Computer is running slow

A slow computer is genuinely maddening to sit in front of, so let’s get it back to feeling right. Good news: a slow computer is very rarely a hardware fault. It’s nearly always one of the first three things below, and it’s usually a quick fix.

Work through these in order.

1. Restart it

Not shut down and start up. Restart. Windows Fast Startup means a shutdown doesn’t fully clear memory, so a machine that’s been “turned off and on again” might not have actually restarted in weeks. Nobody would know that unless someone told them.

Start menu → Power → Restart. This alone fixes a startling proportion of slowness complaints, so it’s always the first thing to try.

2. Is Windows Update running?

A big update chews through the drive and processor in the background, and it makes everything feel sluggish while it does.

Settings → Windows Update. If something is downloading or installing, the best thing you can do is leave it alone until it finishes, then restart. Fighting an update tends to make it worse.

3. How many things are actually open?

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, then have a look at the Memory column.

If memory is sitting at or near 100%, you’ve simply run out of room, and Windows is constantly shuffling data about. That feels exactly like a slow computer. Close what you’re not using. Browser tabs are the usual offender: each one costs memory, and dozens of them add up faster than anyone expects.

If this happens routinely, what you want is more memory rather than a new computer. Have a look at Upgrading memory and storage.

4. Slow to start up specifically?

Task Manager → Startup apps tab. This lists everything that launches with Windows and competes for resources while you’re waiting for a usable desktop.

Disable anything you don’t need running from the moment you log in. Chat apps, updaters, printer utilities and games launchers are typical candidates. Nothing to be nervous about here: disabling a startup app doesn’t uninstall it, and you can still open it normally whenever you like.

5. Is the drive full?

Settings → System → Storage.

A drive with almost no free space slows the whole machine down, because Windows needs working room to do its job. Keep at least 10 to 15% free. Delete what you don’t need, or move photos and videos to an external drive.

6. Check for malware

Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Scan options → Full scan. It takes a while, so start it off and go and do something else.

7. Is it hot?

Is the fan roaring constantly? Is the base of the laptop hot to touch? A machine that’s overheating deliberately slows itself down to protect the hardware, so this is worth ruling out.

Check the vents aren’t blocked. A laptop on a bed or a couch blocks its own air intake, which is far and away the most common cause. Pop it on a hard surface and see if things improve.

If the vents are clear and it’s still overheating, the internal cooling may need some attention. That’s something we’re happy to look at for you.

Still slow?

If you’ve been through all of the above and it’s still not right, please talk to us. We’d be glad to take a look. If there’s an underlying hardware fault (a failing drive is the usual suspect), it’s covered by your warranty.