How to Speed Up My Laptop

Do your laptop or PC lag when working, gaming or even doing other kinds of pieces of stuff, and you are looking for ways to speed it up? There are many simple steps that are possible for you to take to be able to make your PC or laptop run fast as expected (being it Windows 11, 10, or even 8). So in this blog, you will be enlightened on the major steps that you can take on How to Speed Up My Laptop.

How to Speed Up My Laptop

Whether it happens gradually over time or even all of a sudden, working with a slow and lagging computer or PC can be seriously frustrating. Mostly if you are carefully diligent with the maintenance of your PC or computer, it is shocking the way things quickly slow down. If you are running Windows 11, 10, or 8 and you are asking yourself, why is my laptop lagging and not working well, then this is the right post for you.

Do not give up on your Laptop or your PC yet, you can take several steps and guides to give your laptop a bit boost in the performance department. With some simple tips and a few more technical operations, even the slowest computer or PC can regain its speed and better performance again.

Major Steps to Take to Speed Up Your Laptop

If your PC or laptop is lagging and running slow, the following suggestions might help speed things up. The steps guide are listed in order, so start with the first one, if that helps you can proceed to the next one.

Make Sure You have the Latest Updates for Windows and Device Drivers

Select the “Start” button
Click on “Settings” and then “Windows Updates”
Click on “Check for Updates”.
And then download and install the updates on your system.

Restart your PC and then Open the Applications you Need

To restart your system you have to click on the “Start” button
Select “Power” and then click on “Restart”.

Use ReadyBoost to Help Improve Performance

First of all, Insert the USB flash drive into a USB port on your PC.

Select “File Explorer” from the taskbar
Right-click on the USB flash drive
Select “Properties” and click the “ReadyBoost” tab
Then select “Use this device”.
The windows will then determine if the devices can use ReadyBoost, if it can it will let you know. When the windows determine how much free space to use to optimize memory, select “OK” to reserve this space so ReadyBoost can use it.
When you look at the contents of the USB flash drive in “File Explorer”, you will then see a file named ReadyBoost.sfcache on the flash drive and this file will show how much space is reserved for ReadyBoost.

Make Sure the System is Managing the Page File Size

Select the search button on the taskbar, and type “Advance System” in the search box.
Then select “View Advance system settings” and it has a control panel listed underneath it.
In “System Properties”, select the “Advanced” tab, then select “Settings” which is in the performance area.
In the “Performance Options”, click on the “Advance” tab, and select “Change” in the Virtual memory area.
Make sure the “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives” then check box is selected. If it is, continue the next step, select it, and restart your PC or laptop by selecting “Start” then “Power” and clicking on “Restart”.

Check for Low Disk Space and Free Up Space

To check for low disk and free up space follow these steps.

Select the “Start” button.
Click on “Settings” and then “System”
Then select “Storage” and Open Storage Settings.
Your drives will be listed in the storage area. Note the amount of free space and total size for each drive.

Adjust the Appearance and Performance of Windows

The latest Windows versions include some effective visual effects, such as animations and shadow effects. These look great, but they can also use some additional system resources, and they can slow down and make your PC or computer lag. It is especially true if you have a PC with a low amount of memory (RAM). To adjust the visual effects on windows follow these steps.

Click on the “Search” option and type in performance.
Then select “Adjust the appearance and performance of windows” in the list of the results.
On the “Visual Effects” tab, you will have to select “Adjust for best performance” and then click on “Apply”.
You will now have to Restart your PC to see if the changes worked and if it speeds up.

Pause OneDrive Syncing

Pausing your PC Once Syncing will probably help, and to do so, you have to follow the guide below.

Look for “OneDrive” it is near the notification area, on the taskbar.
Select “OneDrive” then “HelpSettings” and Pause Syncing.
Choose how long you would want to pause syncing your files.
Restart your PC or computer and then see if your performance issues have improved with syncing paused.
To resume syncing your files, then select “OneDrive” and click on “Help and Settings”.
Then click Resume Syncing to resume it.

Disable Unnecessary Startup Programs

Find the programs that can startup automatically
Choose Show hidden icons
Then stop a program from starting automatically
To disable unnecessary startup programs click on the “Start” button.
Click on the “Settings” option and “Apps”.
Click Startup and open Startup Apps Settings
In the Startup Apps area, sort out programs that you would want to stop from starting automatically and set it to “Off”.

Check for and Remove Viruses and Malware

To scan for viruses using windows security

Choose “Start” and click on “Settings”.
Click on “Privacy and Security” and then select “Windows Security”, and Open Windows Security.
Select “Virus and Threat Protection”, and then select “Protection Updates” that are under “Virus and threat Protection”.
On the Protection Updates screen, select Check for Updates and make sure that you have the most recent updates.
Choose “Virus and Threat Protection”, and “Quick Scan” and wait for windows security to finish scanning for viruses and malware.
Then run the recommended advance scan. This can take longer but searches more extensively for threats that are on your PC or computer.

Remove Virus and Malware from your PC

This is the step to follow to remove the malware or Virus that are on your system.

Save any documents or anything else you might have open on your PC
Select “Start”, and “Settings” then click on “Privacy and Security”.
Now you will have to select “Windows Security” and click “Open Windows Security Settings”.
Choose “Virus and Threat Protection” and under “Current Threats”, select “Scan Options” and then select “Microsoft Defender Antivirus (Offline scan)” and click “Scan Now”.
Your PC will restart and Microsoft Defender Antivirus (Offline Scan) will then run and scan your PC for viruses and malware.
Try to reproduce the performance issues.

Restore your PC From Any System Restore Point

To restore your PC from a restore point

First of all, select the “Search” option that is at the taskbar, the type in “Advance System”.
Select “View Advance System Settings” which is from the list of results.
On “System Protection” select “System Restore”.
click “Recommendation Restore” for you to go with the most recent restore point windows that have been made automatically, or “Choose a Different Restore Point” to choose one yourself, then click “Next”.
If you choose to select a different restore point, select one, and then click “Next”. Either way, click “Finish” for you to begin restoring.
Once the restore is completed, you will now have to restart your PC to see if the performance has improved.

Note: If you do not see the restore points, then it might be because the system protection is not turned on.

How to Turn On Pc For Protection

To turn on System Protection

In the “Search” box located at the taskbar, type “Create a Restore Point” and then select “Create a Restore Point” from the list of the results.
Select “Configure”, that is at the “System Protection”.
Then select “Turn on System Protection” and then click on the “OK” option.

FAQs

Why is My Laptop Slow?

If there is too much junk on your laptop (which are cache, temporary files, unused files, browser history, and many more), your laptop is bound to get slow, as the junk accumulates. It is always advisable to keep a check on your laptop junk and then keep deleting it at regular intervals.

Can I Speed Up My Laptop for Free?

Simply freeing up spaces by regularly deleting old and unnecessary files can do a lot to speed up your laptop. Likewise, if you have many applications installed on your PC or computer that you are no longer using, maybe it’s time to clear them out.

Why is My Laptop Lagging and Freezing?

A computer that starts to slow down can be overloaded with temporary data or programs that are using up its memory. Freezing can also be caused by errors or malware on your hard disk.

How to Speed Up My Laptop