When I first came across Microsoft PC Manager, I was really excited by the idea that I could optimize my system without downloading third-party apps. While there are plenty of free Windows apps to optimize your PC's performance, I'm also hesitant to try some of them in case I'm introducing bloatware into my system.

But now that I've tried PC Manager consistently, I've discovered there's still a lot holding it back. It really could be a great app, but certain flaws detract from its overall utility.

4 Its deep cleanup feature could make your system slower

I'd rather not mess with my Prefetch files

The first red flag I came across was when looking up a few of the things PC Manager could do. That's when I realized that PC Manager could make your system slower because of a specific feature included in its Deep cleanup option.

When you opt for a deep clean, one of the things you can delete are the files in your Windows Prefetch folder. By design, Prefetch files are aimed at speeding up the loading time of an application on Windows.

By deleting them, you might experience slower loading times for your apps. You're also likely to recreate these files as soon as you open your apps again, unless you have the feature disabled. Deleting them also doesn't free up much space, which makes it a questionable inclusion in the first place. I've never cleared my Prefetch files and right now the folder accounts for 4.8MB of storage.

I've seen some people argue that Prefetch files don't help that much with loading if you're using an SSD. Others argue that you should leave these files alone. But honestly, I'd rather not test the waters to free up a measly 4.6MB of space.

3 System protection focuses a lot on restoring Windows defaults

I don't see how these options protect my system

I expected the System protection feature of PC Manager to include shortcuts to security features for Windows, much like the Security at a glance menu in Windows Security. For example, Windows Security lets you check different aspects of your PC's protection status, such as virus protection, firewall protection, and device security.

In contrast, PC Manger's system protection feature focuses significantly on restoring defaults. This would make sense if it helped you restore your registry after a bad edit, but instead it aims to help you with restoring your default apps for opening files and "repairing" your taskbar to re-enable widgets. It also allows you to edit your default browser settings. It feels like a nudge to return to the apps that Windows wants you to use, not those that you prefer.

In my mind, none of these options really fit under system protection. In the case of re-enabling my taskbar widget, it will only make my PC more annoying — the widget is one of those Windows 11 features that make me regret upgrading.

2 PC Boost barely makes an impact

The boost is temporary

On paper, PC Boost looks like a really useful tool. It shows you how much RAM your PC is currently using and the space your temporary files are taking up. You can then choose to Boost your system to free up resources.

I've often felt like a lot of PC boosting features just have a placebo effect, making you feel like you're optimizing your PC with just a click when in reality they're not doing anything. But with PC Boost, I know the effect is just temporary based on the numerous times I've used the tool.

For example, when writing this, I used PC Boost as my memory usage had reached 64%. Using the tool reduced this to 49%. Within three minutes, this had climbed back up to 58%. Within six minutes, I was back to 64% memory usage. Besides the reduced size of temporary files, you'd never know I had used the boost feature in the first place.

1 It has multiple features dedicated to Microsoft Edge

The app disregards your default browser

PC Manager has a Toolbox that includes a variety of system features and web tools. This is useful if you already have the app open and want to quickly access your screenshot folder or record audio. While not revolutionary, they save you a few clicks.

But when it comes to the Web tools section, each tool is dedicated to opening up a Bing search in Microsoft Edge. In addition to the Microsoft Edge banner on the app's home screen, this just feels like another attempt to get you to use Microsoft's apps and services. I'd even forgive the app for opening up Bing tools in my default browser, but these tools completely ignore your system settings.

This may be a slight annoyance for some, but for me it can be quite jarring. I have a dark mode extension on my default browser because of light sensitivity caused by chronic migraines, so I don't really appreciate Edge opening up with a bright white background if I click on one of these tools. Opening up a whole new browser for a Bing search also doesn't feel like the most efficient way to utilize my system resources.

Microsoft PC Manager misses the mark in several ways

While I appreciate most of what the storage tools on PC Manager do, as well as the central window to manage apps, other parts of the PC Manager experience aren't great. I've written before about how it feels like I'm fighting my OS as Microsoft tries to upsell and advertise its services to me — and some parts of PC Manager amplify this feeling. The features that offer real utility are undermined by other drawbacks that were completely avoidable.