How to Speed Up a Slow Computer (Before You Give Up on It)

A slow computer is one of the most common gripes with technology, and the good news is that most of the time you can sort it yourself in an afternoon, for zero cost, no need for an expensive technician. We renew and upgrade computers here at hungryPC every day, so we see exactly what causes a machine to crawl and what genuinely brings one back to life. Work through the free fixes below, roughly in order. If it is still slow at the end, that tells you something useful too: the machine has probably reached the end of its working life rather than just needing a tidy-up.

One quick check before you start… is it the computer that is slow, or your internet? If web pages crawl but your programs open fine, the problem is likely your connection, not the PC. Our guide on what to do when your internet is slow or down will sort that out first.

The free fixes: work through these first

A restart clears out the memory, closes stuck background tasks and reloads Windows fresh. Here is the part almost nobody knows: on Windows 11, choosing Shut down and switching back on does not fully reset things, because a feature called Fast Startup saves part of Windows to disk and reloads it. Only Restart does a proper clean boot. A laptop that only ever gets closed and reopened can go weeks without a true fresh start, and it shows.

1. Save anything you have open.
2. Click Start, then the Power icon, then Restart (not Sleep, and not Shut down).
3. Let it come all the way back up before you judge the speed.

Every program that launches itself when you turn on the computer (chat apps, cloud sync, updaters, “helper” or “cleanup” tools) slows the start-up and then keeps running in the background. Trimming these is one of the biggest free wins.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc together to open Task Manager.
2. Click the Startup apps tab. The Startup impact column shows which ones cost you the most.
3. Right-click any High impact program you recognise and do not need at start-up (things like Spotify, Teams, Discord or a printer helper), and choose Disable.

Disabling a startup app does not uninstall it or stop you using it. It just stops it barging in the moment you turn the computer on. Most programs will still work perfectly when you click them, they might just take a couple seconds longer to load from cold. Best to leave anything you do not recognise alone, you can always search the names in Google before disabling to see what they actually are, and re-enable if you find it causes you trouble on your next reboot.

Pro Tip: Many of the “driver updater” or “cleanup” tools (especially marketed to speed up your computer) are often snake-oil or even rouge applications that only serve one purpose: to sell you a premium subscription to their tool that has little, or often a negative effect on your machine. Get rid of these and see the difference for yourself.

Once you’ve used the computer for a few days and verified nothing has changed, you could look to uninstall any of the programs you disabled from startup if you are truly not using them, this will free up space and also ensure they don’t come back with no warning.

A nearly-full drive is one of the most common reasons a computer bogs down, because Windows needs breathing room to work. Clearing it out often gives an immediate lift.

1. Click Start, then Settings, then System, then Storage. You will see what is eating your space.
2. Open Cleanup recommendations and tick the temporary files and unused items it is safe to remove, then clean them up.
3. Turn on Storage Sense on the same page to let Windows tidy temporary files and the Recycle Bin automatically from now on.

Aim to keep your main drive below about 80 percent full. If it is jammed to the brim, that is very likely your culprit.

For a lot of people, the “slow computer” is really a slow browser. A dozen tabs left open and a pile of add-ons each quietly chew through memory. This is often the single biggest everyday win.

1. Close tabs you are not actually using. Having thirty open at once is the usual offender.
2. In Microsoft Edge, type edge://extensions in the address bar (in Chrome, type chrome://extensions).
3. Turn off or Remove any add-on you do not recognise, especially “coupon finders”, toolbars, search engines you don’t need or anything calling itself a “cleaner” or “privacy helper” as these are often malicious. Keep the ones you rely on, like a specific password manager you use daily.

A hidden, nasty Malware or Virus infection can quietly hog your processor and slow everything down, without you even knowing its there. It is worth ruling out the possibility, even if you have a current Antivirus installed. A second opinion from different scanning software is the first point of call for any Computer Technician. Windows 11 has a genuinely good scanner built in and free too. For a second opinion, you do not need to buy anything to complete an initial scan, a free trial of leading products that computer shops use will often surprise you with what they can find.

To use the free built-in Windows Defender firstly:

1. Click Start, type Windows Security, and open it.
2. Click Virus & threat protection, then Quick scan for a fast check.
3. For a thorough sweep, click Scan options, choose Full scan, and let it run when you are not using the machine (it can take an hour or more).

For a more in-depth scan you can install and check your machine over with a free trial of decent software like Malwarebytes AntiMalware, and ESET NOD32 Antivirus. If either of these find infections during the free trial, it could be wise to consider upgrading to their paid versions for future protection. You can purchase right here from our Software section. Both of these products are often used by computer technicians, and we highly recommend them.

Windows plays little fade and slide animations as you move around. On a modern machine you would not notice them, but on an older one, switching them off makes menus and windows feel instant.

1. Click Start and type Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows, then open that result.
2. Choose Adjust for best performance, then click Apply.
3. If the text looks a bit rough afterwards, tick just Smooth edges of screen fonts back on, then Apply again.

A few more quick wins while you’re here…

• Uninstall programs you never use. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, and remove old programs you personally installed and no longer want. Leave anything you do not recognise.
• Install your Windows updates. Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates. These keep the machine secure and occasionally fix a real slowdown.
• Set the power mode to Best performance. Settings > System > Power & battery > Power mode. Great on a plugged-in machine (on a laptop running on battery it will use more charge, so switch it back to Balanced when you unplug).

The two upgrades that genuinely help

If the free fixes helped but you want more, only two hardware changes make a real difference, and it is worth being honest about when they are worth the money.

Fitting an SSD is the single biggest speed-up you can give an older computer that still has an old-style spinning hard drive. It is the difference between a machine that takes two minutes to be usable and one that is ready in fifteen seconds. Adding more memory (RAM) helps too, but only if the machine is actually running out. You can check: open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), click Performance, then Memory, while things are slow. If it is pinned near 100 percent, more RAM will help. If not, it will not.

Here is the honest catch. On a machine that is already quite old, those parts cost money and labour, they might not be upgradeable at all (memory is often soldered in on thin laptops), and you are spending on a computer that is still old everywhere else. Many old systems will not support the newer, faster RAM and SSD modules, limiting you to older, legacy, slower upgrades, which brings us to the real question.

When is it time to stop spending money on it?

Sometimes a computer is simply worn out, too outdated, and no economical amount of tidying or money will change that. These are the honest signs it has reached the end of the road.

If your machine ticks several of these boxes, paying a technician to clean it up is money spent nursing a computer that is already on its way out. You will unfortunately likely be back in the same spot in the near future. Often your old computer can be reset and resold to claw back some of its value, meaning an upgrade can be very cost effective.

This is where a renewed computer just makes better sense. A renewed machine from us has already had a technician go over the entire system, the SSD, the memory upgrades where necessary, and a clean, up-to-date Windows 11 sorted properly. All our machines have been stress-tested, cleaned inside and out, and come with a warranty. In other words, you get the upgrade, the speed and the peace of mind in one go, often for less than you would spend patching up the old one, and far less than buying brand new. If you want the numbers behind that, we broke down the true cost of new versus refurbished in a separate guide.

Have a look through our refurbished laptops, desktop computers, or if you are watching the budget, the cheap laptops and clearance section is a good place to start. New to buying renewed? Our refurbished buying guide walks you through it.

Common questions