How to Set Up a New Laptop or PC

It’s an exciting time. You’ve just bought (or received) a brand new computer, replacing the old one you’ve been hanging on to for a while.

You might be tempted to start using it as soon as possible, but a word of caution: it could mean you don’t have access to some of your favorite apps or you’re vulnerable to viruses and other malware.

As frustrating as it can be, it’s worth taking some time to properly set up your laptop, desktop, or even tablet. This will save you a lot of hassle further down the line and ensure that all your important data stays safe.

This tutorial focuses on Windows, with methods for Windows 10 and Windows 11. The process on Apple’s macOS is slightly different – see our sister site Macworld for a detailed tutorial.

Step 1 – Power On

It seems extremely obvious, but you can’t go anywhere without turning on your device.

The power button is almost universally indicated by a small vertical line in a circle, but its location differs by model. On laptops, the most common position is at the top right of the keyboard, while desktops vary between the front and back of the monitor or computer case.

Once this is taken care of, you will then need to go through the initial setup process.

On Windows 10, you will need to select your region and language, accept the license terms, customize the color scheme, choose a name for your PC, choose a Wi-Fi network, decide whether or not to accept the so-called “express settings” or customize, and sign in to your Microsoft account.

The process is simpler on Windows 11, with only the required region, language, Wi-Fi, and privacy settings. Just follow the on-screen instructions and it should be pretty easy. You may be offered an Xbox Game Pass subscription, but it’s easy to decline.

You can technically still setup Windows without a Microsoft account on Windows 11 or 10, but it’s not recommended. You’ll miss features like OneDrive cloud storage, the Microsoft Store, and the pre-installed Mail app.

But even if you decide not to use OneDrive, it’s definitely worth using a cloud storage service rather than just relying on local files.

Step 2 – Remove bloatware

In all likelihood, your new machine will come preloaded with all sorts of software you don’t want. Some of them might be useful, but for most people, “bloatware” is a good description because these trial programs use space on your hard drive and can slow down your PC.

To see what’s already installed on Windows 10, open the Start menu (Windows logo bottom left), then the cog icon to open Settings. From there, head to System > Applications to find a list of all the programs you have on your device. It might surprise you how many there are, considering you’ve only just set it up.

Click on any app you’re sure you don’t want anymore, then click “Uninstall.” It may uninstall itself automatically or launch a wizard to let you do just that. Repeat for each app you want to remove.

On Windows 11, the process is slightly simpler. Open Settings via the Start menu or search for it, then choose Apps > Installed apps. For anything you want to remove, click on the three dots next to its listed size and choose “Uninstall”.

However, if you are unsure of anything, the best policy is to leave it while you research its real purpose. Antivirus software is safe to remove (provided you replace it with a different one), but leave most things related to your device’s processors or manufacturer.

Step 3 – Install multiple apps at once

You might have an idea of ​​the first few apps you’ll want to install, but what if you could download most of the major ones in one go?

That’s what the Ninite program offers, and it’s completely free for Windows 10 and 11. Just go to the Ninite website and check the box next to each app you want to install – my choices would be Chrome, Dropbox, Zoom, Spotify, Audacity and Malwarebytes.

Then just click “Get Your Ninite” at the bottom of the page, and a custom installer will be downloaded for you. If one of these apps is already installed, it will be updated to the latest version. This makes it an easy way to ensure key apps are always up to date.

As convenient as it may be, don’t be tempted to select items you’re unlikely to use. After all, it doesn’t make much sense to rid your new PC of bloatware, only to add another load of unwanted software.

Step 4 – Install Individual Apps

Ninite might be good at installing a good selection of free utilities and packages, but if you have expensive software that you bought for your old computer and use regularly, you’ll probably want it on your new device.

We’re not talking about free apps that are widely available here – they can easily be downloaded anytime. These days, most people use Microsoft Word or Adobe Photoshop through a subscription, whether it’s Microsoft 365 or Adobe Creative Cloud.

But new standalone versions of Microsoft Office apps are released every few years, while older Adobe apps can be purchased without a subscription. Your existing licenses will probably allow you to install it on your new computer (provided you’re not limited to one device), but what if you can’t connect or you forgot the licence key.

It’s worth contacting the customer support teams of the company that makes the app in question, but there are other potential solutions. Magical Jellybean and Belarc Advisor are free utilities capable of extracting the license key for many (but not all) popular packages. Run the utility on your old device to discover the necessary keys before attempting to reinstall the software on your new one.

If all else fails, it’s worth considering the free alternatives to popular apps. LibreOffice and Google Docs work well as word processors, while the web-based GIMP or Pixlr E do a good job of basic photo editing.

Step 5 – Adjust Settings

There are lots of different customization options, but it’s worth setting them up right away.

An example is the default apps – those that open when you click on a link, play music, view photos or access your emails. If you don’t like the defaults for Mail, Media Player, Photos and more, they can all be easily changed.

In Windows 10, go to Settings > Apps > Default apps. Click on the currently selected default for any category, then choose one of the alternatives. The example below shows the default Microsoft Edge browser replaced with Google Chrome, a change that many users will want to make.

On Windows 11, things work a little differently. Here you choose the default for a specific file type or choose the defaults on a per application basis. Head to Settings > Apps > Default apps to make your choice.

However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to customization on Windows. Head to Settings > Personalization in Windows 10 and 11 and see what you like.

One key area you might like to customize is the Start menu, and we have separate tutorials for the two operating system versions:

Step 6 – Transfer files from your old device

You will certainly want to transfer your various documents, music, videos and photos from your old computer. The easiest way to do this is through OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage system built directly into Windows 10 and 11.

After backing up everything to OneDrive on your old device, all you have to do is sign in with your account details and download the data to your new laptop or PC. A complete guide to this can be found on Microsoft’s website.

It might be tempting to copy everything to your new device, but that’s not the best approach because there might be some clutter you can get rid of. Take the opportunity to do a good spring cleaning by deleting all the files you no longer need. Also, don’t forget the Downloads folder, which rarely contains everything you’ll need to copy.

Step 7 – Sort a Backup Strategy

After spending all this time setting up your new computer exactly the way you like it, it would be a nightmare if all that hard work was wasted. The key to preventing this from happening is to create an image of your disk drive on an external storage device, which you can then use to restore it later.

This can be achieved through Control Panel, a legacy app that’s still available on Windows 10 and 11. Open it, then choose “Backup and Restore (Windows 7)” under the “System and Security” heading.

Click “Set up backup” and follow the instructions, choosing the storage device you connected as the destination.

You can also use a third-party tool like AOMEI Backupper. Acronis Cyber ​​Protect Home Office is even better, but costs $49.99/£34.99 per year.

Check out the best portable hard drives you can buy to make sure you get a reliable one.

However, this should be used in addition to the save options in the settings, rather than as a replacement. In the Windows 10 app, go to Update & Security > Backup and make sure “Back up files automatically” is enabled. Learn more in our separate guide on how to back up Windows 10.

In Windows 11, it’s Accounts > Windows Backup and choose “Manage sync settings” next to “OneDrive folder sync”.

That’s it! Your laptop or PC is now ready to go. It may seem long, but it is worth it and only needs to be done once.