My PC is slow

A slow PC is frustrating, but the fix is often simple. Take the steps in order, and test as you go.

Step 1: Restart your PC

It sounds obvious, but it works surprisingly often. A restart clears the memory, ends hidden processes and installs pending updates. Click Start, Power and Restart, not “Shut down”. Wait until the PC is fully up, then test again.

Step 2: See what's using the resources

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Choose the Processes tab and sort by CPU or Memory.
3. Is one program using a lot? Right-click it and choose End task. Be careful with processes you don't recognize.

Common culprits are browsers with lots of tabs, large Office documents and antivirus scans.

Step 3: Free up disk space

A drive with less than ten percent free space slows Windows down noticeably.

1. Open File Explorer and see how much free space C: has. Under 10 GB is critical.
2. Search for “Disk Cleanup” in the Start menu, choose C: and click Clean up system files.
3. Empty the Recycle Bin.

Step 4: Update Windows

Missing updates can cause performance problems. Go to Settings, Windows Update and Check for updates. See Update Windows.

Step 5: Clean up your startup apps

Many programs start along with Windows and slow down both startup and everything else.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and choose the Startup apps tab.
2. Programs marked “High” impact slow things down the most.
3. Right-click programs you don't need at startup, such as Spotify or Discord, and choose Disable.

Step 6: Run a virus scan

Malware can slow your PC down a lot. Search for “Windows Security” in the Start menu, choose Virus & threat protection and run a Quick scan.

When should you call us?

• Your PC is still slow after all the steps.
• You see unfamiliar processes using a lot of resources.
• Your PC is more than five years old and should be upgraded or replaced.
• Windows reports errors on the hard drive.
• You suspect a virus.