It is very irritating to use a slow Laptop or Desktop. A slow can make your life nothing short of hell. But, luckily you got me and I got you covered in this article.
In this article, you are going to find the reason and the solution of the age-old question âwhy is my laptop so slow?â
Why Is My Laptop So Slow? đ€
Your computer has to do a lot from managing its performance to ensuring good connectivity, it has to perform all of those tasks. Therefore, sometimes it starts lagging a little. It is very common especially after using the computer for years.Â
Restart the computer:-
Sometimes the problem has a very easy solution, just restart your computer. You might be wondering â how will restarting heal my computer?â
The reason why this works is due to the fact that a lot of program processes in the background making your computer sluggish.
But this cannot be your permanent solution. If your computer still tries to replicate the tortoise you should then try to implement the tips and tricks stated below
Here are 19 common reasons for âWhy Is My Laptop So Slow?â with their solutions:-
1. Background Application:-
Background applications are true evil when it comes to slowing down your PC. Many programs will continue even after you shut them down. Therefore, they will start sucking up your processor and your battery. But, do not worry I have a solution for you.
Solution:-
The best thing you can do to enhance your computerâs speed is to just quit the unnecessary programs.
If your computer is slow then the chances of your PC getting stuck or an application to not respond is very high. They trick and techniques used below can serve that purpose as well.Â
How to force quit an application?
It is very irritating when you know that there is an application that sucking more than enough from your processor. For that, there is an option of force quitting your application.
Here are some techniques that you can do to force quit an application. In this subset, we are going to talk about three such techniques to force quit your application.
Force quit an application by Keyboard Shortcuts:-
Keyboard shortcuts are the most useful when your program goes stuck and it is saying âNot respondingâ. The easiest way to force stop an application, in that case, is by using âthe keyboard shortcuts
Step 1: Click on the application that you need to force stop.
Step 2: Click âAlt + F4â. This will close that program.
Note: Make sure to select that application, otherwise it will shut-down your computer.
Force quit an application by the Task Manager:-
In case this keyboard shortcut doesnât work. You should try using The Task Manager to force quit your application.
This method is especially useful when you are quitting a background program. Just follow the following steps and you will be able to Force quit your program using Task Manager.
Step 1: Press âCtrl+Alt+Deleteâ.Â
Note: for a moment âpreparing security settingâ will flash on your screen.
Step 2: Click on the âtask managerâ.Â
Or just click âCtrl+Shift+Escâ to directly enter âTask Managerâ.
Step 3: there you will see an array of different application that is using your processor and you will also see the memory that they are consuming.
Note: if you are not able to see those details try clicking on the âMore Detailsâ button, placed at the bottom of your screen.
Step 4: Select the program you want to quit. Afterward, click on the âend taskâ button placed at the bottom left corner of your screen.
Note: There are some essential applications must not be closed, so take that into consideration as well.
Force quit an application by the command prompt:-
Command Prompt can do lots of things and quitting an application is one of them. Just follow the following steps and your commands will stop the background programs.
Step 1: Go to the command prompt by searching it out from the start menu or by searching it from the run application(Windows + R, shortcut to open RUN).
Step 2: Write âTasklistâ on your screen. This will bring up all programs currently running on your computer.
Step 3: Type âtaskkill/im {name of your program}.exeâ( For example, taskkill/im skype.exe).This command is used to kill the working of that application.
Note: Remember to write the program exactly in the prescribed manner.
Finally, hit Enter. And you are good to go.
Thatâs how you can kill background apps and increase your PCâs speed.
Google Chrome and Skype are two popular applications that are notorious for running in the background that you are not able to close by normal application closing.
To make skype stop running in the system tray, Open Skype application on your PC and then click on the Three-dot icon close to your profile picture and click on the Settings.
Now click on the General Tab, here you have the option to manage Automatic startup, Launch Skype in the background, on close, keep skype running.
Just turn off the below two options to keep skype running in the background and on close, keep skype running.
If you want to stop automatically start skype then click on the âSettingsâ and turn it off the service.
Now letâs see how we can stop Google Chrome from running in the background.
In your browser tab enter chrome://settings/system then turn it off the âContinue running background apps when google chrome is closedâ option. thatâs it.
2. Power Saver
Sometimes we compromise on performance for the sake of our battery. This is acceptable sometimes but most of the time when you are not facing battery scarcity you should opt for âBalancedâ performance. Or if you want to go above and beyond, you can also try the âhigh performanceâ mode as it is the fastest among them all.
Solution:-
Just follow the following steps and you will able to change your setting and increase your computerâs speed.
Step 1: Launch Control Panel from the Start menu or you can open Run( Windows + R) and type âcmdâ there to launch the Control Panel.
Step 2: Then Click on âHardware and Soundâ. Afterward, click Power Options.
Step 3: Click on âcreate a power optionâ  there you will three options, âBalancedâ and âPower Saverâ and  âHigh performanceâ. Select the one you desire.
Before opting for any one of these modes, you might want to have a look at their features.
High Performance: High-Performance setting gives you the luxury of using your device at its full potential which will amp up its speed and display quality.
On the other hand, the downside of using this mode is that you have to sacrifice your battery performance. When your laptop is plugged in, it automatically shifts its power setting to âHigh performanceâ.
Balanced: Balanced mode, is the best mode among them. It will provide you with good performance and battery life. Generally, when you have unplugged your charger, by default your computer goes into Balanced mode.
Power Saver:Â In this mode, your CPU will do everything in its control to save your battery even if it requires making your processor act like a tortoise.
3. Windows Tips and Tricks
Windows has this nack of constantly giving free advice which we donât want. I donât remember a single incident when I read or implemented these tricks.
The worst part about these tricks is that they make your operating system slow. So, just tell the windows âHey! I donât need your adviceâ.Â
Solution:-
One of the things that you can do is to just stop the follow of needless advice. In this subset, we are going to see âhow can we stop Tips and Tricks?
How to stop Windows Tips and Tricks?
Just be obedient to the following âtips and tricksâ to counter Windows Tips and Tricks.
Step 1: Click the start button and press on the settings icon.
Step 2: After entering the Settings portal, click on the âSystemâ button.
Step 3: In the system portal click on âNotification & actionâ. Afterward, scroll down to Notification section and untick the box marked âGet tips, tricks and suggestion as you use windowsâ
This is trick is very useful and most of us donât see it coming.
4. OneDrive
A lot of us donât want to store things on our phones. So, we end-up storing things in the Microsoft based cloud service, OneDrive.
OneDrive is a very helpful tool as it backs up all our data and keeps our PCs up-to-date. So, if for some bizarre reason your hard disk dies you would still have your important files.
The OneDrive works as it regularly syncs your files between your PC and cloud storage. It is something that can eventually slow down your PC. So, switching it off can help. But, before taking any step you should see whether it is actually slowing it down your PC or not.
For that, you need to follow the steps prescribed below:-
Step 1: Right-click on the OneDrive icon(cloud one) from the notification panel.
Step 2: From the drop-down menu, click on the âPause syncingâ option, there you will see multiple time frames. Chose the least among them which is â2 hoursâ. Now, use your PC for two hours.
Solution:-
 If you notice any difference in your laptopâs pace. Then you should consider switching it off.
How to switch OneDrive syncing permanently?
To do so, you should follow the following instructions:-
Step 1: Right-click on the OneDrive icon.
Step 2: From the drop-down menu click on settings, afterwards, click on Accounts.Â
Step 3: Click on âUnlink this PCâ, afterwards, click on âUnlink accountâ.
Now, you will able to store your files on the Local OneDrive Folder but no to the cloud folder.
 But I wonât recommend you going for this if you are someone who stores most of his important files on your laptop. Then you should skip this step of Why Is My Laptop So Slow issue.
5. Search Index
Search indexes allow you to have a fast interface, as per what the Microsoft claims. But thatâs not the case here, in windows 10 your harddisk runs in the background when the index is on. That will eventually slow down your PC.
Solution:-
To get the maximum juice out of your Processor. You can consider turning off the index completely.
For that follow these steps:-
Step 1: Type âserviceâ in your search bar.
Step 2: In the portal that appeared, scroll down to Indexing Service or Windows Search
Step 3: Double click on itÂ
Step4: From the dialogue box appeared click on âStop.
Now, you just have to restart your computer once and you are good to Go!
6. Overwhelmed Hard disk
Most of the time we donât consider cleaning our PCs and getting rid of the unwanted files, As we do on our mobile phones.
Flushing out some files can cause a drastic change and can increase your laptopâs speed exponentially. Windows 10 has an application called Storage Scene that will assist you in cleaning your hard disk.
Solution:-
Now you might be wondering âHow can I clear me Hard DIsk by Storage Scene?â. I got you covered with the instruction below:-
Step 1: Go to the âsettingsâ from the start menu.
Step 2: Click on System> Storage.
Step 3: Finally, you will see a toggle on top of your screen, switch it from off to on.
Now after you have switched it on your computer will kill all the old junk files that you no longer use, such as your temporary files, old recycle bin files, etc.
But if you want to clear up more space you can do that by customizing it. For that, click on âConfigure Storage Sense or run it nowâ, placed below the toggle.Â
Now you can change how often do you want The Storge Scene to delete files, from the options displayed such as every day, every week, every month, or when your storage gets low.
Not only that you can also request the storage scene to remove downloaded files/folder, as per the days they have been there in an option named as âDelete files in my Download folders if they have been there for overâ, and you can set after how many days you want to delete your recycle bin files, in the section âDelete files in my recycle bin if they have been there for overâ
Storage Scene proved you with an option with which you can your files moved from The PC to OneDrive Cloud.
To increase your speed further you should delete âold version of windowsâ that might be taking some space. For that, scroll down to the bottom of your screen and check the box next to âDelete previous versions of windowsâ.
So, the storage scene will now delete the older version of your windows, 10 days after the installation of an upgrade. One of the downsides of this technique is that you wonât be able to revert back to the previous version.
7. Hard Drive Failure
As we all know a Hard Drive is made up of moving parts and it spins a thousand times a day. But after some time(after two to three years), its functioning will decay.
Solution:-
Before solving this issue you should first check the severity of it. For that, scan your drive
Windows: This PC>right click on the drive>tools>check.
Mac: Application>Utilities>Disk Utility>highlight the hard drive and press âFirst aidâ placed at the top of your screen.
8. Registry
The registry records and control almost everything that can have an impact on the way your windows look and work, such as the information about where your programs are stored, the DLLs used and shared, etc.
Do you know what will happen to your program registry when that program is deleted?Â
After the deletion of an application, some of its parts do not get deleted, more often than not it is your settings that remain filling your hard disk. That will eventually slow your PC down.Â
Solutions:-
It is not easy and efficient to clean your registry. So, for that, you need an assistant. There are lots of software available in the market for this, We are recommending CCleaner (Download Here) for this.
Note: Before clearing your registry you should fist take a back-up of the same. For that type âregistryâ in the search box. Files>Export>â Allâ in the export range.
Open the registry software that you have downloaded(Auslogics in this case). Select the kind of registry issues you want to address like File Association, Internet, or Fonts.
Do a scan and let and check the problem. If you click on âScan and Repairâ then the software will fix the issue without notifying you.
We are not only going to use CCleaner for cleaning registry, itâs the best tool to clean the junk files of your laptop.
Click on the âCustom Cleanâ option and make sure you selected all the options under the windows tab and second click on the âApplicationsâ tab and make sure you selected all the applications.
Now click on the âAnalyzeâ option to analyze the junk files available on your laptop, then after click on the âRun Cleanerâ option to clean these junks that is the main reason for your PC slowness.
after all these junk cleanings, click on the âToolsâ option and select the âDrive Wiperâ option and select your drive in the right-pane side and click on the Wipe option to start wiping Free space.
Note:- With Free Drive wiping, your hard-disk will be more optimized that will help your laptop to perform better.
Use BleachBit:-
Like CCleaner, BleachBit (Download Here) removes junk files from your PC, frees up space and protects your privacy by shredding personal files so they canât be recovered.
To use the program, just select the areas to target â your browser cache, cookies and history, for example â click Preview to see the results and then click Clean to remove
the selected items.
BleachBit lacks a few of the features found in CCleaner, such as the Registry cleaner and startup manager, but you donât need the former anyway because Windows does a great job of managing the Registry by itself, and you can control which programs start automatically in Windows 10 by going to Settings, Apps, Startup.
BleachBit has been in development for 11 years and is available for Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Thereâs no paid-for edition, so you wonât see any adverts or nag screens while using it, and because the developers are all volunteers and donât make any other software, bundled junk isnât an issue either. It also comes in a portable version.
9. Shadows, Animations and Visual Effects
There is a saying that âfood that tastes good is bad for youâ. The same saying is somewhat applicable here. Because your PCâs shadows, animation, and visual effects slow it down.
Solution:-
Turning them into an easy task. Follow the instructions to do that:-
Step 1: On the search bar type âsysdm.cplâ and hit enter.
Step 2: From the appeared âsystem propertiesâ dialogue box. Click on âAdvanced Tabs>Settings(in the performance section)
A list of different animations and visual effects will appear on your screen. Untick according to your needs.
If you want to achieve the best performance, you can just click on âAdjust for best performanceâ placed on top of your screen and then click OK.
alternatively, you can also use the Settings menu to configure this setting, To access the settings, Right-click on the Start menu, and select settings.
Under settings click on the âEase of Accessâ
now Under Simplify and personalize windows, toggle off the âShow animation in Windowsâ. Thatâs it.
10. Infected Computer
The worst news a user can get from his computer is that itâs infected. Infected from Viruses, Spyware, and Malware. They can do a lot of bad things with your computer like stealing your privacy or shutting your computer down.
Among one of those awful activities there is one that grabs most of our attention and is very common, that is, Slowing down your computer.
Solutions:-
Windows 10 comes with a Windows defender antivirus program which is a powerful antivirus program, itâs not like an old windows defender program, Microsoft did a good job to improve this program.
Click on the Start menu and click on the Settings and select the âUpdate and Securityâ and click on the âWindows Defenderâ and make sure âReal-time Protectionâ and âCloud-based Protectionâ option is on.
Under the same tab, go down and click on the âWindows Defender antivirus optionsâ and enable the periodic scanning.
if you are thinking still your pc has a virus then I will recommend you download an online scanner and run a one time scan of your PC.
11. Dusty Rooms
Sometimes your environment can deteriorate a lot from you, and the same applies to your computer as well. The dust and the dirt causing your nostril problems can slow down your computer.
As it can stop the ventilation, that will result in your processor getting heat strokes. It can not only slow down your computer, but it can also result in your computer getting crashed.
Solutions:-
Take a clean piece of cloth and clear the dust from your vents. If you want to achieve the maximum result you can a vacuum cleaner as well.
In the case of laptops, you should try keeping it at a place where it can breathe. The best way to ensure that your vents are free is to put your laptop on a laptop stand as it can really help your Laptop in the long run.
12. Browser Tabs
If you are someone who just leaves your browser tabs open then you should consider closing it. Because the moment you open a tab your browser saves it into your RAM. Therefore, you will run out of RAM memory which will eventually make your PC slow.
Not only that multiple browsers can make your PC sluggish as well. Your Browser will say âNot respondingâ at times. If the website you are working on is auto-refreshing then your situation will get worse.
Solutions:-
The solution to this problem is pretty obvious just close the extra tabs. Most of the time google chrome is the biggest memory hog in your laptop or PC, We are recommending a brave browser (Download here) to use in your laptop instead of chrome which is also based on the same chromium engine means all your chrome plugins will work with it.
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13. RAM issues
If after doing all the above-mentioned steps you still feel like your computer is slow, then you need to face the harsh truth that your RAM is slow. And itâs time you go for a RAM upgrade by adding a new RAM.
There are tons of programs that require a RAM with higher memory. If you are a graphic designer or a video editor then a higher RAM memory should be your prime requirement.
Some people try to run photoshop on a lower-end PC and end up getting their system crash.Â
Solution:-
Luckily, RAM up-gradation is not very expensive, and if you think your computer is slowing down because of your RAM. Then you should try getting a new one.
But before you do some, read the description down below:-
2GB: Best for watching videos and playing music
4-8GB: For heavy graphic performance
8GB+: Playing heavy graphic games such as Fortnite or PUBG.
14. Remove Unwanted Space From Your Hard Drive
CCleaner has a great tool that can tell you how much space each file is using up on your hard drive. Although you can do this with other programs, having this tool at your fingertips while using CCleanerâs other junk-removing elements is extremely handy. And it is also very quick at scanning your hard drive.
1. Click Tools, then Disk Analyzer. Select the drive you want to analyze and tick any categories that you want to view separately.
The first time you carry out this procedure, you may as well tick them all. Click the Analyze button.
2. The box at the top shows the categories selected in Step 1. Click a categoryâs arrow to show the types of files included, listed in order of space used.
You can see the number of files, the percentage of your hard drive they take up and the number of MBs used.
3. The box at the bottom shows a list of all the files found in your selection, with the largest at the top. This will help you locate the worst space hogs.
Selecting a file type changes the pie chart to show how much of the categoryâs total space is taken up by that type of file.
4. Tick the boxes to select individual files or highlight one (use Shift+Ctrl to choose more than one) and right-click for more options.
Select the files you donât want, then right-click to âDelete Selected Filesâ. This is a permanent delete so no copy is saved to the Recycle Bin.
5. If youâd rather deal with the files in Explorer, right-click and choose âOpen containing folderâ. You can also choose to save the list as a text file, though itâs easier to view as a spreadsheet.
To separate the elements into the spreadsheetâs columns, import it as âtab-delimitedâ.
6. Use the search box to filter your results further. You can use wildcards, as you would in Windows searches, to refine your results, but you can only search for the names of files.
To make it easier to find files from their path or size, click the relevant heading to reorder them.
15. Disk Clutter
Once we are saving the files in the PC itâs saving in one of the clusters of the hard disk, with the time itâs going to create a clutter in your hard drive which is also a reason for your question.
Solution:-
Windows comes with a defragger utility to fix this disk cluttering in your PC that you can access by right-clicking on any hard drive and selecting the Tools > Defragmentation
But itâs too slow, we are recommending a third-party tool named Defraggler (Download Here), after download and installation, open the application and select your drives and click on the âAnalyzeâ then click on the âDefragâ option to defrag your hard-drive.
16. Use Reliability Monitor
Windows comes with an inbuilt tool to give an answer to your question Why Is My Laptop So Slow? đ€ Really! yes, it is.
Click on the Start menu and search for the Reliability Monitor.
This inbuilt utility offers you a user-friendly interface to show you day and week system and application crashes. it will show you red icon for a specific event, just click on the red icon it will show you the source of the event with the date and time.
As you saw in the below image one incident happened in my PC with these computer sensor applications and itâs also giving me an option to check a solution.
17. Outdated Drivers
A driver is a software utility that is used to make communication between your installed hardware and OS and outdated drivers are also a reason for your query âwhy is my laptop so slowâ
By-default windows are updating all Microsoft drivers but you need to update your third party drivers manually. we are recommending IObit driver booster utility (Download Here) for this work.
18. Outdated Graphics DriverÂ
If your laptop graphics card driver is not updated itâs also a reason for your question âwhy my laptop is so slowâ.
Get the latest drivers from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel, depending on what graphics hardware your PC has inside.
Itâs really easy to check the GPU that you are using with your Windows task manager, Right-click on the taskbar and select the Task Manager and Click on the âPerformanceâ tab and scroll down this page, you will find the GPU option.
As you are seeing in my below screenshot my laptop has both Intel and Nvidia, you might have intel and AMD that is perfect for gaming. In all these cases updating drivers will help you to get the maximum gaming experience.
Now letâs update the driver, To update your driver use the below links to get the latest driver.
Nvidia Driver (Download Here), AMD (Download Here) and Intel (Download Here)
As I have Nvidia driver installed, I will go to the Nvidia driver website and find the exact model that I have.
As you saw in the above task manager screenshot, my laptop has âGeForce GTX 960Mâ GPU installed so I selected the âGeForce GTX 960Mâ option.
Note:-Â The same way you need to find out the driver for your PC/Laptop.
Click on the Search Option, I will show you the driver download option, Download your driver, and install it.
itâs best to leave the âNVIDIA Graphics Driver and GeForce Experienceâ option at the time of driver installation.
19. File Permissions
Once we are installing the new OS all the file permissions are set to default but gradually itâs changing by many applications that are also a reason for your question âWhy is your laptop so slowâ.
File permission is not limited to the temp files or registry files, To fix the laptop slowness issue we need to reset the File permission of Service, WMI, Host File, Windows Update, Windows Firewall Etc.
Solution:-
itâs not possible for you to reset all these file permissions manually, you really need a third-party tool to do so, luckily there is a tool named Windows repair (Download Here) available for this job that is available in both free and paid version.
For our work Free version is more than enough. đ
Open the tool after installation, it will prompt you to run this tool in the Safe mode that will be more effective but you can run this tool also in the normal mode. just click on the ignore the warning.
Click on the âRepairs â Mainâ tab and click on the âOpen Repairsâ option.
Now make sure All repairs option is selected and then click on the âStart Repairsâ option to start repairing your File permissions.
I am 100% confident after performing all these 19 steps you will not take the word why is my laptop so slow on your tips. đ
20. Use WhySoSlow Tool To Find Why Is My Laptop So Slow
There are all sorts of problems that can cause your once-speedy PC to start slowing down â from resource-hungry applications to malware infection.
WhySoSlow (Download Here) is a clever new program that helps you get to the bottom of why your PC isnât running at its optimum performance.
It works by monitoring and analyzing various elements, such as your processor speed and temperature, running processes, memory and page-file usage, disk fragmentation, power settings, BIOS responsiveness, devices and drivers, and more.Â
The softwareâs main Status screen shows you at a glance how the different components in your computer are performing, which might be enough to help you identify the cause of any slowdowns.
If you canât see anything obvious, you can ask the software to analyze your system and generate a report. WhySoSlow also lists all the drivers and running processes.
But thatâs not all the program can do. It offers a handy Alarms section that warns you if your processorâs temperature goes above a certain threshold, and lets you add your own triggers.Â
For example, you can ask to be warned if the memory load goes too high or the amount of free drive space drops below a certain amount.Â
The software also comes with a tool called AntiFreeze Emergency Task Manager, which can be used to terminate misbehaving programs in the event of Windows becoming unresponsive and freezing.
Finally, thereâs a Tools section that gives you access to useful Windows functions, including power configuration, disk defragmenter, drives optimization, and the Windows uninstaller.
You should be aware that WhySoSlow is currently in beta, so you may experience a few problems, but it seemed stable enough in our tests.
Conclusion
With this post we tried to cover up all the possible reasons for your laptop slowness, I am certain of the fact that these tips and tricks will help you to find the answer to your query on âWhy is my laptop so slowâ.
We are recommending reading each and every step carefully and apply the provided solutions to make your laptop blazing fast.