8 Tips to Fix Your Slow Laptop: Why It’s Happening and What You Can Do

When you need your laptop to be fast, it’s frustrating when the system starts running slowly and things take longer than they should.

Do you know that there are many different reasons why a laptop might be slow?

Whether it is an old computer, inadequate hardware, or too many programs running at the same time, there could be multiple issues slowing down your computer.

This blog post will cover some of the most common reasons for slow laptops and what to do about them!

Why It’s Happening and What You Can Do

1. Getting Rid of Bloatware

If you have ever wondered why your laptop is slow, there are a few reasons that could be causing the problem. One of these reasons would be bloatware and programs running in the background.

Bloatware can slow down performance significantly by bogging down vital resources on old computers or laptops with low RAM and disk space. Programs such as antivirus, system monitors, and browser extensions are also prone to slow down your laptop.

To get rid of bloatware: uninstall useless programs by right-clicking on the program icon in the computer’s start menu or taskbar tray > select Uninstall from the dropdown list > click “yes”.

To disable running programs that you will not use often, you will need to either disable the program or make sure that it runs at a lower priority.

2. Windows 10 is Updating

Slow laptops are often due to Windows updates. When this happens, your computer may slow down as it is updating or installing a new version of the operating system and related applications.

What to do: Make sure you have enough free space on your hard drive before starting an update, and keep in mind that large downloads can tie up all the bandwidth available to your connection, so be patient.

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Microsoft’s decision to do so stems from the fact that 10% of all computers have viruses that are activated each month.

3. Too Many Programs Running at Once (Especially on Startup)

If you see that your laptop is running slow after using it for a while, the first thing to check might be how many programs are open and active.

If you have too many applications running at once (especially when they all start up with Windows), then this can significantly affect performance.

To fix this, Increase the efficiency of your laptop by identifying and removing programs that automatically start.

Check your taskbar for shortcuts to apps that start up with Windows and remove them. You can also use third-party software like CCleaner or Autoruns

Close any programs you’re no longer using, especially if they are running in the background

Clear out old temporary files from browsers after each session by clicking

4. Running Out of Disk Space

One of the most common causes for a slow laptop is running out of disk space.

Since your laptop’s hard drive has to store all your programs, files, and other data while you’re using it, if there isn’t enough empty space available on the hard drive then everything slows down – which can be very frustrating!

It’s important to keep 15 percent of free space on your laptop’s hard drive (or SSD) in order to maintain optimal performance. This solution will help your laptop perform better and solve freezing issues.

What to do about it: Keeping your laptop’s main drive clean can help prevent it from slowing down. Depending on what you store on your computer, transfer big files to external drive-especially videos and photos that take up more disk space than other types of data.

You can also use CleanMyPc.

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5. Virus/Malware is Slowing Down Your Laptop

You might notice a slow-down after installing some new software or if you have opened up an email attachment. It may be the result of malware that has been installed on your laptop, which can cause it to run slower.

Viruses or downloaded software can become malicious and manipulate your laptop in many ways.

Your laptop may feel slow or sluggish, causing it to take a long time to shut down. Adware and other malicious software can be the culprits behind these issues.

What to do about it:

  • Take your laptop to a professional if you think it has been infected with malware.
  • Use antivirus software and ensure that all the updates have been installed on your computer.
  • Add an anti-malware solution, such as Bitdefender Antivirus Plus
  • Uninstall any programs or files that are not needed for day-to-day use.

6. Overheating is Burning Your Laptop

Every few minutes, your laptop’s processor will have to stop working so the heat can dissipate.

If you are running something heavy on your machine like a game or video editing software, that means it has to slow down every minute for about 30 seconds while the heat is managed and then continue going.

This causes an unnatural speedup-slowdown cycle which can cause you to slow down as well.

Solution: make sure your laptop is in a cool place, especially if it’s near the ground or too close to another device like speakers that give off heat.

Turn on Airplane Mode (which turns off all signals) and put your computer into sleep mode for 15 minutes before trying to use it again.

You can also use a cooling pad.

Lastly, using more RAM will help with performance and make loading times quicker.

7. Faulty or Outdated Hardware

The hardware your laptop needs to be well-performing is a fast hard drive and plenty of RAM.

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When you use an outdated or under-performing hard drive, your laptop becomes slow. You can solve this problem by upgrading the hardware.

If you’re using your laptop for basic office work and browsing the web, 4GB of RAM is the bare minimum.

What to do about it:

  • Update your hard drive from HDD to SSD(solid-state drive)
  • Add external SSD for more boost
  • Upgrade RAM

8. Formatting Your Laptop

If all of the above-mentioned methods are not work for you. Still, you are facing a slow performance issue. It’s time to format your laptop.

Formatting your laptop is the last resort measure to fix a slow performance issue. It will wipe out every single file on your computer—so be sure you have an external backup of anything important before proceeding with this step.

First, create one or more recovery discs and back up all data from your hard disk onto another storage device.

Next, shut down your laptop and unplug all cables. You should also remove the battery before proceeding to avoid any risk of electric shock while you’re working on it.

Finally, press the appropriate key combinations (typically “Delete” or “F11”) to bring up an Advanced Boot Menu from which you can choose a Formatting Option.

If the troubleshooting steps above do not resolve your slow performance issue, you may want to consider replacing some of your laptop’s parts with newer models.

For instance, It’s time to go for a professional. They might help you find out what is wrong with your laptop.

Conclusion

Laptops can slow down for a number of reasons. We have mentioned some easy ways to improve the speed, and if you’re experiencing serious performance issues then it might be time to consider upgrading or repairing your laptop.

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