Try out these tips to pinpoint and address the reasons your PC might be slower. Get Windows set up to your needs without going to a technician
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Jul 10, 2022 · 1. Shut down the laptop. Unplug the Power Supply cable. On the bottom underneath casing of the laptop is a small tiny pin hole with a battery symbol close to it. Take a pin or a paper clip insert into it you feels like pressing a button, press and hold that for 20 - 30 seconds.
- Overview
- 1. Make sure you have the latest updates for Windows and device drivers
- 2. Restart your PC and open only the apps you need
- 3. Use ReadyBoost to help improve performance
- 4. Make sure the system is managing the page file size
- 5. Check for low disk space and free up space
- 6. Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows
- 7. Pause OneDrive syncing
- 8. Disable unnecessary startup programs
- 9. Check for and remove viruses and malware
If your PC is running slowly, the following suggestions might help speed things up. The tips are listed in order, so start with the first one, see if that helps, and then continue to the next one if it doesn’t.
One of the best ways to get the most out of your PC is to make sure you have the latest version of Windows 11 installed. When you check for updates, your PC will also search for the latest device drivers, which can also help improve your PC’s performance.
To check for updates
1.Select the Start button, then select Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.
2.Do one of the following:
•If the status says "You're up to date," continue and check for optional updates.
•If the status says "Updates are available," once they are downloaded, select Install now.
Having many apps, programs, web browsers, and so on open at once can slow down your PC. Having a lot of browser tabs open at once can also slow it down quite a bit. If this is happening, close any apps, browser tabs, etc., that you don't need and see if that helps speed up your PC. If it doesn't seem to help, restart your PC and then open just the apps, programs and browser windows you need.
To restart your PC
1.Select the Start button, then select Power > Restart .
2.After your PC restarts, open just the apps you need, then close them when you’re done.
Sometimes apps that were made for an earlier version of Windows will still run on Windows 11, but they might slow down your PC. If this happens after you open a certain program, check the software company’s website for an updated version, or run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter.
To run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter
ReadyBoost lets you use a removable drive, like a USB flash drive, to improve your PC’s performance without opening your PC and adding more memory (RAM). To use ReadyBoost, you’ll need a USB flash drive or a memory card that has at least 500 MB free and a high data transfer rate.
To use ReadyBoost
1.Insert the USB flash drive into a USB port on your PC.
2.Select File Explorer from the taskbar.
3.Press and hold (or right-click) the USB flash drive (or SD card if you used one instead), then select Properties.
4.Select the ReadyBoost tab, then select Use this device.
The paging file is an area on your hard disk that Windows uses like memory. There's a setting in Windows 11 that manages the page file size automatically, which can help improve your PC’s performance.
To make sure automatic page file management is turned on
1.Select Search on the taskbar, type advanced system in the search box, and then select View advanced system settings, which has Control panel listed underneath it.
2.In System Properties, select the Advanced tab, then select Settings in the Performance area.
3.In Performance Options, select the Advanced tab, then select Change in the Virtual memory area.
4.Make sure the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives check box is selected. If it is, continue to the next tip. If it's not, select it and then restart your PC by selecting Start > Power > Restart .
You may improve performance if you free some disk space on your PC.
To check for low disk space
1.Select the Start button, then select Settings > System > Storage .
2.Your drives will be listed in the Storage area. Note the amount of free space and total size for each drive.
You can use Storage Sense to delete unnecessary or temporary files from your device, which can also free up space.
If you turn on Storage Sense, Windows will automatically free up space by getting rid of unnecessary files—including files in your recycle bin—when you're low on disk space or at intervals you specify. The instructions below show you how to delete temporary files and how to turn on and configure Storage Sense.
Windows 11 includes many visual effects, such as animations and shadow effects. These look great, but they can also use additional system resources and can slow down your PC. This is especially true if you have a PC with a smaller amount of memory (RAM).
To adjust the visual effects in Windows
1.Select Search , type performance, then select Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows in the list of results.
2.On the Visual Effects tab, select Adjust for best performance > Apply.
3.Restart your PC and see if that speeds up your PC.
If your PC still runs slowly, continue to the next tip.
Your PC settings let you choose where files will be saved by default. You can save files on your PC or to OneDrive by default and sync files between the two locations. This lets you get to your files from any device that can connect to the internet, and it helps make sure your files are backed up in case your PC is ever damaged or lost. However, files must sync between your PC and OneDrive, and syncing can slow down your PC. You can pause OneDrive syncing temporarily and see if it helps improve your PC performance.
To pause syncing to OneDrive
1.On the taskbar, look for OneDrive near the notification area.
2.Select OneDrive > Help & Settings > Pause syncing, and then choose how long you want to pause syncing your files.
3.Restart your PC and see if your performance issues have improved with syncing paused.
4.To resume syncing your files, select OneDrive > Help & Settings > Resume syncing.
When you turn on your PC, some programs start automatically and run in the background. You can disable these programs so they don’t run when your PC starts.
Many programs are designed to start automatically when Windows does. You don’t realize they're running, but they'll open quickly when you go to use them. This is helpful for programs you use a lot, but not for programs you don’t use often because it increases the time it takes Windows to start.
Find the programs that start automatically
Sometimes you can determine which programs start automatically by looking at the program icons in the notification area on the far right of the taskbar. Check there first to see if there are any programs running that you don’t want to start automatically. To try to find out the name of the program, point to the icon with your mouse pointer. Make sure you select Show hidden icons , so you don’t miss any programs.
Even after you check the notification area, you might still miss some programs that run automatically at startup. Here’s how you can find all the programs that start automatically, and stop the ones that you don’t want to start automatically when Windows starts.
To stop a program from starting automatically
A virus, malware, or malicious software could cause your PC to run slowly. Other symptoms include unexpected pop-up messages, programs that unexpectedly start automatically, or the sound of your hard disk constantly working.
The best way to handle viruses and malicious software is to try to prevent them by running antimalware and antivirus software and keeping it up to date. However, even if you take precautions, your PC can still become infected.
You can scan your PC for viruses or other malicious software by using Windows Security (formerly Windows Defender Security Center), which is included in Windows 11. For more info, see How to protect your Windows PC.
Notes:
To scan for viruses using Windows Security
1.Select Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security , and then select Open Windows Security.
- You Have to Quit Programs Running in the Background. If your laptop is slow, one of the easiest things you can do is close as many programs as possible.
- You Have Too Many Startup Programs. You might also have too many programs opening when you start your computer. Some of these programs will request permission to run when you boot your computer so that you will use them more often.
- You Need to Update Your Operating System. If you haven’t updated your OS (operating system) in a while, you might be missing out on new driver updates and software patches.
- Your Laptop is Infected with Malware. If you are seeing pop-up ads on your laptop or programs are randomly crashing, your computer might be infected with malware (malicious software).
- Restart your device. You’d be surprised how many users don’t regularly restart their Windows 10 device. With the inclusion of sleep and low-power modes on most modern devices, it’s easy to go weeks without doing a full reset of your device.
- Check for Windows 10 updates. Constant updates might seem like a pesky annoyance, but Windows 10 is asking you to update for a reason. These updates fix common bugs and issues that could be causing your device to slow down.
- Disable startup apps. Do you ever boot up your device and find that several programs all automatically start up at once? Not only is this rather annoying, but it can also be a huge drain on your device’s resources.
- Clean up your disk. Did you know that Windows 10 has a Disk Cleanup ability built-in? This allows you to clear out any lingering temporary files that have accumulated, which can happen remarkably regularly as things like unneeded launchers stick around.
Oct 18, 2019 · How to fix Windows 10 Slow performance: Open Start Menu and find the Control Panel. Click on it. Here in the Control Panel, go to the Search field at the top-right of the window and type...
A frozen or slow computer can happen for a number of reasons. The system may be slow or freeze if the temp directory has too many files. If multiple programs are running in the background, chances are your computer doesn't have enough memory or computing power to support all of them.
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Sep 14, 2024 · If Windows 10 is running slow, there are plenty of simple fixes. This wikiHow article will show you how to fix Windows 10 when it is slow, unresponsive, and having performance issues. Quick Steps. Update Windows and drivers. Close background apps you aren't using. Restart your computer and use ReadyBoost. Adjust paging file size.
