That’s why NVMe SSDs have faster data speed than many usual SSDs. However, many users are bothered by slow NVME SSD after updating to Windows 11.

Here’s a user report from the answers.microsoft.com forum:

Slow NVME SSD performance after the Windows 11 update. A couple of weeks ago. I updated from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Recently I've noticed, that everything is "SSD-slow" on my relatively fresh laptop. So, what should I do? Thank you!https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/slow-nvme-ssd-performance-after-update/ce6403d1-901d-4b48-9cc2-73d38cb3c137

What Causes the Windows 11 NVMe SSD Slow Performance

Why Windows 11 update slows down SSD performance? According to a survey, we find the problem can be caused by different possible reasons. The main reason is related to inappropriate optimization for the NVMe SSD, such as disabled TRIM and not using 4K alignment.

Besides, other factors like missing NVMe driver, full C drive on the SSD, too small or old SSD, and bad sectors are also responsible for the problem. How to fix Windows 11 NVMe SSD slow issues? Let’s keep reading to know more details.

How to Fix the Windows 11 NVMe Slow Error

After investigating lots of user reports and references, we summarize 8 effective ways to fix the slow NVMe SSD after Windows 11 updates. Here we highly recommend you try these solutions in order until the problem gets solved.

# 1. Use 4K Alignment on the NVMe SSD

As it’s well known, 4K alignment can align the physical storage space of the SSD, which can help improve SSD performance. So, we highly recommend you align partitions on your NVMe SSD. MiniTool Partition Wizard is a free partition alignment tool that can align partitions on the SSD easily. If your SSD is not running 4K alignment, follow the guide below to enable it.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. Launch the MiniTool software to enter its main interface, select the NVMe SSD from the disk map, and click on Align All Partitions from the left action panel. If you just want to align a specific partition on the SSD, select the partition and click Align Partition.

Step 2. Click OK in the pop-up window to confirm the change. Then click on Apply to execute the change.

# 2. Install the Latest Version of NVMe Driver

If the NVMe drive gets corrupted or outdated, you may encounter the Windows 11 NVMe slow. In this case, you can try installing the latest version of the NVMe driver and see if it works.

Step 1. Visit the official website of the Samsung NVMe SSD driver and download the latest one.

Step 2. Once downloaded, run the executable file, click Next, and accept the License Agreement to continue.

Step 3. Select “Yes, restart the computer now” and click Finish to install the driver.

Step 4. Press Win + X and select Device Manager from the right context menu. Then expand the Storage Controllers category and see if the NVMe driver is displayed here.

# 3. Install Windows 11 Update KB5007262

According to the report, Microsoft released a new cumulative Windows 11 update KB5007262 to improve disk performance, including NVMe SSDs. If you are vexed by the Windows 11 NVMe SSD performance issue, installing this update may be helpful.

Step 1. Press the Win + I keys to open the Settings window and select Windows Update from the left panel.

Step 2. Click on Check for Updates from the right panel. If the KB5007262 is available here, click Download now to install it. If it is not here, you can manually download the update from the Microsoft Update Catalog.

Once updated, restart your PC and see if the “slow NVMe SSD after updating to Windows 11” issue gets solved.

# 4. Check the NVMe SSD Health

If the SSD drive has been used for a long time, you may experience slow NVMe SSD after Windows 11 updates. So, we highly recommend you check the current health of the NVMe SSD. MiniTool Partition Wizard can easily test the SSD performance on Windows. Besides, this partition/disk manager can check hard drive issues, migrate OS to SSD/HD, recover data, convert MBR to GPT, etc.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard to enter the main interface, and then click on Disk Benchmark from the top toolbar.

Step 2. Select the drive letter of your NVMe SSD from the drop-down menu and specify the parameters based on your needs. After that, click Start to start testing the SSD performance.

Step 3. Wait for the disk benchmark to complete. Then you can view the data speed, including transfer size, random sequential read and write speed, etc.

Step 4. In addition, we recommend you check if there are any bad sectors on the SSD. To do so, select the SSD from the disk map and click Surface Test > Start Now. If any blocks are marked with red color, it indicates that the SSD is faulty.

# 5. Free Up the C Drive of the SSD

If the C drive of the NVMe SSD is running out of space after updating to Windows 11, the data and write speed might slow down. In this case, we recommend you free up the C drive by deleting all unnecessary large files, uninstalling some programs, etc. However, if you don’t want to delete any data, you can extend the C drive to larger.

Here MiniTool Partition Wizard can help you extend the C partition to even non-contiguous space. Let’s have a try. To extend the C drive without boot issues, we highly recommend you use the bootable MiniTool Partition Wizard Edition.

MiniTool Partition Wizard DemoClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. In the main interface, select the C partition on the SSD and click on Extend Partition from the left action panel.

Step 2.  Select unallocated space or a partition from the drop-down menu, drag the sliding bar to determine how much free space you want to take, and click on OK to confirm it.

Step 3.  Click on Apply to execute the extending process. After that, reboot your computer and see if the Windows 11 NVMe SSD performance issue is gone.

# 6. Enable TRIM for the SSD

TRIM is a command that can help your operating system know precisely where the data you want to move is saved. With SSD TRIM enabled, your operating system can preemptively notify the SSD which data pages in a specified block can be erased. If you are troubled by the Windows 11 NVMe slow issue, try enabling TRIM for the SSD.

Step 1. Type cmd in the Search box, and then right-click the Command Prompt app and select Run as administrator. Click on Yes in the UAC window to further access the program.

Step 2. In the elevated Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter to enable TRIM for the SSD.

fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0

If you get the message “DisableDeleteNotify = 0”, it means the SSD TRIM has been enabled. Then restart your PC and check if the “NVMe SSD slow down after Windows 11 updates” error gets fixed.

# 7. Enable AHCI Mode

AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) is a newer interface technology in BIOS settings of the newer computers. It provides some advanced features like NCQ, which can optimize the process of the controller requesting data from your SSDs. If the Windows 11 update slows down SSD performance, you can try switching to the AHCI mode. Here’s how:

Step 1. Open the elevated Command Prompt window again as we explained above, type the following command and press Enter.

bcdedit /set {current} safeboot minimal

Step 2. Restart your computer, and then press F2 or Delete key during the startup to enter BIOS and enable AHCI.

Step 3. Press the F10 and Enter keys to save changes, then exit BIOS.

Step 4. Restart your computer and open the Command Prompt window again. Type the following command and press Enter.

bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot

Step 5. Reboot your computer and Windows should install the AHCI driver automatically.

# 8. Upgrade the NVMe SSD to Faster One

If none of the above methods can fix the Windows 11 NVMe slow error, you may consider upgrading the SSD to a faster one. How to upgrade the NVMe SSD to a new one without reinstalling OS? MiniTool Partition Wizard can help you do that easily. It cannot only migrate OS to SSD/HD but alos clone the entire SSD on Windows PCs. Let’s see how to migrate OS to a faster SSD with this tool.

MiniTool Partition Wizard DemoClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. Install the faster SSD to your computer carefully if there are multiple disk trays. If your computer can be installed on only one disk, you just need to migrate OS to the target SSD and install it on your computer.

Step 2. In the main interface, select Migrate OS to SSD/HD Wizard from the left panel, select Option B to copy the system required partitions only, and click on Next to go on. If you want to copy all partitions on the system disk to the new hard drive, you can select Option A.

Step 3. Select the target SSD that you want to migrate OS to and click on Next. Then click on Yes to confirm this operation.

Step 4. Select a copy option based on your needs and click on Next.

Step 5. Read the note information and click the Finish button in the next window. Finally, click on Apply to execute the pending operations.

Step 6. Now, you can enter BIOS and set the new SSD as the default boot disk.

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What’s Your Opinion

How to fix it if the NVMe SSD slow down after Windows 11 updates? This post has summarized 8 effective ways to fix the problem. If you have any other solutions to the topic, write them down in the following comment zone. Besides, you can contact us by sending an email to [email protected] for any difficulties while using MiniTool Partition Wizard.