7 Smart Tips to Fix a Slow Laptop and Improve Performance

You are not alone in dragging your laptop to its greatest performance. Over time, your PC may get slower as it builds up temporary files and settings. To fix slow laptop performance, it’s key to remove unnecessary clutter. This can help speed up your device.

Laptop performance can decline with Windows 11, but you can still optimize it. Why is my laptop so slow? Let’s check out the reasons along with fixes to speed up your PC.

My Laptop is Very Slow and Hanging – Possible Causes

Do you notice any of the following signs on your Windows laptop?

• Your system takes longer to boot up.

• Files do not open promptly.

• Applications remain unresponsive even after seconds of clicking.

• Programs don’t start off quickly.

• You experience the screen freezing and lagging.

• Web browsers perform poorly with many tabs open.

• Ordinary tasks on your laptop become sluggish.

If you come across one or many signs, then you have a slow laptop. Why is my laptop so slow? According to a laptop repair shop near me, the reasons below might be responsible.

Burden on Resources

Do you run too many applications or programs on your laptop simultaneously? Your laptop can multitask. But too many background programs and startup items can slow it down. Because of the stressed resources such as CPU, memory, and GPU, your PC can turn into a slow laptop.

Running Low on RAM

If your system lacks enough memory, it cannot meet the needs of various programs. Your laptop may use its hard drive as backup or virtual memory if it lacks enough memory. A hard drive is slower than regular RAM. So, you might see your laptop’s performance drop on Windows 11.

Enabled Power-Saving Features

Are you trying to save on battery life? Perhaps you have turned on Power Saver Mode on your laptop. Remember, enabling Power Saver Mode can make you compromise performance.

Storage Conflicts

Like memory issues, your laptop’s hard drive can make it behave sluggishly. A hard drive that is fragmented or almost full can struggle to deliver the best performance. So, you get to witness a slow laptop with too much lag and freezing.

Browser Issues

Does your laptop feel sluggish only when you handle too many browser tabs? Excessive browser tabs and extensions can take a lot of memory and processing power. Hence, your laptop halts now and then.

Viruses or Malware

Sometimes, digital threats might be making your laptop throttle despite having enough resources. Malware and viruses running in the background can slow down your laptop’s performance.

Outdated Software

Often. Issues with software updates can give you an illusion of hardware damage. Before you think of RAM and SSD upgrades, see if your laptop has any pending operating system updates.

Hardware Complications

Is your slow laptop quite a few years old now? Over time, your laptop parts can become outdated. This can make it incompatible with modern software requirements. As a consequence, you interpret your system as being slow and under-performing.

How to Optimize the Decline in Your Laptop’s Performance

Are you thinking of giving up on your laptop? If your laptop is comparatively new, then replacing it only increases electronic waste. How do I make my laptop faster? Here are some tips to boost your laptop’s performance significantly.

1. Restart Your System

Want to quit all the background programs and free up RAM at once? Then, you must opt for a restart. Restarting your laptop will close any background programs, remove temporary data, and free up RAM.

Indeed, restarting is a good practice to keep your laptop’s health at its best. Here’s how you can induce a quick restart and see if it promptly speeds things up.

• Press the Windows and X keys.

• Once the context menu appears, click on ‘shut down or sign out.’

• Choose Restart from the pop-up menu.

2. Toggle Off Power Saver Mode

My laptop is very slow and hanging. Did you turn on Power Saver Mode to help the laptop battery last longer? Then, it’s possible for your laptop to stutter. To boost your laptop’s performance like before, turn off Power Saver Mode.

Here’s what you have to follow on your Windows 11 laptop:

• Open up Settings with the Windows + I shortcut.

• Then, go to System, followed by Power & Battery.

• Find out the drop-down menu right next to the Power Mode.

• Choose Best Performance or Balanced from the drop-down menu.

3. Make Space on the Hard Drive

When your laptop runs low on both RAM and hard drive space, its performance drops suddenly. Here’s how to make your laptop faster by freeing up some space on your hard drive.

• Access File Explorer by using the Windows + E shortcut.

• Next, right-click on your C: drive or whatever the main volume is.

• Choose Properties to see available space.

• Use the Disk Cleanup tool to get rid of unnecessary files, such as:

  • Windows update files

  • Content of Recycle Bin

  • Downloaded program files

  • Temporary files

4. Update Windows

Why is my laptop running slow? Perhaps your system is not as current as it should be. A slow laptop is often a sign of outdated software. Check out the steps to update your operating system.

• Explore Settings from the Start menu.

• Then, choose Windows Update from the sidebar. If you are on Windows 10, then you need to click on Update & Security → Windows Update.

• Hit the button labelled ‘Check for updates.’

• Let all the updates be installed.

Once prompted, restart your laptop.

5. Speed Up Your Web Browser

Often, users complain about compromised performance while handling tasks on web browsers. If your laptop runs slowly in web browsers, try these tips to speed it up.

• Make sure you close tabs that are no longer needed.

• Also, go to the browser menu to clear your browsing data, like cache and cookies.

• Remove extensions or add-ons that you don’t use.

• Finally, update the web browser to its newest version.

6. Scan Your Laptop for Malicious Traces

Viruses, malware, and ransomware can make your laptop extremely sluggish and vulnerable. Before you lose money, a laptop repair in Business Bay suggests running a malware scan. Even if you don’t have third-party software for this, here’s what you can proceed with on your Windows system.

• Search for Windows Security and access the same.

• Then, go to ‘Virus & threat protection.’

• Now, select a Full Scan and hit the Run button.

• Ensure you remove all the threats detected by the scan.

7. Keep Startup Programs Limited

Too many startup programs can give you a slow laptop or longer boot times. To fix slow laptop performance, limit unnecessary startup programs using these steps:

• Open up Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc.

• Head towards the Startup tab.

• Next, spot all the programs that you don’t want on startup. Disable them one by one.

Restart your laptop and check if the performance issue is still there.

What’s More?

Do you need RAM and SSD upgrades for your laptop? Perhaps your laptop requires a thorough cleanup for unleashed performance. Let the professionals decide. Contact the top laptop repair in Business Bay. They can help you find out what your laptop needs. This can fix slow laptop performance and boost productivity.