Software to improve computer performance and speed
Slow Windows: 15 Ways to Speed Up PC and Get PC Speed Back
85 commentsFacebookTwitterFlipboardE-mail 
We're going to tell you 15 ways to get your Windows PC back up to speed. There are several tips ranging from the most basic to the most advanced, so you can try them all to see which ones work for you. You don't need to follow them all, maybe just the first ones will work for you, but if that's not enough you can always keep moving forward. The tips work for both Windows 10 and Windows 11 .
Over time, it's normal for your computer to end up running slower and slower . Sometimes the problem is simply that there is some malware , but other times it is the normal functioning of the device as you accumulate applications and other digital waste, or even other times it may be that they are already old computers in which any saving of resources can make a difference. Our advice tries to cover all these assumptions, and remember that we also told you how to recover speed on Android .
We're going to tell you 15 ways to get your Windows PC back up to speed. There are several tips ranging from the most basic to the most advanced, so you can try them all to see which ones work for you. You don't need to follow them all, maybe just the first ones will work for you, but if that's not enough you can always keep moving forward. The tips work for both Windows 10 and Windows 11 .
Over time, it's normal for your computer to end up running slower and slower . Sometimes the problem is simply that there is some malware , but other times it is the normal functioning of the device as you accumulate applications and other digital waste, or even other times it may be that they are already old computers in which any saving of resources can make a difference. Our advice tries to cover all these assumptions, and remember that we also told you how to recover speed on Android .
Uninstall applications that you do not use
The first step is the simplest and easiest of all, and it is to uninstall all the applications that are not necessary. Over the years we may have tended to accumulate some that we no longer use, which may be performing background processes that slow down the PC. To do this, go to Windows Settings , and in it click on the Applications option , and here click on Installed applications .
You will be shown a list of all applications installed on your computer. To delete them from your computer, click on one you no longer use or right-click on it and select Uninstall. Be careful not to delete any files created by Microsoft for basic system tasks or those that you believe are useful to your machine.
The first step is the simplest and easiest of all, and it is to uninstall all the applications that are not necessary. Over the years we may have tended to accumulate some that we no longer use, which may be performing background processes that slow down the PC. To do this, go to Windows Settings , and in it click on the Applications option , and here click on Installed applications .
You will be shown a list of all applications installed on your computer. To delete them from your computer, click on one you no longer use or right-click on it and select Uninstall. Be careful not to delete any files created by Microsoft for basic system tasks or those that you believe are useful to your machine.
Keep your computer desktop clean
When a computer starts Windows, it has to load all the items on the desktop, so if your computer is low on resources, it may have a hard time with a full desktop of shortcuts. That's why it's a good idea to keep your computer's desktop as clean as possible . If there are things you really need to have accessible, you can try simply creating a folder on the desktop and putting them all there.
When a computer starts Windows, it has to load all the items on the desktop, so if your computer is low on resources, it may have a hard time with a full desktop of shortcuts. That's why it's a good idea to keep your computer's desktop as clean as possible . If there are things you really need to have accessible, you can try simply creating a folder on the desktop and putting them all there.
Control applications that run at startup
Use the settings, desktop, desktop settings, and a variety of programs. You can pause the process. To do this, press Control + Alt + Delete and choose the "Dispatch" option. To access all of the information, click "More".
Once you're in the full version of Task Manager , click on the Startup Applications section in the left column. You'll see a list of all the applications that try to start at startup. There are two important columns here, the Status column because if it says Enabled it means the application starts automatically when you turn on your PC, and the Startup Impact column because it tells you how much this application penalizes your computer when it starts up at startup.
With this information, you can now make sound decisions. Now, select the application you don't want to start automatically when you turn on your computer, and then click the Disable option to prevent it from beginning and running, which should be the one you start intentionally. Try this with the applications that have the most influence on your computer's startup, as shown in the influence on Startup column.
Use the settings, desktop, desktop settings, and a variety of programs. You can pause the process. To do this, press Control + Alt + Delete and choose the "Dispatch" option. To access all of the information, click "More".
Once you're in the full version of Task Manager , click on the Startup Applications section in the left column. You'll see a list of all the applications that try to start at startup. There are two important columns here, the Status column because if it says Enabled it means the application starts automatically when you turn on your PC, and the Startup Impact column because it tells you how much this application penalizes your computer when it starts up at startup.
With this information, you can now make sound decisions. Now, select the application you don't want to start automatically when you turn on your computer, and then click the Disable option to prevent it from beginning and running, which should be the one you start intentionally. Try this with the applications that have the most influence on your computer's startup, as shown in the influence on Startup column.
Check that your PC is free of malware
It is also conceivable that your computer's slowness is caused by a virus or malware, therefore install an antivirus program as well. There are various options, but we'll show you how to accomplish it with Windows Defender, Windows' own solution. To begin, navigate to the "Privacy and security" part of Windows Settings and then to the "Windows Security" area, where you should click "Open Windows Security".
You'll be taken to the main Windows Defender screen . Once there, tap on the Antivirus & threat protection option which will have a shield icon. This will take you to the threat scanner, where you just need to tap on the Quick scan button . This is a quick scan that won't find all threats, but it will detect the most important ones. You can also tap on Scan options , the option below, to do a more detailed scan.
On this screen you will be able to choose four types of analysis . The first is the quick one that you could also do on the previous screen, and then you have a complete and thorough one that will thoroughly analyze the computer and will take more than an hour to complete. You can also do a customized one of the folders you want, and another quick one without Windows connection that will take just 15 minutes.
It is also conceivable that your computer's slowness is caused by a virus or malware, therefore install an antivirus program as well. There are various options, but we'll show you how to accomplish it with Windows Defender, Windows' own solution. To begin, navigate to the "Privacy and security" part of Windows Settings and then to the "Windows Security" area, where you should click "Open Windows Security".
You'll be taken to the main Windows Defender screen . Once there, tap on the Antivirus & threat protection option which will have a shield icon. This will take you to the threat scanner, where you just need to tap on the Quick scan button . This is a quick scan that won't find all threats, but it will detect the most important ones. You can also tap on Scan options , the option below, to do a more detailed scan.
On this screen you will be able to choose four types of analysis . The first is the quick one that you could also do on the previous screen, and then you have a complete and thorough one that will thoroughly analyze the computer and will take more than an hour to complete. You can also do a customized one of the folders you want, and another quick one without Windows connection that will take just 15 minutes.
Free up space on your hard drive
It is also useful to free up space on your hard drive . Here it is important not to use applications such as CCleaner that bother more than they help, but to resort to the native alternative of Windows 10 itself . To run it, open the start menu and type cleanmgr to bring up the Disk Cleanup application , and run it as administrator.
The first thing you'll see is a window where you have to choose the hard drive you want to clean up to free up space. Disk Cleanup will then calculate which files it can clean up in Windows and how much space it can save you by doing so. This process can take from a few seconds to a few minutes depending on your computer, your hard drive, and the files it has accumulated.
When it's done, the app will now show you a list of various file types it can delete and the size that would be freed up by doing so. When you tap on each one, it will explain in detail what it will delete, so here select the file types you want to delete and press OK . You'll get a prompt asking if you're sure, and here confirm the action.
It is also useful to free up space on your hard drive . Here it is important not to use applications such as CCleaner that bother more than they help, but to resort to the native alternative of Windows 10 itself . To run it, open the start menu and type cleanmgr to bring up the Disk Cleanup application , and run it as administrator.
The first thing you'll see is a window where you have to choose the hard drive you want to clean up to free up space. Disk Cleanup will then calculate which files it can clean up in Windows and how much space it can save you by doing so. This process can take from a few seconds to a few minutes depending on your computer, your hard drive, and the files it has accumulated.
When it's done, the app will now show you a list of various file types it can delete and the size that would be freed up by doing so. When you tap on each one, it will explain in detail what it will delete, so here select the file types you want to delete and press OK . You'll get a prompt asking if you're sure, and here confirm the action.
Defragment the hard drive
The files on your computer are not complete pieces in themselves, but are made up of small fragments that Windows sometimes does not locate as quickly as it should. Therefore, one way to speed up your computer is to defragment the hard drive . To do this, open the Start menu and type defragment . When you do, click on the Defragment and Optimize Drives application that will appear as the main search result.
Once you have opened the defragmentation application, the first thing you need to do is click on the hard drive you want to defragment (1). Then, click on the Analyze button (2) to first find out what the status of the disk is. The application will show you the status of the disk in the Current Status column .
If you are not satisfied with the result, click on the Optimize button to proceed to defragment the hard drive you have and that's it, the program will automatically start the defragmentation process.
The files on your computer are not complete pieces in themselves, but are made up of small fragments that Windows sometimes does not locate as quickly as it should. Therefore, one way to speed up your computer is to defragment the hard drive . To do this, open the Start menu and type defragment . When you do, click on the Defragment and Optimize Drives application that will appear as the main search result.
Once you have opened the defragmentation application, the first thing you need to do is click on the hard drive you want to defragment (1). Then, click on the Analyze button (2) to first find out what the status of the disk is. The application will show you the status of the disk in the Current Status column .
If you are not satisfied with the result, click on the Optimize button to proceed to defragment the hard drive you have and that's it, the program will automatically start the defragmentation process.
Virtual memory configuration
You can also allow Windows to use more virtual memory to add to the physical RAM and make it grow. To do this, go to Windows settings, click on System and click on Information . Here, click on the Advanced system settings option that will appear under the PC information.
A window will open, in which you must click on Advanced Options*** in the upper tabs. Once there, click on the *Settings* button in the *Performance category to enter to configure the computer's performance.
A new window will open. In it, in the upper tabs, click on Advanced Options . Once you have opened them, in the box belonging to the Virtual memory category, click on the Change button .
In the next window, uncheck the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives box to be able to change the size of the memory in MB. Now go to the window that shows you the available drives and the available space in megabytes to allocate to the paging file, and type in the number you want . You can start by increasing it by about 1000 or 2000 MB, which is basically 1 or 2 extra gigs of virtual RAM.
You can also allow Windows to use more virtual memory to add to the physical RAM and make it grow. To do this, go to Windows settings, click on System and click on Information . Here, click on the Advanced system settings option that will appear under the PC information.
A window will open, in which you must click on Advanced Options*** in the upper tabs. Once there, click on the *Settings* button in the *Performance category to enter to configure the computer's performance.
A new window will open. In it, in the upper tabs, click on Advanced Options . Once you have opened them, in the box belonging to the Virtual memory category, click on the Change button .
In the next window, uncheck the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives box to be able to change the size of the memory in MB. Now go to the window that shows you the available drives and the available space in megabytes to allocate to the paging file, and type in the number you want . You can start by increasing it by about 1000 or 2000 MB, which is basically 1 or 2 extra gigs of virtual RAM.
Change the computer's power plan
Performance or consumption? Windows will be configured to find a balance between both factors, but you can always improve performance at the cost of your computer consuming more energy. To do this, go to the start menu and search for Control Panel to access the classic Windows 7 control panel. Once there, first go to the Hardware and Sound category , and then click on the Power Options option .
When you go to the Power Options page, you'll see the plans that Windows 11 has set up. You may need to tap the Show additional plans button to see it, but on this screen you should select the High Performance option to maximize speed. Remember to only do this if your computer is really slow, as it's generally a good idea to use a balanced or manufacturer-assigned plan.
Performance or consumption? Windows will be configured to find a balance between both factors, but you can always improve performance at the cost of your computer consuming more energy. To do this, go to the start menu and search for Control Panel to access the classic Windows 7 control panel. Once there, first go to the Hardware and Sound category , and then click on the Power Options option .
When you go to the Power Options page, you'll see the plans that Windows 11 has set up. You may need to tap the Show additional plans button to see it, but on this screen you should select the High Performance option to maximize speed. Remember to only do this if your computer is really slow, as it's generally a good idea to use a balanced or manufacturer-assigned plan.
Less visual effects
Microsoft has made a huge effort to make Windows look good. However, by sacrificing some of its fancy animations, some low-resource computers may notice a performance boost. To do this, go to Windows settings, click on System and tap on Information . Here, click on the Advanced system settings option that will appear under PC information.
Once in System , in the left column, click on the Advanced system settings option . A new window will open, in which you must click on Advanced options in the upper tabs . Once there, click on the Configuration button in the Performance category to enter to configure the computer's performance.
When the new Performance Options window opens , it will automatically do so with the Visual Effects tab activated. In it you will have a list with all the visual effects of Windows 10, and you will only have to deselect the effects that you want to do without in order to increase the speed of the operating system.
Microsoft has made a huge effort to make Windows look good. However, by sacrificing some of its fancy animations, some low-resource computers may notice a performance boost. To do this, go to Windows settings, click on System and tap on Information . Here, click on the Advanced system settings option that will appear under PC information.
Once in System , in the left column, click on the Advanced system settings option . A new window will open, in which you must click on Advanced options in the upper tabs . Once there, click on the Configuration button in the Performance category to enter to configure the computer's performance.
When the new Performance Options window opens , it will automatically do so with the Visual Effects tab activated. In it you will have a list with all the visual effects of Windows 10, and you will only have to deselect the effects that you want to do without in order to increase the speed of the operating system.
Remove transparency from the interface
Another small aesthetic sacrifice you can make to speed up Windows a bit is to remove transparency from the interface. To do this, start by opening Windows Settings , and once inside, click on the Personalization section in the left column.
Once you're in, tap on Colors . Here, simply disable the Transparency Effects option , which will make a small change to the interface that can help lighten up your computer a bit.
Another small aesthetic sacrifice you can make to speed up Windows a bit is to remove transparency from the interface. To do this, start by opening Windows Settings , and once inside, click on the Personalization section in the left column.
Once you're in, tap on Colors . Here, simply disable the Transparency Effects option , which will make a small change to the interface that can help lighten up your computer a bit.
Make Windows Quiet
And since you are in Windows Settings , now go to the System section, and click on the Notifications section . On the screen you enter, you can simply disable the Notifications option so that all Windows notifications are disabled.
On this screen, you can also open the Notifications option to display the types of notifications you can disable. Similarly, you can set up a Do Not Disturb mode so that you simply won't be bothered at certain times. Additionally, you can also mute notifications from certain apps or even all of them, which could also help speed things up.
And since you are in Windows Settings , now go to the System section, and click on the Notifications section . On the screen you enter, you can simply disable the Notifications option so that all Windows notifications are disabled.
On this screen, you can also open the Notifications option to display the types of notifications you can disable. Similarly, you can set up a Do Not Disturb mode so that you simply won't be bothered at certain times. Additionally, you can also mute notifications from certain apps or even all of them, which could also help speed things up.
Check for system and driver updates
It's also possible that your computer's slowness is due to a software issue that has already been fixed. That's why it's a good idea to make sure everything is up to date. To do this with Windows, go to the Windows Update section of Windows Settings . There, in the Windows Update section, click the Check for updates button . Windows will automatically search for and download updates.
It is also important to keep your hardware drivers up to date. But this is a bit more difficult, as you must first identify your hardware and download the latest versions of its drivers from the official website. It is also possible that your computer manufacturer has its own program from which to download driver updates.
It's also possible that your computer's slowness is due to a software issue that has already been fixed. That's why it's a good idea to make sure everything is up to date. To do this with Windows, go to the Windows Update section of Windows Settings . There, in the Windows Update section, click the Check for updates button . Windows will automatically search for and download updates.
It is also important to keep your hardware drivers up to date. But this is a bit more difficult, as you must first identify your hardware and download the latest versions of its drivers from the official website. It is also possible that your computer manufacturer has its own program from which to download driver updates.
Reinstall Windows from scratch
If all else fails, you may want to consider performing a clean install of Windows . To do so, go to the System section of Windows Settings . There, click on the Recovery section , and once inside, you will see the Reset options , and you should click on Reset this PC .
During this Windows reset process you will be given several options, such as Keep your files and applications or Remove everything to do a clean reinstall. If your computer is running slow you may prefer to remove everything and start from scratch, but it is best to remember to make any necessary backups first.
And if this is not enough for you, on the Windows 11 download page you can download a tool that will allow you to create an installation USB and perform a full format. This process has quite a few steps, to download the tool, create the USB and then proceed to format, which we detail in this article .
If all else fails, you may want to consider performing a clean install of Windows . To do so, go to the System section of Windows Settings . There, click on the Recovery section , and once inside, you will see the Reset options , and you should click on Reset this PC .
During this Windows reset process you will be given several options, such as Keep your files and applications or Remove everything to do a clean reinstall. If your computer is running slow you may prefer to remove everything and start from scratch, but it is best to remember to make any necessary backups first.
And if this is not enough for you, on the Windows 11 download page you can download a tool that will allow you to create an installation USB and perform a full format. This process has quite a few steps, to download the tool, create the USB and then proceed to format, which we detail in this article .
Don't forget to clean your tower
Although it may seem like a silly thing, dust buildup inside your computer can penalize its speed , especially when it impedes airflow and causes it to overheat. That's why it's a good idea to open up your tower, laptop or all-in-one from time to time to give it a thorough, thorough cleaning. You can also measure the computer's temperature to know when it might need it most.
Although it may seem like a silly thing, dust buildup inside your computer can penalize its speed , especially when it impedes airflow and causes it to overheat. That's why it's a good idea to open up your tower, laptop or all-in-one from time to time to give it a thorough, thorough cleaning. You can also measure the computer's temperature to know when it might need it most.
Replace or upgrade hardware
And if none of this is enough, you might want to consider upgrading your computer's hardware . The change you'd notice the most would be switching from a mechanical hard drive to an SSD , although you might also want to increase the RAM to give it more muscle when handling several applications open at once, or a graphics card if the problem is with games.
And if none of this is enough, you might want to consider upgrading your computer's hardware . The change you'd notice the most would be switching from a mechanical hard drive to an SSD , although you might also want to increase the RAM to give it more muscle when handling several applications open at once, or a graphics card if the problem is with games.
Comments
Post a Comment