How To Set Up A New Windows 10 Laptop

Have you bought a new HP, Lenovo, Dell, Acer, Toshiba, or Asus laptop preinstalled with Windows 10? Not sure how to set up Windows 1,0 on your new PC? In this article, we will see how to set up a new Windows 10 device.

When you turn on your new Windows 10 PC, you will not be taken to the lock, login screen, or the familiar desktop. In order to begin using your new PC, you will need to configure a bunch of settings and need to use a Microsoft account or create a local user account.

Set up a new Windows 10 laptop or notebook

Follow the given below directions to set up Windows 10 on a new PC.

Step 1: Install the bundled battery in its compartment and connect your new PC to a power source. If you’re not sure how to install the battery, please refer to the user manual of your laptop.

Step 2: Turn on your PC by pressing the power key on the laptop. In a few seconds, you will see a black screen with the Windows logo at the center of it.

Step 3: The following is the first screen you will see when you turn on a PC pre-installed with Windows 10 operating system. Select your country/region, app language, keyboard layout, and time zone before clicking the Next button.

Step 4: Next is the legal agreement screen. Read the agreement and then click Accept to continue.

Step 5: At the Let’s get connected screen, you can connect your new Windows 10 PC to one of the available Wi-Fi networks. To connect, click on a Wi-Fi network name and then enter the password.

If you don’t have a Wi-Fi network now, click the Skip this step option. You can connect your PC to the Wi-Fi network even after setting up the PC.

Step 6: Next, you will see Get going fast screen. Here, we suggest you click the small Customize settings instead of the easily visible Use Express settings button so that you can change various settings related to privacy and personalization settings.

Click Customize settings (located bottom left) link to proceed to the next screen.

Step 7: On the Customize settings screen, carefully read all options and turn off permissions if you’re not comfortable with an option. Check the following picture to see what all options we have turned off on our new Windows 10 PC.

Once done, click the Next button.

Step 8: Once again, you will see a few more customization settings. Turn off options that you don’t want to keep turned on before clicking the Next button.

Step 9: Change browser, protection, and update settings. Click Next.

Step 10: You will see the Sign in to your Microsoft account screen. If you have a Microsoft account and wish to sign in to Windows 10 using a Microsoft account, enter your Microsoft account details and then click Next. However, like many others, if you would like to use a local user account, please click Create a new account link and then click Sign in without a Microsoft account.

Now you can create a new local user account by entering a user name and password (if you wish to use one). Click the Next button.

Step 11: You might be asked to register your new Windows 10 PC by providing your first name, last name, email, and country/region.

You should see your Windows 10 desktop in a few minutes.

Activate Windows 10

If you haven’t connected your new PC to the Internet already, please connect to the Internet to activate your copy of Windows 10. Check the activation status of Windows 10 by navigating to Settings > Update & security > Activation. If Windows 10 is not activated yet, click the Activate button.

Install the latest Windows updates

Once you are at the Windows 10 desktop, you can begin customizing Windows 10. We suggest you connect your Windows 10 PC to the Internet (if not done while setting up) and install all available updates. To check update status, open Settings and then navigate to Update & security > Windows Update.

If there is an issue with Windows Update, refer to our Windows Update troubleshooter and clear Windows Update cache guides.

Update hardware drivers

By default, Windows 10 automatically downloads and installs the latest hardware drivers, but it’s a good idea to manually download and install the latest drivers. Check the version of a driver and then check the latest available version on the manufacturer’s website to confirm that you’ve installed the newest version of the driver.

Uninstall unnecessary pre-installed apps & programs

Most OEMs include a few programs you might not be interested in. For instance, my new HP laptop came with Evernote and a few bundled programs. Refer to how to uninstall programs in Windows 10 guide to remove unwanted programs.

Likewise, in addition to classic programs like Notepad and Paint, Windows 10 includes over two dozens modern apps. If you want to remove one or more of these preinstalled apps, please refer to our how to uninstall default Windows 10 apps guide or 3 free tools to uninstall preinstalled Windows 10 apps article.

Install your favorite programs

Once you have installed all pending updates and removed unwanted programs, it’s time to install your favorite applications. If you feel that installing all applications one after another is a boring job, you can use programs like Ninite to install your favorite free software at once without having to manually download all of them.

Install some apps from Windows Store

Windows Store offers tens of thousands of exciting apps. Open the Store app, and you will find some useful apps. Note that in order to install apps (free or paid) from Store, you need to sign in to the Store with a Microsoft account. If you are using a local user account, please refer to our how to install apps from Store without switching to Microsoft account guide to avoid switching your local user account to Microsoft account.

Customize Windows 10

Last but not least, customize Windows 10 to your desire. Go through our how to change Windows 10 desktop background, change taskbar background, make Start menu transparent, and 13 ways to customize the taskbar to begin customizing Windows 10.

If you love customizing Windows, don’t forget to check out the Windows 10 customization section to see 50+ guides on Windows 10 customization.

Contact Microsoft support for issues

If you encounter any issues while using Windows 10, use the built-in Contact support app to chat with Micrthe osoft support team or schedule a call back.

Have fun with Windows 10!