Imagine turning your laptop on to experience endless loading times! That’s a frustrating situation. Now, you must be wondering why your laptop is so slow despite being new. Well, a laptop running slow can be a result of many factors and age is not always the one.
Let’s check out why you face – my laptop running slow. Also, we have mentioned solutions to enhance your laptop’s speed.
Why is My Laptop Runnning Slow?
Before you conclude that you suffer from a slow laptop, make sure you have any of the following signs:
- Applications take longer to start.
- The boot-up time is longer than usual.
- Files take ages to open up.
- You experience lagging with too many tabs open on web browsers.
- Also, your laptop freezes from time to time.
- You encounter sluggish operations for basic tasks, as well.
- Often, applications become unresponsive.
If you encounter any of those symptoms, then you can determine that your laptop is slow. According to professional laptop repair services, the following reasons can trigger a slow laptop:
1. Too Many Programs in the Background
Do you have too many apps or programs open in the laptop background? All of them can stretch your laptop’s resources. Indeed, too many start-up programs can affect the laptop’s boot-up time.
2. Inadequate Memory
My laptop is very slow – it’s time to check the laptop’s memory. Your laptop’s RAM tackles multiple programs at the same time. When the system runs out of RAM, it uses a hard drive to compensate for the virtual memory. This can slow laptop Windows 10 devices.
3. Energy Saving Features
Have you enabled any kind of power-saving option on your laptop? While such options help conserve battery life, make you compromise with delayed responses. Typically, power-saving features reduce your laptop’s performance to stretch the battery for longer uses.
4. Browser Overwork
You might be experiencing your laptop lag while working on a web browser. Well, too many open tabs and extensions on the web browser can negatively impact your system’s performance. Consequently, your laptop will run sluggish.
5. Old-Time Operating System
When was the last time you updated your laptop to its equivalent operating system patches? If you can’t remember then the slow bug might be within your operating system. Outdated software can often lead to system slowdowns.
6. Hard Drive Problems
Perhaps, your laptop’s hard drive is almost full. On the other hand, fragmented hard drives can slow down your laptop to a great extent. Ensure your hard drive has at least 20% free space for optimal functioning. However, a laptop hard drive replacement can address traditional storage and fragmentation issues.
7. Laptop Overheating Hiccups
Due to various reasons, your laptop can overheat. As a precaution, the laptop itself slows down its performance. Thus, it doesn’t experience further damage. If you experience overheating along with sluggish performances, it’s better to give your system some rest.
8. Viruses and Malicious Software
Beyond your knowledge, your laptop might have downloaded viruses or malware. Now, those threats running in the background can affect your laptop’s function. As a consequence, you encounter a slow laptop.
9. Bloatware
Even users with new laptops have complained about sluggishness. If you face the same issue, then look for pre-installed applications and programs. Such entities can take up unnecessary space on your hard drive. Not to mention, they also consume resources and make the laptop too slow.
10. Hardware Barriers
Is your laptop more than 5 years old? Then, it lacks the newest hardware specifications. Therefore, your laptop might be struggling to meet up the latest software requirements. And, you see the reflection in its sluggish performance.
How to Speed Up A Laptop?
My laptop is very slow – you are not alone in this situation. Luckily, you can address a slow laptop with some simple DIY steps. Check out the following software-based fixes to learn how to speed up a laptop.
1. Restart Your Computer
A quick and easy system restart is more powerful than you think. Indeed, a restart can clear temporary files, quit background processes, free up memory, and even refresh resources. So, access your laptop’s power options and select Restart.
Before you go for free diagnostics for laptops, try restarting your device. Indeed, expert laptop repair services recommend restarting your laptop once a week for the best performance.
2. Check on the Laptop’s Memory
Does your slow laptop have sufficient RAM for flawless functioning? To check this out on your slow laptop Windows 10 device, you can follow the guidelines below:
- Press the Windows and X keys simultaneously.
- After that, select Task Manager.
- Navigate to its Performance tab and select Memory.
If your memory capacity is too low then a RAM upgrade might help. However, you must check your laptop’s compatibility with higher RAM capacities.
3. Adjust Power and Startup Settings
Enabling Power Saver can make your laptop’s performance a sacrificial lamb. So, tweak the following settings to see if activating energy-saving features compromises your laptop’s speed.
- Access Control Panel on your Windows laptop.
- Then, go to Power Options.
- Settle for ‘High Performance’ instead of ‘Balanced’ or ‘Power Saver’.
On the other hand, disabling startup programs on your laptop might help you with boot-ups. Here’s how you can stop unnecessary programs from launching at startup:
- First, go to Task Manager and check out the Startup tab.
- Now, find the programs and select those which you don’t want to start automatically.
- Finally, restart your computer.
See if disabling these programs and power-saving features restores your laptop’s speed.
4. Take Control of Browser Activities
My laptop is very slow while browsing. Many users report such complaints to free diagnostics for laptops. Fortunately, you can optimise the browser performance with the following DIY steps:
- Make sure you close unnecessary browser tabs.
- Additionally, clear your browser cache and cookies.
- Get rid of those extensions which you barely use.
- If available, update your browser to its latest version.
5. Update Drivers and Operating System
With evolving applications and programs, your laptop requires updated drivers and operating systems. So, start by updating your hardware drivers to fix a slow laptop, like this:
- On your Windows laptop, go to Device Manager.
- Then, look for devices with warning symbols.
- Right-click on those devices one by one and select ‘Update driver’.
- Afterwards, conduct an automatic search for driver updates.
Additionally, check for system updates in Settings → Windows Update if you use Windows 11. On a slow laptop Windows 10 model, navigate to Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update. Click the button ‘Check for updates’ and download and install available updates.
6. Uninstall Unused Applications and Defragment Hard Drive
How to speed up a laptop when the hard drive is low on storage? Then, you must perform these two operations when your hard drive is running out of storage. First, make some space without a laptop hard drive replacement or SSD upgrade.
- Go to Settings on your laptop and access Apps.
- Then, check out the list of Installed Programs.
- Figure out applications you barely use now.
- Next, uninstall those apps.
Restart your computer and check the free space on the hard drive now. If your laptop running slow, consider defragmenting the hard drive. However, this works if your laptop has a traditional HDD. Hence, you skip this if your laptop has an SSD.
- Press the Windows key.
- Next, search for ‘Defragment and Optimise Drives’ and click on the same result.
- Choose your hard drive.
- After that, click on the Optimise button.
7. Clean Your Laptop
Often, free diagnostics for laptops conclude that overheating issues stem from clogged vents and excessive dust accumulation. Make sure that your laptop is not a victim of overheating by cleaning your device. Here’s how you can prevent overheating:
- Use a can of compressed air to remove dust from vents and fans.
- Additionally, avoid soft surfaces for your laptop’s placement. Otherwise, your laptop will struggle with heat dissipation.
- If overheating persists, you can use a cooling pad.
8. Scan Your Laptop for Malicious Software and Other Threats
My laptop running slow – reportedly, viruses and malware can slow down your laptop. Before you face major issues, you must scan your device for a virus or malware infection. Here’s how you can trigger a scan for viruses and malware:
- Access Windows Security on your laptop. Follow the path if you are on a Windows 10 device: Start → Settings → Update & Security → Windows Security.
- Once you reach Windows Security, select the option that says, ‘Virus & Threat Protection’.
- Then, run a Quick Scan just by clicking the same option.
After Windows Security detects a threat, it may get rid of it automatically. For an in-depth scan, you can choose either Full Scan or Customised Scan after clicking on ‘Scan options’. The ‘Scan options’ feature is available right below the button of ‘Quick Scan’.
In addition, you can add an extra layer of protection by installing antivirus and antimalware software. They are the right fit for eliminating such risks. Also, they keep checking your system for proactive threat identification and deletion.
9. Reset Your System
If you have tried all the fixes above but you still suffer from a slow laptop then you can consider this troubleshooting. This is kind of a last resort before you consider a laptop hard drive replacement.
Here’s how to speed up a laptop via resetting Windows:
- Begin with backing up your important files and folders.
- Then, open up Settings and choose Update & Security.
- Opt for the Recovery option.
- After that, click on ‘Reset this PC’.
- Finally, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
When your laptop restarts, see if it’s still slow.
10. Attempt a Hard Drive Upgrade
Upgrading your hard drive to an SSD experience will be better in terms of performance and reliability. Indeed, professional laptop repair services prefer hard drive upgrades or SSD replacements for the following benefits:
- You get to experience quicker file access.
- Also, your laptop will achieve faster boot-up times.
- Your laptop will have no problem with program loading.
- Overall, you can get a better responsiveness.
Apart from that, you can prevent slowdowns in future with the following tips:
- Restart your laptop more often.
- Ensure you update drivers and operating systems regularly.
- Keep an eye on startup items.
- In addition, keep your laptop clean.
- Your hard drive must have at least 20% free space.
When to Seek Professional Assistance?
If your slow laptop still bothers you, consider professional laptop repair services. They may offer cleaning, hardware diagnostics, laptop hard drive replacement, and even more to restore your system’s speed. However, you must consider purchasing a new laptop if repairs cost you more than 50% of the new one.
