Common culprits: heavy startup apps, low storage, malware, heat, old hard drives, and too many background tasks. Work through the checks below in order.
Your laptop should feel snappy enough to open apps, switch tabs, and finish daily work without a hitch. When it drags, you lose time and patience. This guide gives you a clear, step-by-step plan that fixes slowdown on Windows and macOS, starting with quick wins before any deeper work. You’ll find plain steps, two handy tables, and a short weekly routine at the end.
Fast symptom-to-fix map
| Symptom | Likely cause | Quick fix |
|---|---|---|
| Slow right after sign-in | Too many startup items; cloud sync racing | Trim startup apps; pause heavy sync |
| Typing lags, fan loud | CPU at 100%; heat throttling | Close runaway apps; lift the rear for airflow |
| Spinning beachball or hourglass | RAM pressure; swap use | Quit big apps; restart; add RAM on upgradable models |
| Apps take ages to open | Nearly full disk; old hard drive | Free space; move to SSD where possible |
| Only the web feels slow | Browser tab hoarding; weak Wi-Fi | Use a memory saver; test with one tab; move closer to the router |
| Everything stalls randomly | Malware or a failing drive | Run a deep scan; back up; check drive health |
Quick checks before big fixes
Start here. Each step takes minutes and often brings back speed on its own.
- Reboot. A fresh start clears stuck processes and frees memory.
- Close what you don’t need. Shut extra apps and noisy browser tabs. Heavy pages with auto-playing video chew CPU and RAM.
- Check free space. Keep plenty of room for updates and swap. Use Storage settings on Windows or About This Mac → Storage on a Mac to clean large files and temporary data. Apple’s guide, If your Mac runs slowly, lists clear steps.
- Update the OS and apps. Patches fix bugs and slowdowns. Windows Update and the App Store do the heavy lifting.
- Scan for malware. Use Windows Security’s Defender scan or your trusted tool. Run an offline scan if the system feels compromised.
- Listen for heat. A roaring fan hints at throttling. Give the vents space, clean dust, and avoid soft surfaces that block airflow.
If speed is still poor after those, move on to targeted fixes.
Why your laptop is so slow during startup
When too many apps launch at sign-in, boot turns into a traffic jam. Trim the list and your desktop appears faster, with less disk thrash.
Windows: stop non-critical items from auto-starting
- Right-click Start → Task Manager → Startup apps.
- Sort by Startup impact. Disable anything you don’t need at login: chat tools, game launchers, updaters, quick launchers.
- Reboot and test. If something you need doesn’t open later, re-enable it.
Mac: trim login items and helpers
- Go to System Settings → General → Login Items.
- Remove auto-launchers you don’t need. Watch for cloud drive helpers and meeting apps.
- Restart and watch the time from password to ready desktop.
While you’re at it, pause heavy cloud sync just after sign-in. Let the system settle first, then resume sync.
Deep fixes that change day-to-day speed
Free space the smart way
Windows has Cleanup recommendations under Settings → System → Storage. It finds large files, unused apps, and temp data you can toss with a click. The Mac storage manager offers similar help. Leave a healthy buffer so updates and swap files have room.
Watch memory pressure, not just “RAM used”
On a Mac, open Activity Monitor → Memory. Check the memory pressure graph: green is fine, yellow means the system is stretching, red means apps are stuck waiting on swap. Close heavy apps or add RAM on models that allow upgrades. Apple explains the color codes inside Activity Monitor help.
On Windows, Task Manager shows memory use per app. Sort by memory and trim the hogs. If every workday hits the top of your RAM, a physical upgrade on upgradable laptops brings a clear lift.
Cut runaway CPU use and heat
Open Task Manager or Activity Monitor and sort by CPU. Close apps that pin usage near 100%. High heat triggers throttling, which drops clock speed to protect the chip, so cooling and workload matter. Lift the rear edge, clear dust from vents, and avoid bedding or couch cushions that smother airflow.
Use your browser’s memory saver
Modern browsers keep many processes. Chrome has a built-in Memory Saver that sleeps inactive tabs while keeping the state. Turn it on under Settings → Performance. Google outlines it here: Personalize Chrome performance. Keep fewer extensions too; each one adds work.
Scan with a trusted tool
Slowdowns can come from adware or worse. Run a Defender full scan on Windows, and an offline scan if needed. On a Mac, update XProtect and remove unknown profiles. Back up first.
Give power settings a quick pass
Battery saver modes trade speed for battery life. On Windows, pick a balanced power plan when plugged in. On a Mac, check Energy settings and disable power nap during heavy tasks.
Know when hardware holds you back
If your laptop still uses a spinning hard drive, moving to an SSD is the single best lift. Launches, searches, and updates all get faster. If RAM is stuck at a low number and upgradable, adding more prevents swap storms during peak hours.
When the browser is the bottleneck
Many “slow laptop” stories start with tabs. Each tab is a process with its own memory and script work. Try this flow:
- Open one browser window with a single tab. Is the system fast now? If yes, the issue lives in your tabs or extensions.
- Turn on a memory saver. In Chrome, Settings → Performance → Memory Saver. In Edge, search “efficiency mode”.
- Cull extensions. Keep only what you trust and use weekly.
- Use a read-later list for research instead of keeping twenty tabs parked.
If streaming stutters while CPU and RAM look fine, check Wi-Fi signal and 5 GHz versus 2.4 GHz bands. A wired test removes guesswork.
Heat, dust, and throttling
Chips slow down when hot to avoid damage. That’s throttling, and it feels like stutter under load. A hot chassis, loud fan, and sudden drops in speed point to heat. Simple fixes help: clean the vents, raise the rear edge, and switch from blanket to desk. If temps stay high, fresh thermal paste and a full clean by a technician can restore headroom on older gear.
Old drives and tight memory
Hard drives move a tiny needle across a spinning platter. SSDs store data in flash memory with no moving parts, so launches and searches finish faster. If your storage is nearly full, both Windows and macOS slow down while shuffling files and swap. Start by freeing space using Microsoft’s PC performance tips and the storage tools built into your system.
Memory is the breathing room for apps. When it runs out, the system pages to disk, which is far slower than RAM. Watch the pressure graphs, trim the heaviest apps, and plan a RAM bump if your model allows it.
Why is my laptop getting so slow over time
Speed fades in small steps: more auto-start apps after each install, more photo libraries, more sync tools, and a drive that keeps filling. Dust builds in the vents. The browser inherits a pile of extensions. Your needs grow while the machine stays the same. A little care brings back headroom without a new purchase.
Trim background chores
Review startup apps quarterly. On Windows, you can manage them in Settings → Apps → Startup or in Task Manager’s Startup tab.
Give storage a monthly tidy
Delete installers, old downloads, and giant video files you no longer need. Move archives to external storage or cloud. Run Windows Cleanup recommendations or the Mac storage manager.
Keep drivers and OS current
Updates bring bug fixes and speedups. Set time windows for updates so they don’t kick in during work hours.
Audit your browser
Remove stale extensions. Turn on the memory saver. Cap tabs during work sessions by using profiles or tab groups.
Schedule one deep scan
Run a Defender offline scan on Windows once in a while. It can catch pests that hide during normal scans. Back up before any large clean-up, just in case.
Five-minute diagnosis workflow
Grab a timer. This quick pass separates a one-off hiccup from a deeper cause.
- Minute 1: Reboot. After sign-in, wait until the desktop stops changing and the fan settles.
- Minute 2: Open Task Manager or Activity Monitor. Sort by CPU. Any process pegged near the top for more than thirty seconds is your first suspect.
- Minute 3: Sort by Memory. If one browser tab or app sits far above the rest, close it and retest.
- Minute 4: Check Disk (Windows) or the memory pressure graph (Mac). If Disk is stuck near 100% or pressure hits yellow, your fix list is storage and RAM.
- Minute 5: Launch two apps you use daily. If both feel fine now, the issue lives in startup tasks or your browser. If not, keep working through the deeper fixes below.
Windows playbook: from slow to steady
Storage Sense and Cleanup
Turn on Storage Sense under Settings → System → Storage. Set it to clear temp files, recycle bin items, and cloud-backed files you rarely open. Then use Cleanup recommendations to remove large dumps, old installers, and leftover Windows update files.
Check power and thermal behavior
Use the battery icon slider or Settings → System → Power to pick a balanced plan. If the fan roars under light work, blow out dust with short bursts of air and give the vents space. A laptop stand often helps more than you’d think.
Drivers and firmware
Use Windows Update and your laptop maker’s update app to fetch driver and BIOS updates.
Mac playbook: from lag to smooth
Spotlight indexing
Right after an update or a big file move, Spotlight re-indexes the disk and things feel sticky. Let it finish with the lid open and power connected. If indexing keeps restarting, exclude giant archive folders, then add them back later.
Login items and launch agents
System Settings → General → Login Items lists auto-launchers. Remove items you don’t trust or need. In Activity Monitor, quit menu bar helpers you rarely use and watch the effect on CPU and memory.
Energy and cooling
In System Settings → Battery, set slightly longer sleep times while on power so the Mac finishes sync and indexing before you start work. Clean the vents along the hinge with a soft brush.
What your monitor shows and what to do
| You see | What it means | Action |
|---|---|---|
| CPU near 100% for minutes | One app or a web page is pegging the processor | End the task; update the app; check for add-ons looping |
| Memory pressure yellow/red | Active apps exceed physical RAM | Quit the biggest users; add RAM on models that allow it |
| Disk at 100% on Windows | Background indexing, updates, or a failing drive | Let indexing finish; free space; back up and test drive health |
| GPU maxed during video calls | HD video effects and backgrounds | Drop call resolution; disable virtual backgrounds |
| Network spikes during boot | Cloud drive sync or updates at login | Pause sync at startup; schedule large downloads later |
Keep it fast with a weekly 10-minute routine
- Restart at least once a week.
- Close unneeded apps and tabs at day’s end.
- Empty the recycle bin or trash.
- Check free space; clear temp files.
- Glance at Task Manager or Activity Monitor for any new hogs.
- Wipe the vents with a soft brush and keep the desk clear.
Follow the steps in order, use the tables as a quick map, and your laptop will feel lighter again. If speed still lags after all of this, the hardware may simply be under-specced for your workload. At that point, an SSD move, a RAM bump, or a newer machine pays back in time saved every single day.