A crawling Windows PC can have many causes, from a crammed drive to too many apps launching at boot. Microsoft’s checklist offers 11 quick fixes—which should you try first, and what hidden settings make the biggest difference? — Photo: Christin Klose/dpa
BERLIN: If Windows is feeling sluggish, there can be many reasons, from your computer's storage being almost full to too many programs starting with the operating system.
To help users keep their systems running smoothly, Microsoft has published a number of ways to try to speed things up.
Here they are:
1 - Check for updates: In Settings > Windows Update, search for updates and install any that appear. Also look under Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options for optional updates.
2 - Scan for viruses: Scan for malware using your installed third-party antivirus, or use Microsoft Defender via Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection, then start a Quick scan.
3 - Clear temporary files: Go to Settings > System > Storage, run Storage Sense and delete temporary files. Then type Disk Cleanup into the Start search, open it and choose the drive you want to clean.
4 - Remove unnecessary apps (foreground and background): Uninstall unused programs under Settings > Apps > Installed apps to free space and reduce background activity. For remaining apps that do not need to run in the background, click the three-dot menu on the right, choose Advanced options, then under Background app permissions set Let this app run in background to Never.
5 - Review startup apps: Disable startup apps that are not needed right away. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, select Startup apps on the left, right-click each app you do not want to start automatically and choose Disable.
6 - Check resource-hungry processes: In Task Manager under the Processes tab, look for apps using high CPU or memory. Right-click and choose End task where appropriate.
7 - Reduce visual effects: Type Visual Effects into the Start search. On the Visual Effects tab select Adjust for best performance, then click Apply and OK.
8 - Set power to performance: If power use does not matter because your laptop is plugged in, go to Settings > System > Power & battery > Power mode and choose Best performance.
9 - Optimise drives: Type Defragment and Optimise Drives into the Start search, select the drive and click Optimise.
10 - Cut down notifications: Turn off unnecessary app notifications under Settings > System > Notifications.
11 - Close open apps and browser tabs: Too many running programs or browser tabs can noticeably slow a PC. Close what you do not need. If performance does not improve, restart the computer.
If none of Microsoft's suggestions have made much of a difference to your computer's load times, there is still more you can do.
If you have not restarted your computer in a while, a simple reboot can clear background processes and improve performance. Also try looking for pre-installed software or bloatware that you do not use, as it may be slowing down your PC.
Finally, you can consider a hardware upgrade. This doesn't have to mean buying a new PC, and you may get results by upgrading your hard drive to a faster-loading SSD or adding more RAM (relatively easy to install in most laptop and desktop computers). – dpa
