- Restart the computer. Not sleep, a full Restart. It fixes more than you'd think.
- Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc (on Mac: Activity Monitor) and sort by CPU and Memory. Whatever is hogging resources is your prime suspect.
- Turn off programs that launch at startup: Task Manager, Startup tab. Disable anything that doesn't need to start automatically.
- Check free disk space. Under 10% free? Delete large files or move photos and videos to the cloud or an external drive.
- Install pending updates: Settings → Windows Update. A half-finished update slows everything down.
- Run a scan with Windows Security (built in and free). Malware is a common cause of slowness.
- In your browser, remove extensions you don't recognize and close extra tabs. 40 open tabs will slow any computer.
MacOn a Mac: open Activity Monitor (search with Cmd + Space), sort by CPU, and check startup apps in System Settings → General → Login Items.
Important: If the computer is very slow and you hear clicking noises, the hard drive may be failing. Back up important files right away, before anything else.
Quick questions
Why did my computer suddenly get slow?
Common causes are an update running in the background, a startup program hogging resources, an almost-full disk, or malware. Most of the time it can be fixed without buying a new computer.
Is switching to an SSD worth it?
On a computer that still uses a traditional hard drive, moving to an SSD is usually the upgrade that improves speed the most for the money.
Still not working?Describe it in the chat, or book remote support and we'll fix it together.
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