Fix 1: Restart Your Computer

This sounds obvious, but many people leave their computers in sleep mode for days or weeks. Restarting clears temporary files, applies pending updates, and gives Windows a fresh start. If your computer has not been restarted in a while, do that first before trying anything else.

Fix 2: Disable Startup Programs

Every program that launches at startup slows down your boot time and uses memory in the background. Most of these programs do not need to start automatically.

1. 1Right-click the Start button and select Task Manager.
2. 2Click the Startup apps tab.
3. 3Look through the list. For each program you do not need immediately at startup, right-click it and select Disable.
4. 4Common candidates to disable: Spotify, Discord, Teams, OneDrive (if you do not use it), Skype, and any manufacturer utilities you do not use.

Fix 3: Check for Windows Updates

Pending updates — especially driver updates — can cause slowdowns. Keeping Windows up to date also fixes known performance bugs.

1. 1Open Settings (press Windows + I).
2. 2Click Windows Update.
3. 3Click Check for updates.
4. 4Install any available updates and restart if prompted.

Fix 4: Free Up Disk Space

Windows needs free space on your main drive (usually the C: drive) to run efficiently. If your drive is more than 85% full, performance suffers noticeably.

1. 1Open Settings → System → Storage.
2. 2Click Temporary files.
3. 3Check the boxes next to items you want to remove (Temporary files, Recycle Bin, Delivery Optimization Files are safe to delete).
4. 4Click Remove files.

Fix 5: Adjust Visual Effects for Performance

Windows 11 uses animations and visual effects that look nice but use processing power. Turning them off can noticeably speed up an older computer.

1. 1Search for "Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows" in the Start menu and open it.
2. 2Select Adjust for best performance (this turns off all effects), or choose Custom and uncheck specific effects.
3. 3Click Apply and OK.

Fix 6: Check for Malware

Malware running in the background is a common cause of slowdowns. Windows 11 includes a built-in security scanner.

1. 1Open Windows Security (search for it in the Start menu).
2. 2Click Virus & threat protection.
3. 3Click Quick scan. If it finds anything, follow the prompts to remove it.
4. 4For a more thorough check, click Scan options and choose Full scan.

Fix 7: Check Your Power Plan

If your computer is set to a power-saving mode, it may be deliberately running slower to conserve energy.

1. 1Open Settings → System → Power & sleep → Additional power settings.
2. 2Select Balanced or High performance.
3. 3Avoid Power saver mode unless you are on battery and need to extend it.

Fix 8: Update Your Drivers

Outdated graphics or chipset drivers can cause sluggish performance, especially on older computers that have been upgraded to Windows 11.

1. 1Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.
2. 2Look for any items with a yellow warning icon.
3. 3Right-click those items and select Update driver → Search automatically for drivers.
4. 4For graphics drivers, visit your GPU manufacturer's website (Intel, AMD, or NVIDIA) for the latest version.

Fix 9: Increase Virtual Memory

If your computer has limited RAM (4 GB or less), increasing virtual memory (a portion of your hard drive used as overflow RAM) can help.

1. 1Search for "Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows" and open it.
2. 2Click the Advanced tab, then click Change under Virtual memory.
3. 3Uncheck "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives."
4. 4Select your C: drive, choose Custom size, and set Initial size to 1.5x your RAM in MB and Maximum size to 3x your RAM in MB.
5. 5Click Set, then OK, and restart.

Fix 10: Consider a Hardware Upgrade

If your computer is more than five years old and the above fixes do not help enough, the hardware itself may be the limiting factor. Two upgrades make the biggest difference.

• Add more RAM: 8 GB is the minimum for comfortable Windows 11 use; 16 GB is better.
• Replace a spinning hard drive (HDD) with a solid-state drive (SSD): this is the single biggest performance upgrade you can make on an older computer. Boot times go from minutes to seconds.