What Makes Your Windows 10 Insanely Slow

If your Windows 10 is getting slower, you’re obviously looking for ways to fix the problem. Fortunately, not only IT specialists or tech-savvy people know how to speed up Windows 10. In fact, anyone can do it so you can get your PC or laptop to run as quickly as it should be. 

Besides, you should not suffer from a slow computer. Here are 5 possible reasons why your Windows 10 runs slow (plus solutions, yep):

Old Drivers

There’s a reason why Windows 10 always requires updates – it is to make your PC faster. Installing the latest version of Windows 10 will improve your desktop’s performance. During the update, the PC will search for the latest drivers to speed up everything. 

If you want to check for updates, here’s what you should do according to Microsoft: 

  1. Click the Start button. 
  2. Select Settings. When the window pops up, choose Update & Security, then Windows Update.
  3. Select Check for Updates.
  4. If you see “You’re up to date,” you don’t need to update your windows. If the status shows as “Updates are available,” click Install now.
  5. Choose all updates available for installation. 
  6. Select Install
  7. After the update, you need to restart the PC to see if everything’s going smoothly. After all, Windows 10 will prompt you to restart it once the installation finishes. 

Your PC has been running for a long time

The reason to restart your PC is that many of us keep it running for several days or weeks. In fact, Windows 10 will automatically set the display to sleeping mode once the PC runs for several days. However, the previously open apps will continue to run, which eventually slows your computer. 

You can shut down your computer by clicking the Power button when it comes to this point. Note that before turning off your computer, close all running programs. Also, save any work you have been doing before shutting down your computer. Afterward, you can turn on your PC again. It should be running smoothly by now. 

Unnecessary programs

In point of fact, if your computer takes time to start, several programs are slowing down the process. These unnecessary programs continue to run in the background, consuming your PC’s RAM storage. Here’s what you can do to fix the problem:

  1. Type Task Manager on the Search Button
  2. Then, choose Startup.
  3. If you see several programs, you don’t want to run during the startup, right-click them, and select Disable

Programs running automatically at startup

Some programs start automatically as soon as you open your computer. You immediately see them in the notification area located at the right of the taskbar. These programs might be slowing your computer, especially if you don’t use them often. 

To prevent slowing down of your computer, choose Show Hidden icons when clicking the icon to see all start-up programs. 

However, some programs might run automatically even after you click the Show hidden icons in the notification area. Here’s how to find other programs and stop them from starting automatically. 

  1. Click Start.
  2. Choose Settings, then Apps > Startup
  3. In the Startup Apps, choose the program you want to start automatically. Set it Off
  4. Finally, run system maintenance. 

System maintenance will allow Windows 10 to scan updates and check for malware through its built-in utility. This system maintenance runs in the background while your computer is idle. However, if there’s a problem with the system maintenance, you may conduct it manually. 

When running maintenance manually, access the Control Panel. However, save the files you’re currently working on and close them before doing it. Once you’re in the Control Panel window, choose System and Security > Security and Maintenance. Then, click the arrow icon to show more maintenance options. Then, click Start Maintenance. 

Full storage

Once your computer is loaded with applications, programs, and files, it will slow down. Most computers have a traditional hard drive. If your computer has it, you need to upgrade to a solid-state drive (SSD). 

SSD can improve the speed of your computer in many ways you can imagine. It’s like a USB flash drive that is way faster. With an SSD, your Windows will start and boot faster in a fraction of time. 

Because of this, most tech-savvy individuals usually recommend buying an SSD to others since it’s the most important thing you can do to speed up your PC. In fact, it’s even better than buying a new computer with a faster processor. 

However, if you want to buy a new computer, avoid buying it with a RAM of less than 4GB. This amount of storage won’t help your computer to run efficiently. Use more than 4GB and add another memory to improve the performance of your PC.

Conclusion

There you go. These tips will surely make your PC even faster than you can imagine. Luckily, anyone can do it independently, as long as you conduct careful research.  Secure the latest updates, delete unnecessary programs, and buy SSD for faster performance. Finally, don’t forget the essential step – restart your PC. 

What Makes Your Windows 10 Insanely Slow was last updated March 25th, 2022 by Allison Young