How To Speed Up Laptop Windows 10

Get Rid Of ‘bloatware’

It’s not just old computers that can suffer from latency. New computers can too and that’s often down to the bloatware manufacturers preinstall on their laptops. This sometimes takes the form of the manufacturers own software and services, but it can also include third-party applications which are preinstalled as part of commercial distribution deals between the manufacturer and software vendors. Whether you refer to it as bloatware, crapware or PUP , this unwelcome software can really slow down a computer.

Similarly to the old programmes and utilities mentioned above, these services can clog up processing power and memory and can eat into valuable storage space. You may find that some preinstalled programmes – such as the Microsoft Office suite or Dropbox desktop client – are useful additions, but theres a good chance that at least a couple of them will be surplus to requirements, so its worth taking the time to go through a new laptop and identify any preinstalled apps that can be given the boot.

Microsoft Defender Offline Scan

If you cannot use Microsoft Defender Antivirus because it’s not running, the definition does not update, or there are problems completing a scan, the device is likely infected with complex malware that cannot be removed while the OS is running. If this is the case, the antivirus includes an option to perform an offline scan.

To complete a Microsoft Defender Antivirus offline scan, use these steps:

Once you complete the steps, the system will restart automatically into the offline experience of Microsoft Defender, and it will perform a scan to detect and remove any threats that could not be removed while Windows 10 was running.

If you use other antimalware solutions like Malwarebytes, Bitdefender, Trend Micro, or Norton, check their support documentation to remove viruses and other malicious programs.

Check For Malware Adware & Spyware

Malware and viruses can infect your computer and impact performance by taking over computer resources in the background.

Reputable antivirus software can help protect your PC by scanning for and removing threats. The best antiviruses include real-time protection to block malware from entering your system in the first place.

There are many free antiviruses available, but most of them lack comprehensive malware and internet security protections. But many top antiviruses come at affordable prices, and they all come with money-back guarantees, so you can purchase the product, check/clean your device, and then return the product before the money-back guarantee is over.

My favorite antivirus is Norton 360 its got 100% malware detection/removal rates along with one of the best device optimizers on the market. TotalAV is also a really good option as it comes with additional features, including device optimization tools that are easy to use for non-technical users.

Also Check: How To Screen Record Dell

How To Speed Up Windows Via Msconfig

Another eficient option to make Windows 10 run smoother is through msconfig. You can open this menu by pressing the Windows and R keys simultaneously. Now type msconfig and click OK to open the settings.

In the window that has now popped up, go to the Boot tab and add check the box next to No GUI boot. This disables the graphical startup interface of Windows 10, allowing your system to boot noticeably faster than before.

Turn Off Animation And Effects

Shiny effects and animations might look great visually, but they do affect performance. If you want snappy performance, you can always turn them off to make your computer work faster.

Follow the steps below to turn off animations and effects for snappy performance:

Turning off transparency in Windows also helps in kicking performance up a notch! Turn off transparency effects in Windows 10 and go with the flat look. You can also change your wallpaper to solid colors to see if that helps.

Follow the steps below to turn off transparency effects in Windows 10:

Don’t Miss: Cost To Fix Computer Screen

Speed Up Windows Boot

Disable Apps That Run On Startup

One of the reasons why you might be experiencing a slow Windows 10 PC is because you have many programs running in the background. This is because many installers program their apps to run immediately after you start up your computer. This can affect the speed of your computer.To disable these programs from running automatically, go to Task Manager > select the Startup tab. Go through the Startup Impact of each program. It shows you to what extent an app is slowing down your system on startup. Programs whose Startup Impact read as High are those you should mostly look out for. Disable unnecessary apps by Right-Clicking on each of them and select Disable.

Alternatively, you can go to Settings > Apps > Startup. Turn off the startup on unnecessary apps. Just make sure you dont Turn off any other crucial program required for core Windows Startup.

Recommended Reading: How To Put Your Phone Screen On Computer

Why Am I Not Getting The Speed I Pay For

If youre still not getting the speeds you should be getting, you can contact your ISP. However, you should first consider some problems that may be out of your control. For example, your distance from your ISP. This can impact your speed and may mean your speeds are slightly slower than others in your town or city.

How Can I Speed Up A Windows 10 Laptop

Matt is resurrecting a 10-year-old laptop with only 4GB of memory. How can he make it run faster?

I am trying to resurrect an old but good-in-its-day laptop for my son to use for his A-levels. I have bought a cheap 256GB SSD to improve the read/write speeds, but it seems I am stuck with the current 4GB of memory. Its two memory slots could support 8GB but 4GB DDR2 memory modules are prohibitively expensive at roughly £65 each. It doesnt seem to make sense spending that sort of money on outdated memory technology for a 10-year-old laptop.

What is the best way to set up Windows 10 so it runs fast on relatively limited memory? Is it worth using a different browser to Chrome? Is Microsoft Office too much of a resource hog?

There must be a lot of perfectly good machines awaiting an opportunity for a second life.Matt

Chip costs are driven by production volumes, so obsolete types of memory are no longer in production, or are very expensive to produce. Often, there are alternatives, such as buying second-hand memory modules, and cannibalising laptops sold on eBay for spares or repair.

In this case, there are very few second-hand modules for sale. When DDR2 was standard, many laptops had 2GB, but very few had the 8GB that would need two 4GB modules.

On the bright side, 4GB laptops have been common for most of the past decade, and some people still buy them. Its better to have 8GB, but 4GB is usable.

You May Like: How To Make Space On Laptop

Use A Patented Method To Reduce Daily Slowdown

Many programs install software components that run even when youre not using them. These are:

• Services: They provide basic functionality like keeping products updated.

• Scheduled Tasks: These background tasks are mostly used to perform actions at specific times or in certain situations.

• Startup items: Startup items are additional programs that launch every time you turn on your PC. But while services and scheduled tasks run mostly in the background, startup items tend to be more visible and show up on your taskbar.

There are many reasons why your PC gets slower over time, but background apps are among the most significant. They can put significant stress on your computer, reducing memory, increasing heat output and power consumption, and causing Windows to deprioritize active tasks.

Finding and deactivating every cause of computer slowdown is a never-ending task. Thankfully, specialized software like AVG TuneUp, with its patented Sleep Mode, detects the programs slowing down your PC and suspends them until you actually need them.

Whenever you open an app, Sleep Mode un-snoozes it, then puts it back to sleep when youre done. Use Sleep Mode on as many applications as you can, and youll notice a considerable speed improvement on your PC.

Get it forMac,Android

Make Sure You Have The Latest Updates For Windows And Device Drivers

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 PCs performance.

To check for updates

Sometimes an optional update, like a new non-critical driver, will be available that may help.

To check for optional updates

For more info about updates, including how you can have them installed automatically, see the Windows Update FAQ.

For Windows Update troubleshooting info, see Update Windows and Troubleshoot problems updating Windows.

If your PC still runs slowly, continue to the next tip.

Also Check: How To Reset An Hp Laptop Without Password

Overclock Your Cpu Or Gpu

Overclocking your CPU or GPU makes them work faster and gives you more processing power. Though not as dangerous as it used to be, overclocking increases the stress and heat put on your PCs hardware. In most cases, your CPU or GPU will switch off when overstressed or overheated, and Windows will freeze before real damage occurs.

Overclocking is an advanced process that requires you to monitor your CPU temperature. Dont overclock your hardware unless you know what youre doing.

Overclocking the CPU

Unless youre doing a lot of CPU-intensive tasks, such as multimedia editing or running lots of apps at the same time, you wont feel the difference of a CPU overclock. But if you want optimal performance, try Intels own Extreme Tuning Utility.

With this tool, you can easily adjust the CPU clock speed. Increase in increments of 50 MHz, and test your systems stability under various high-stress scenarios before increasing further.

Overclocking the GPU

Usually, your graphics chip is what causes jittery or laggy gameplay. To improve performance, try overclocking your GPU to run it beyond factory settings. You can overclock your GPUs processing chip and memory speed with tools like MSI Afterburner.

On our own gaming PC with two Titan Xp graphics cards, after overclocking the GPU by 200 MHz and the memory by 500 MHz, gaming performance climbed by 15%, and we saw the best possible frame rate and picture quality on even the most demanding games.

Change Power Mode To Best Performance

If you want to save electricity, changing the power setting on your PC to high performance isn’t ideal, but it could boost computing speed. Head to the Settings app’s System > Power & Sleep option and then click the Additional Power Settings link. From here, click the dropdown arrow on the right side to Show Additional Plans and then choose High Performance.

On Windows 11, you can select Better Performance or Best Performance in Settings > System > Power & battery, as shown in the screenshot above. There’s no need to select Show Additional Plans as in Windows 10.

Also Check: Hp Laptop Afterpay

Why Is My Computer So Slow

Usually, your computer slows down because its not using its resources efficiently. Theres only so much processing power, memory, and storage space available on your PC, and the key to speeding up your computer is to optimize all three.

If youre wondering why your PC gets slower over time, its likely due to one or more of the following reasons:

• Its too hot. Your computer will self-regulate performance to compensate for excessive heat. A cool computer is a fast computer. Check your CPU temps to see if things are getting too hot.

• Your software is old. If youre behind on your Windows updates or need to find updated drivers, you might suffer performance losses.

• Its doing too much. If youre running too many programs at once, too many background processes, or if your disk usage is at 100%, your PC wont be able to optimize performance.

• Youre running low on memory. Your PC uses RAM to run its active programs. Maxing out your RAM can lead to a sluggish PC.

• Youre running low on disk space. As your hard drive fills up, your PC has less room for temporary files. Without enough space, your PC wont be able to prevent hard drive fragmentation. Cleaning out your computer will free up valuable disk space.

• Youve got malware. Many types of malware, such as adware and spyware, chew through your PCs resources and slow it down.

Get it forMac,Android

Restore Previous Working State

Sometimes your computer will begin to slow down after installing a new system update, device driver, or application. If you cannot determine why the device is slow, you can undo any changes by restoring the previous working state using a System Restore point.

To apply a restore point to fix performance issues on Windows 10, use these steps:

Once you complete the steps, the computer will roll back to a previous state bringing back when performance was not an issue.

When applying a restore point, your files will be preserved, but the process will remove system changes, updates, drivers, and applications installed after the restore point was created.

System Restore is not enabled by default. This means you must set it up before you can revert system changes.

You May Like: Rent To Own Laptop Bad Credit

Lighten Your Web Browser

RELATED:How to Enable Click-to-Play Plugins in Every Web Browser

Theres a good chance you use your web browser a lot, so your web browser may just be a bit slow. Its a good idea to use as few browser extensions, or add-ons, as possible those slow down your web browser and cause it to use more memory.

Go into your web browsers Extensions or Add-ons manager and remove add-ons you dont need. You should also consider enabling click-to-play plug-ins. Preventing Flash and other content from loading will prevent unimportant Flash content from using CPU time.

Upgrade Your Computers Hardware

If all else fails, there could be mechanical problems that are limiting your computers performance. Maybe your computer components are just so out of date that they cant keep up with modern demands.

Therefore, consider upgrading some of your computers components to speed up your system. Desktop PCs will usually be easier to upgrade than laptops, but always check with your manufacturer first.

You have a few options here, depending on whats causing your computers slowdown:

• Upgrade your computers RAM to handle more tasks at the same time.
• Switch your HDD for an SSD for faster and easier access to files and shorter load times.
• Upgrade your GPU for a better experience with gaming and high-definition video.

Its always best to seek professional advice and assistance when upgrading your computers RAM, hard drive, GPU, or any other components.

Don’t Miss: Hp Laptops Trade In

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. Here’s how to check for a Windows 10 update:

1. Open Settings. You can easily find Settings using the search bar in the left-hand corner of your screen. 2. Select Update & Security. From the Settings menu locate the Update & Security submenu, there’s a search bar at the top of the window if you’re having any trouble locating it. 3. Click Check of updates. At the top of the Update & Security submenu, your device will tell you if you’re fully up to date, and if not you can manually begin updating by pressing the “Check for updates” button. Make sure youve saved all required work beforehand, and be prepared for the process to take a little time as well.

That’s Just The Start

There are many ways to improve the performance of your Windows PC beyond what’s noted here. For more PC-enhancing tricks, check out 10 Tips to Speed Up Windows 10, How to Rid a New PC of Crapware, and How to Update Your Drivers in Windows.

Like What You’re Reading?

Sign up for Tips & Tricks newsletter for expert advice to get the most out of your technology.

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.

Read Also: Ark Survival Evolved Low Memory