Before you buy a new laptop, work through this list. Most slow laptops can be made noticeably faster for free, and the ones that can’t usually need one specific, inexpensive upgrade. Steps are ordered from quickest to most involved.
In this article
1. Restart (properly)
Windows’ Fast Startup means “Shut down” doesn’t fully reset the system. Use Restart instead. It clears memory leaks and finishes pending updates. If you haven’t restarted in a week or more, this alone often helps.
2. Find what’s hogging resources
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and sort Processes by CPU, Memory and Disk. A browser with 40 tabs, a stuck update, or a sync tool re-indexing everything will show up immediately.
3. Disable startup programs
Settings → Apps → Startup. Turn off launchers, chat apps and updaters. Full list: which startup programs to disable.
4. Uninstall bloatware and “optimiser” apps
Settings → Apps → Installed apps. Remove trial antivirus (Windows Security is built in; see do you need antivirus?), manufacturer promo apps, toolbars, and any “PC cleaner”, “driver updater” or “RAM booster”. These slow you down rather than speed you up.
5. Check the power mode
Settings → System → Power & battery → Power mode. “Best power efficiency” deliberately limits performance. Choose Balanced or Best performance when plugged in. On battery, laptops are slower by design. See laptop slow on battery or when charging.
6. Free up disk space
A nearly full drive slows everything. Keep 10–15% free. See how to free up disk space safely.
7. Update Windows and drivers, and roll back bad updates
Install pending Windows updates and your manufacturer’s driver/BIOS updates. If the slowdown started right after an update, see laptop slow after a Windows update.
8. Scan for malware
Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Scan options → Microsoft Defender Offline scan. It restarts and scans before Windows loads, catching things a normal scan can miss.
9. Check for overheating
A laptop clogged with dust throttles itself to a crawl. If the fans are loud and the slowdown gets worse the longer you use it, check temperatures and clean the fan.
10. Tame visual effects (older laptops)
Settings → Accessibility → Visual effects → turn off Transparency effects and Animation effects. It’s a small gain on modern hardware, but noticeable on older or budget laptops.
11. Built-in Windows repair tools
If Windows itself seems broken (freezing, errors, apps crashing), open Terminal as administrator and run:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealthsfc /scannow
These check and repair corrupted system files. Restart afterwards.
12. The hardware fixes that actually work
- Still on a hard drive (HDD)? Replacing it with an SSD is the biggest speed-up any old laptop can get. See how to upgrade a laptop SSD.
- Constantly out of memory? If Task Manager shows memory usage near 100% and your laptop has a free RAM slot, adding RAM helps. Memory is expensive in 2026, so confirm first. See how much RAM you need.
13. Last resort: reset Windows
If nothing else works, a fresh start removes years of accumulated junk. Use Reset this PC → Keep my files first. See how to reset a Windows laptop or do a clean install.
When it’s time for a new laptop
If your laptop has a processor older than about 2018 (Intel 7th gen or earlier), 4GB of soldered RAM, or can’t run Windows 11, cleanup will only go so far. See our best budget laptops or, for older hardware that can’t upgrade, what to do about Windows 10 end of support.
More fixes: laptop frozen · update drivers and BIOS · back up before major changes
