I want to disable Windows services myself to make the machine 'lighter', but I don't know what's safe.

The idea that disabling 20 services speeds your laptop is rarely true. The modern Windows scheduler handles idle services fine. What does hurt is a wrongly disabled service: BitLocker breaks, no network printer, or a crash at login.

Try this first

1. 1Measure first. Open Resource Monitor, CPU tab, sort by average CPU. An idle laptop should sit under 5 percent CPU. Higher = something specific. Aim there, not at generic 'turn off services'.
2. 2Safe to disable when applicable: 'Connected User Experiences and Telemetry' (DiagTrack), 'Xbox services' (on a business workstation), 'Print Spooler' (only if no printers are used), 'Fax'.
3. 3Don't touch: 'Background Intelligent Transfer Service' (BITS, for Windows Update), 'Cryptographic Services', 'DCOM Server Process Launcher', 'Plug and Play', 'Power', 'Windows Defender Firewall', 'Windows Time'.
4. 4When you disable: set Startup Type to 'Disabled' only when you're sure it's not needed. 'Manual' is safer: it starts on demand, not automatically.
5. 5Document per machine what you changed. A week later you won't remember why the printer suddenly stopped.
6. 6When unsure: pilot the change on one machine for a week. If everything still works (Outlook, Teams, VPN, printer, BitLocker), then roll out via GPO or script.

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