# Why Is My Laptop Slow? How To Fix In 10 Minutes
When you open your laptop and everything is super slow. It takes forever to open your browser, your mouse is locked and switching between two simple programs is taking forever.
Does this sound familiar?
A slow laptop can be frustrating. When you’re trying to do something simple it should only take you 5 minutes but you’ll notice something is lagging. Whether you’re doing online classes, work documents or even browsing you’ll notice a lag.
This can be quickly resolved without investing in a new laptop.
Sometimes it can be as simple as making a few small changes.
Here are **8 quick ways** to help you understand why your laptop is slow.
Most of these will be applicable to Windows 10/11 laptops but the options may be slightly different.
## Why Is My Laptop Slow?
It’s good to know why your laptop is running slowly.
A laptop has a few main components. The main one being the processor which handles commands given to it. The ram stores things whilst you’re using the laptop and your storage stores your files and programs.
If these parts are over worked you’ll notice your laptop will run slowly.
Common causes for this are too many start up programs, low memory, low storage, running in the background, overheating and software not being up to date.
Sometimes it can be due to your internet.
If you’re internet isn’t fast then you’ll notice your website is slow.
Start with the easiest solutions.
## 1. Restart Laptop (1 Min)
This should take 1 minute.
How long has it been since you’ve restarted your laptop?
Many people will just turn their laptop off but this doesn’t fully clear out any temporary issues.
You might also have quite a few programs and processes running in the background.
By restarting your windows, this will close all open programs and refresh your OS.
**To restart:**
- Save any open documents.
- Click Start Menu.
- Click Power.
- Click Restart.
Don’t click Shutdown as this can cause issues with your Windows Fast Startup.
This won’t fix all your issues but is a great place to start.
If you notice your laptop feels faster then it may be a program or process.
## 2. Disable Unwanted Startup Programs (2 Min)
This should take 2 minutes.
Have you noticed your laptop is running slowly when first turning on?
This can be caused by too many programs to start up.
When opening windows many programs will open automatically. This could be messenger apps, game launchers and utilities.
Whilst some of these will be useful to you, some will be using too many resources.
**To view your startup programs:**
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
- Click Startup Apps.
- View your startup programs.
- Right click any programs you don’t need and click Disable.
This won’t remove the program but you can open it when needed.
**Don’t disable any security, hardware or essential programs.**
Try and disable any programs you can identify you don’t use often.
This simple change will make your laptop feel less busy.
## 3. Close Any Heavy Programs (1 Min)
This should take 1 minute.
Sometimes you’ll notice one program is causing most of the lag.
Maybe you have 25 tabs open in your browser, a video editing program and several office documents.
Your laptop will struggle to cope.
**To view what is causing this:**
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
- Click Processes.
- Look at the CPU, Memory and Disk columns.
If you notice a program using a lot of resources consider if you really need it open. Close any programs you don’t need.
Don’t close any programs you’re unsure about.
You may notice you have some spikes in your CPU.
This is normal when opening programs or doing heavy tasks. Look for programs that are using a constant amount of resources.
## 4. Free Up Storage (2 Min)
This should take 2 minutes.
If your system drive is nearly full this can cause issues.
With Windows you need some free storage to install updates and temporary files.
If you have very little storage available then you can delete some unnecessary files.
**On Windows 11:**
- Open Settings.
- Click System.
- Click Storage.
- Click Temporary Files.
- View your files.
- Delete any files you don’t need.
On Windows 10 you can manage your storage.
Be careful when opening downloads or other areas as this can be your files.
**Only delete files you know you don’t need.**
You may want to uninstall any programs you aren’t using or move any large personal files to the right external storage.
This is to ensure Windows has enough space to run properly.
## 5. Close Any Extra Tabs & Extensions (1 Min)
This should take 1 minute.
If you’re noticing your laptop is running slow whilst browsing this can be due to your browser.
Modern websites can use a lot of memory.
Having too many tabs open will make it worse.
Extensions can cause background scripts and affect how pages load.
Start by closing any extra tabs.
View your extensions and disable any you’re not using much.
From Chrome or Edge you can manage your extensions from the browser.
Some browsers will have an option to save memory. This will reduce the resources used by any unused tabs.
This can be handy to have especially if you have low RAM.
Not all your extensions will be bad.
Keep any useful and trusted extensions. Remove any that aren’t helping you much.
## 6. Change Power Settings (1 Min)
This should take 1 minute.
Your power settings can effect your laptop performance.
Some will try to save your battery by not using your available resources.
Whilst this is great to have when on the go it can cause your laptop to feel slow when doing heavy tasks.
**On Windows 11:**
- Open Settings.
- Click System.
- Click Power & battery.
- Look for Power mode.
You might see options like Best power efficiency, Balanced or Best Performance.
Balanced is generally a good option.
If you need a little extra performance and your laptop is plugged in you can choose the higher performance option.
This will cause your laptop to use more energy, get hotter and make your fans louder.
If your laptop is already overheating then this is not the way to go.
## 7. Check For Windows Updates (1 Min)
This should take 1 minute.
Sometimes you can have issues with outdated software.
Windows can have updates to fix any bugs, improve security and improve drivers.
**To do this:**
- Open Settings.
- Click Windows Update.
- Click Check for updates.
This shouldn’t take too long but can take a while to download and install.
Don’t interrupt any updates.
If you get prompted to restart Windows save your work and restart when you can.
Windows 10 will reach standard end of support in October 2025. If you don’t have extended security updates for your device try and move to a supported operating system.
This may not make your laptop run faster but is a great habit to keep your supported software up to date.
## 8. Run Malware Scan (1 Min To Start)
This should take 1 minute to start.
If you’ve suddenly noticed your laptop is running slow it could be due to unwanted software.
Malware can cause your laptop to use resources, cause issues with programs and cause unexpected background activity.
You might notice unexpected programs, changes to your browser and suspicious pop ups.
Microsoft Defender Antivirus comes with Windows Security on supported Windows.
**To run a scan:**
- Open Windows Security.
- Click Virus & threat protection.
- Click Scan Options or Quick scan.
Quick scan can take longer than 1 minute.
Let it run and view the results.
**Don’t install any random programmes that claim to speed up your laptop.**
Some optimisation programmes won’t help you much and can cause more issues.
## Will This Take 10 Minutes?
This will take around 10 minutes.
Depending on your laptop and how many issues you have it can take longer.
Older hardware can take longer to restart, Windows updates can take a while and malware scans can take a while.
This is more of a 10 minute troubleshooting guide.
You might notice some improvement straight away, especially if you close any heavy programs and disable any startup programs.
Other issues will require more investigation.
## What If My Laptop Is Still Slow?
If none of these have helped then your laptop may have some hardware or technical issues.
For example you might not have enough RAM to handle modern multitasking.
If you have an old mechanical hard drive you’ll notice a noticeable delay when opening your laptop and programs compared to an SSD.
It could also be due to overheating.
If your laptop is getting unusually hot, your fans are constantly running and you notice a drop in performance when doing heavy tasks then check your vents are not blocked.
Try not to use your laptop on soft surfaces.
If you’re still having issues it would be best to have it diagnosed by a professional.
## Final Thoughts
Just because your laptop is running slowly doesn’t mean you need to replace it.
Most of the time a slow feeling computer is due to too many start up programs, too many tabs open in your browser, low storage and programs running in the background.
Start with the easiest solutions.
Restart your laptop, check Task Manager, remove any unnecessary start up programs and check your storage.
Then check your browser extensions, power settings, updates and security.
By keeping these simple habits your laptop will be responsive and you won’t get frustrated.
If you’re still having issues you’ll have a better understanding of whether you need to upgrade your laptop or do some further troubleshooting.
Next time your laptop starts to lag try these 8 fixes!
