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How-To - 3 min read
Eva Simpson
Jul 26, 2022
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Both your hardware and your software slow down your devices over time. Parts get older, software gets buggy, and suddenly your computer has to perform triple the calculations it would normally. Luckily, you can speed up your devices in many ways. But first, let’s look at some of the possible reasons why your computer is so slow.
Why is my computer slow?
Devices slow down due to a variety of reasons. If you’ve noticed that your computer has been acting sluggish recently, you need to do some detective work. Did you update anything? Could it be related to an external event like a power outage? Has someone else been using your computer lately?
Even if you can’t answer these questions, try determining whether the change in performance was sudden or gradual.
Reasons why a computer slows down gradually:
A lot of open programs (including background processes)
The computer hasn’t been restarted recently
The computer’s parts are overheating
Your version of Windows or other software is out of date
Reasons why a computer slows down suddenly:
Corrupted hardware
Lack of free hard drive space
Malware infection
How to speed up your computer
Below we’ll go over a variety of ways you can speed up your computer. Some of them may sound too simple to make an impact, but none should be dismissed. Without knowing the exact reason behind the issue, there is no way to say what will work.
In other words, you should try everything because the answer is sometimes the simplest. The first piece of advice is the best example of this rule.
Restart your computer
Some people put their computers to “sleep” so they won’t have to load when they resume work . Even shutting your computer down does less than you might expect. For example, when you shut down a Windows computer, it shuts off the programs but not the core of the operating system.
Contrary to what most people think, restarting a device is the only way to shut everything off and start it up again. That is why restarting a device often fixes problems related to the operating system, like broken drivers.
Close applications
There’s no mystery here. If your device used to be able to run several programs at once, a task it can no longer do, you’ll have to reduce your multitasking. While it’s not a long-term solution, increased performance will help you investigate the issue further.
Use fewer browser tabs
Similarly to the advice above, you may need to cut down on your habit of using dozens of browser tabs. The fact is that while browsers are getting better at managing computer resources, lots of open tabs can severely slow down your computer.
The simplest solution is to close some of the browser tabs. But if you’re in the mood for some digging, you can check the browser’s task manager to know which tabs take up the most resources.
In Chrome, Chromium, Firefox, Brave, and many other browsers you can do so by:
Clicking on the three dots (lines) in the menu bar.
Selecting “More tools”
Choosing “Task manager”
Check background processes
Like an ant colony, you don’t see most of what happens on your computer. Sometimes, these background processes can require the majority of your RAM memory rendering the device virtually unusable. You can check via the task manager of your operating system whether this is the case.
To open up the task manager on Windows, press Ctrl+Alt+Del buttons all at once and select “Task manager.”
In the “Processes” tab, you can see which apps take up the most resources, while the “Performance” tab will show you the general load of your computer.
To check this information on macOS, press Cmd+Space and type in “Spotlight bar.”
Disable apps from starting up
Another important tab in the task manager is “Startup.” It lists all the programs that have or could have permission to start when the system does. While some of them are necessary, these apps slow down the start-up process and use up your computer’s resources.
Go to the “Startup” tab in the task manager and go through the list of the programs that have “Enabled” next to them. If you recognize apps you rarely use, you can disable them by selecting the program and clicking the “Disable” button at the bottom of the task manager.
Remove apps you no longer use
There are two reasons to delete programs you no longer use. First, you free up space on your device. The second is that those background processes may be using up your precious digital resources. In other words, just because you don’t use the app doesn’t mean it’s not active.
To delete unused apps on Windows 10:
Click on “Start”
Type in “Control panel” and hit “Enter”
Click on “Uninstall a program”
Choose a program to remove
Click “Uninstall” and follow the instructions
Needless to say, only delete apps that you recognize and have installed yourself.
Free up space on your hard drive
Since computers constantly write, delete, and rewrite information in the background, they need a lot of unused disk space. And most of these processes leave some unnecessary files behind. That’s why your free device storage can decrease over time even if you don’t remember installing many apps or downloading loads of data from the internet.
To check the available storage on Windows, go to “My PC.” If you notice that you’re low on device storage, here’s something you can do:
Empty the recycle bin
Offload files to a NordLocker Cloud (you can easily download them later)
Delete unnecessary files or programs
Delete temporary files
Clean your computer
Have you ever opened up your computer? If you’ve had it for a few years but have never cleaned it, dust could be blocking the airways, causing your hardware to overheat, decreasing the performance. To clean your computer, turn everything off and unplug all the cables. Then check the air filters. They often can be opened like drawers for easy cleaning.
Also, if you have some experience, you can unscrew the computer lid and use canned air to blow out the dust inside. Be very careful not to touch any parts.
How to speed up your laptop
Most of the tips above apply to PCs and laptops equally. But since laptops use batteries and are slightly harder to upgrade, tips on how to speed them up can differ slightly.
Disable or reduce browser extensions (add-ons)
Browser tabs and extensions slow down all devices, but on laptops the impact is the most significant. Check whether you have some you no longer use and remove them from your browser. For more information, open the browser’s task manager and check the load of each extension on your device.
Disable animations
Operating systems have various visual details to make using your computer more appealing. But even minor animations take up resources and slow down your laptop.
How to reduce animations on Windows 10:
Go to “Settings” then “About”
Select “Advanced system settings”
In the “Advanced” tab, find “Performance” and click on “Settings”
Disable animations manually or choose “Adjust for best performance” and click “Apply”
How to check if your device is infected with a virus
Malware is the least desirable occurrence but as statistics show, it’s more common than people may think. Especially now, when cybercriminals have developed various types of crypto-mining malware (also known as cryptojacking), which can slow down your device significantly. Even if you don’t remember clicking on strange links or downloading any unusual files, it’s worth scanning your device for viruses.
Check the task manager for suspicious processes
Open the computer’s task manager again and go over the processes. When you don’t recognize a process, especially if it uses up a lot of resources, search for its name online. If you find any malicious programs, close the process and uninstall that program.
Regularly scan for malware
Do not trust built-in anti-viruses to provide foolproof protection against malware automatically. After all, hackers can test their viruses to know if they are caught or not. To help protect your device, always keep your programs up to date, back up your data, and scan for viruses regularly.
What to do if your computer is still slow
If nothing above worked, one way that’s almost guaranteed to speed up your computer is reinstalling your OS. While the task may sound daunting, both Windows and macOS have wizards most users can follow. But if you are unsure if you have the skills for that, you can always contact a professional to reinstall your operating system.
Another solution is to install a less resource-intensive OS. If you have an old laptop that can barely run Windows, for example, you can install Linux and get a few more years out of your device.
If nothing works, the problem is most likely connected to hardware. Your hard drive or RAM chip may have been damaged, so replacing them should do the trick.
John Sears
Verified author
John believes that the best things in life are simple. He uses the same approach when he’s writing about online security. John says that his #1 pet peeve is phishing scams. Ironically, his favorite non-work related activity is fishing.