Why Is My Laptop Slow? An Easy Step-by-Step Guide to Fixing Your Laptop

It’s normal for computers to slow down with time, so don’t panic; you’re not alone. There might be a variety of causes for this sluggishness, and while certain faults might be totally beyond repair, there are frequent options to fix this issue when your laptop is functioning slower than normal. 

In this post, we’ll go over the most prevalent causes of a slower laptop and suggest solutions for each. Hopefully, this post will assist you in resolving the issues and returning your laptop to its maximum speed.

Why Is My Laptop Slow?

Even if there are many probable causes for a laptop to run slowly, we have listed down the most usual ones, which are commonly the source of the problem. While some of the causes are related to software, others may involve hardware connections to your laptop. The causes are:

1. Your laptop has too much garbage.
2. Your storage is too full. 
3. An exceeding number of background processes. 
4. The laptop is slowed down by starting apps. 
5. The fault lies with the web browser. 
6. Laptop’s performance affected by malware or a virus.
7. Temperature limiter.
8. Limited RAM accesses.
9. A hard disk with low performance.

How To Fix a Slow Laptop?

• Clearing unwanted junk and files

Your laptop will progressively slow down as a result of the buildup of numerous sorts of junk items, including surfing history, useless files, temporary files, cache files, and others. It is usually a good idea to monitor and delete these unwanted files from your laptop on a regular basis.

You have two alternatives for doing this task: manually cleaning up the garbage or using automatic tools. These apps regularly check your laptop for such files and alert you when a cleaning is necessary. However, it is advisable to use them judiciously after conducting research on the best tools for this job.

• Check for virus or malware 

Malware and viruses can compromise laptop performance, making them more likely to slow down. You’ll probably notice a slowdown if your laptop has been compromised by malware or a virus. Verify the functionality and updates of your antivirus software.

Use an antivirus scan to check if it resolves the issue if your laptop is running slowly. To your alleged surprise, there’s also a potential that any number of antivirus-related problems, including improper antivirus installation, installing several antivirus programs, incompatibilities, and more, might be the reason for your laptop’s poor performance.

In light of this, update your antivirus software if your laptop is operating slowly, and make sure the install is clean if you decide to start again.

• Hard Drive cleaning 

A laptop’s performance can be affected by a full hard drive, as it limits the space needed for important functions like file swapping, preventing fragmentation, and creating temporary files. To avoid this issue, it is crucial to regularly check the hard drive memory, empty the recycle bin, and uninstall unnecessary programs to enhance battery life.

You can uninstall unwanted programs by accessing the Control Panel and delete temporary data by Windows + R keys, then writing %temp%, and selecting OK. 

Another way to optimize your laptop’s performance is by organizing a folder of ‘Downloads’ and storing large files in a hard drive or cloud drive online including music, movies, and TV shows. Remember to regularly empty the recycle bin and clean up your downloads folder for optimal performance.

• Closing useless background activities

An excessive number of programs or apps running at the same time could lead a laptop to become slow since they take a large portion of the device’s memory and processing capability. Some apps may demand background execution, but others do not and have no detrimental influence on computer performance. 

Closing such useless programs is typically preferable to relieving the laptop’s processing strain. To examine the background applications running on your laptop, you must utilize the Task Manager. CTRL + ALT + Delete can be used to open Task Manager.

• Clean Up Windows Start-up

While startup apps and programs can be useful, they often use up too many resources, causing your laptop to slow down. To fix this problem, you can enhance your laptop’s speed by identifying unnecessary startup processes and disabling them.

To streamline your Windows startup, follow these instructions: 

• Launch the Task Manager and go to the startup tab.
• Choose the software you wish to remove from the startup list and click on the Disable option to prevent it from automatically launching.

• Don’t let your laptop get overheated 

It is common knowledge that computers begin to perform slower when they become overheated. In addition, this is not exclusive to laptops; it is a common instance of thermal throttling.

If you live somewhere too hot, consider an air-conditioned environment for using your laptop, or at the very least, take plenty of breaks so it can cool down.

On the other hand, the laptop’s internal components, CPU cooler, and air vents may have gathered dust if there isn’t any external agent causing overheating or throttling. All you need to do to solve this issue is take off the rear panel and brush off the dust. You should get professional advice if you are not completely comfortable doing this on your own.

• Upgrade your RAM

Sufficient RAM is essential for current applications and apps to work efficiently. If your laptop is operating slow owing to demanding apps, the best remedy is to boost the RAM.

Although it may be more expensive, the better performance will be worthwhile because your laptop will have the power to produce the needed outcomes. It is possible to upgrade the RAM on your own, but if you are unsure about the process, get expert assistance.

• Hard Drive upgradation 

The hard disk on your laptop may be the cause of slowness. If your computer is taking a long time to start up or if it is sluggish when opening files or loading games. You may update the hard disk in your laptop or, better yet, SSD could be brought in replacement of an HDD to solve this issue.

SSDs are significantly quicker and have no moving components, in contrast to conventional hard drives. SSDs dramatically increase laptop performance, operate instantaneously, and read and write data considerably more quickly. We advise you to visit the repair center for repairing your laptop, since it is not a simple task to do so.

Conclusion 

The slow laptop problem is real, and anyone can experience it after a given amount of time of using their laptop. What we can do is address these difficulties and periodically maintain its performance.

You can surely resolve your sluggish laptop issues by implementing one or some of these options. We hope that we have assisted you enough to resolve your issues. Have a good time with your laptop!

Frequently asked questions ( FAQs ):

• What are the laptop parts that I can upgrade? 

What sort of laptop you’re using truly determines this. Although the majority just let you switch out the hard disk and RAM, some higher-end versions also let you swap out the CPU. That being said, in most cases, even performing normal cleaning will require removing the entire shell and occasionally even the motherboard. We highly advise seeking expert guidance if you feel uneasy performing this yourself.

• Will my computer become slower as a result of my VPN? 

Although they can significantly prolong the time it takes for webpages to load, VPNs have no effect on the overall speed of your computer. If you utilize a service with servers or algorithms that are not well optimized, this is especially true. Positively, bigger VPN service providers have lately made significant strides in this field. Because of this, unless you’re accustomed to really fast speeds already, you probably won’t notice a change. 

• Even after following every tip in this post, my laptop remains slow. What other choices do I have? 

If your laptop continues to be slow despite thorough repair or a new installation, the hardware may be aged. Put another way, your laptop is unable to meet the expectations of newly launched software, which requires more powerful technology. You may need to consider replacing your laptop soon because individual parts are not upgradeable.