Windows 10 Running Extremely Slow: 12 Ways to Fix it

Updating device drivers may be the fastest solution

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Key notes

  • Windows 10 can run slow or turn unresponsive altogether after an update.
  • Too many active apps consume all available RAM, causing Windows to stall, but there is a workaround.
  • Check the System event log for any hardware or driver-related errors, and try to resolve any problems indicated.
  • There are a lot of possible fixes that anyone can try, so keep reading to find the best possible solutions.
Windows 10 11 very slow and unresponsive

Microsoft has promised improved performance with Windows 10. However, despite much progress, some users claim that Microsoft’s most recent OS has slowed down their system.

Adding to this, they mention that after upgrading, Windows 10 proved very slow and unresponsive on startup and when opening programs or folders.

On certain occasions, the operating system freezes altogether, sometimes after automatic updates.

What’s more, even File Explorer shows a delayed response.

So in today’s article, we’ll go through possible causes and solutions, hoping to boost your OS so that you get complete control over your device.

Why is my Windows 10 computer so slow?

Too many background processes may be the main reason for sluggish performance; memory, laptop battery life, processor power, and internet bandwidth may all be depleted.

Also, if applications, apps, and other objects are programmed to open automatically whenever you start your PC, Windows 10 machines may get clogged immediately.

Furthermore, Windows 10 includes a variety of visual effects by default, such as shadows to give application windows a sense of depth, animations for making on-screen movements seamless, transparencies, thumbnail previews, and more.

So, why is Windows 10 so slow? The issue is that each effect consumes system resources, which might cause your PC to lag. Of course, there is also the possibility of malware, wherein you must perform a full PC scan. Below are some of the variations of the Windows running slow issue:

  • Windows 10 running slow after update or fresh install
  • Windows 10 running slow after reset or factory reset
  • Windows 10 running slow and freezing
  • Windows 10 running slow on laptop
  • Windows 10 running slow on SSD
  • Windows 10 running slow for no reason
  • Lenovo, HP laptops Windows 10 running slow
  • Windows 10 slow performance – computer suddenly slow and unresponsive
  • Windows 10 very slow and unresponsive

Whatever the case is, we will present some of the best ways to increase the speed of your PC in this article.

How do you fix Windows 10 is slow?

1. Use a cleaning tool

Excessive and unnecessary data can cause hard drive fragmentation, affecting overall system performance. So again, cleaner applications come in handy here.

You can erase useless data from your PC with a few clicks, and Fortect performs great work cleaning it.

Fortect is a PC cleaning and maintenance utility. Its primary function is to locate and eliminate unwanted files from your computer, allowing your system to run quicker and more efficiently.

It also frees up extra space on your system’s hard disk by deleting unwanted files.

 ➡️ Get Fortect

2. Update your drivers and software

If you wonder My Windows 10 laptop is very slow, what can I do?, you should know that sometimes your Windows 10 can become slow if your essential components, drivers, or applications are outdated.

You can easily upgrade drivers; however, it takes a long time to find the appropriate suitable drivers to improve Windows 10’s slowness and responsiveness.

While updating applications is accessible, outdated drivers can be problematic if you don’t know what to download.

Also, keeping the drivers up to date can help you fix other issues like laptop lagging when charging; read this guide to learn more.

3. Disable heavy performance processes

  1. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard.
  2. Go to the Startup tab and sort the processes by their Startup impact rating.
    Windows 10 running slow and freezing
  3. Right-click on processes with High ratings and select Disable, but don’t disable crucial programs such as your antivirus. The computer running slow Windows 10 issue will be fixed.
    Windows 10 slow

One of the simplest ways to do this is to disable the processes you don’t need. However, this will leave more resources to other apps, thus making the PC faster.

This is just one method you can use; there are, however, many other easy solutions to speed up Windows 10 and make it lightning-fast.

Elements such as disabling animations, shadows, and other special effects play a significant role in PC speed.

4. Enable a faster startup option

  1. Press Windows Key + S and enter power settings. Select Power & sleep settings.
    Windows 10 very slow startup
  2. Click Additional power settings.
    Windows 10 very slow and unresponsive
  3. Click on Choose what the power button does from the menu on the left.
    Slow windows 10 after update
  4. Now select Change settings that are currently unavailable.
    Windows 10 running slow and freezing
  5. Make sure to check Turn on fast startup (recommended).
  6. Save your changes, and you’re good to go.

This feature is called Hybrid Startup and Shutdown, and it puts your PC into a hibernation state, improving the startup and shutdown process.

5. Check for slow services

  1. Press Windows key + R and type services.msc and press Enter.
  2. In the list of all services that start with your Windows 10, look for any services that take too long to launch.
  3. Right-click each service and change the settings from Default to Automatic (Delayed Start).
    Slow Windows 10 File Explorer
  4. Save your changes and restart.

6. Disable blur effects and transparency

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Then click on Personalization.
    Slow Windows 10 File Explorer
  3. Next, click on Colors, and set Transparency effects to Off.
    Windows 10 very slow startup

7. Stop Windows Module Installer service

  1. Press Windows Key + R and enter services.msc. Now press Enter or click OK.
    Windows 10 very slow and unresponsive
  2. Locate Windows Module Installer on the list and double-click it to open its properties.
    Slow windows 10 after update
  3. Check the Service status. If it’s set to Running, click the Stop button to stop the service.
  4. In addition, you can also change the Startup Type to Disabled if you want to disable this service permanently.
  5. Now click on Apply and OK to save changes.

After disabling this service, check if the problem is resolved. You may want to try this solution if Windows 10 is slow after an update.

Note: By disabling this service, you might not be able to receive Windows updates, so be sure to enable it to avoid any other problems.

8. Disconnect all peripherals

Sometimes, your hardware can cause Windows 10 to become slow. So it would help if you disconnected all peripherals from your PC to fix that problem.

This includes all USB devices, such as printers, hard drives, cameras, etc.

For instance, several users reported that USB speakers caused the issue, and after disconnecting the device, the problem was entirely resolved.

9. Defragment your drive

  1. Press Windows Key + S and enter defrag. Now choose Defragment and Optimize Drives.
    Windows 10 slow opening programs
  2. When the Optimize Drives window opens, select the desired drive and click on Analyze.
    Windows 10 slow opening programs
  3. After scanning the drives, select the fragmented drive and click on Optimize.
  4. Wait while Windows defragments your drive, and repeat this process for all your drives.

Once the defragmentation process is finished, check if the problem is resolved. This is a critical fix if Windows 10 is slow to open programs.

It’s worth mentioning that many other great third-party defragmentation tools offer various advanced features.

10. Adjust the size of the virtual memory

  1. Press Windows Key + S and enter advanced. Select View advanced system settings.
    Windows 10 very slow startup
  2. Click the Settings button in the Performance section.
    Windows 10 very slow and unresponsive
  3. Go to the Advanced tab and click on the Change button.
    Slow windows 10 after update
  4. In the Virtual Memory window, uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.
  5. Then, select the Custom size, and enter an Initial Size and Maximum size. Now click on the Set button and OK to save changes.
    Windows 10 running slow and freezing

After doing that, you’ll set the virtual memory size for that drive. This is a critical fix if Windows 10 is slow and unresponsive. Additionally, you might have to select the manual size for all your drives.

The size of your virtual memory is related to your RAM size.

As a general rule, the Initial size should be at least 1.5 times larger than your PC’s RAM. As for Maximum size, it should be up to 4 times larger than your PC’s RAM.

11. Check for viruses

Windows 10 is vulnerable to viruses like any other software, so ensure your system is clean. You can use any free antivirus software and do a full system scan to be sure.

We believe that any slowdown problem should be resolved after trying out these solutions.

12. Perform a clean Windows 10 install

Sometimes, there are software issues when you upgrade from Windows 8 or Windows 7 to Windows 10, or even when installing the latest Windows 10 updates.

So, it’s advised that you perform a clean install of Windows 10. Just be sure that you back up your important files before doing this.

A clean install is effective for extreme cases, for example, if Windows 10 has a slow boot or a black screen or exhibits slow login.

How do I clear my RAM cache on Windows 10?

  1. Search for cmd on your computer search and select Run as administrator.
  2. Type in the script below and click Enter.
    ipconfig /FlushDNS
  3. Wait for the command to run, and your cache should be cleared.

There you have it. Now you should have your slow Windows 10 PC running at average speed again.

How can I fix Windows 11 if it’s slow?

Sadly, your new Windows 11 PCs may also become slow. The reasons behind this are similar to those in Windows 10 PCs.

You should note that you can use similar fixes discussed in this article to get them to average speed again.

Additionally, these particular steps to make Windows 11 faster will come in handy.

Note that we have not written these solutions in any particular order, and we hope you will be able to try the fixes that seem most relevant to your case.

On the other hand, if you have other suggestions on this topic, feel free to reach us using the comments section.

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