Why does my computer run slow

Alternatively, if you use Chrome, it has a built-in task manager of its own. If you find that your browser is often causing your PC to slow to a crawl, try a different browser or keep an eye on how many tabs or windows you have open at a given time. There's a wide range of methods available for troubleshooting and speeding up your PC. Below are some steps to take that should, at the very least, temporarily speed up your slow computer:.

If none of the above suggestions speeds up your computer to a level that you're happy with, you can try reducing animations, changing themes and toggling other Windows specific settings. If you're trying to get remote help, make sure you know the best way to take screenshots on Windows If you're more of an Apple household, you're in luck: We have recommendations for speeding up a slow Mac , too.

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But that sluggishness is simply due to your normal activity, as well: running programs, surfing the Internet, and slowly filling up your hard drive. As for keeping multiple tabs open in your browser for future reference — if any of them auto-refresh think news sites and live streams or continue to download and rotate advertisements, you will notice a serious difference.

In addition, popular Internet-connected music apps like Spotify can store a large cache of data that will similarly slow you down. Want to save multiple tabs or links for future reading? Running in low power mode limits the performance of your laptop hence slowing it down. Do you really need all the add-ons extended on your browser?

And do your browser extensions effectively perform their required tasks? Too many inefficient browser extensions could be slowing down your computer instead of enhancing your browsing experience. Identify all the add-ons on your browser.

Keep those that are necessary and efficient and disable those that are not. It is very possible for your PC to be used to mine cryptocurrency without your knowledge or approval. This mainly occurs through downloaded programs that come with a malware embedded in the background of the program to facilitate crypto mining through your computer.

Also, certain websites contain codes that mine cryptocurrency on computers as long as the site is open. Shutdown your browser when it is not in use to prevent crypto mining through websites on your PC. You can also identify if your PC is being used for crypto mining by searching for programs or tasks that are either suspicious or taking up processing power even when not in use on your Task Manager or Activity Monitor. Once you identify the program or task, you should end it.

Enabling visual effects on your computer can make it run slower than normal if your RAM is not big enough to support the effects. You may be dealing with a slow computer simply because you have forgotten to pay attention to the basic principles of proper ventilation. Accumulated dust in your CPU can prevent your processors from effectively cooling and prevent excessive heat from staying trapped inside your PC.

This, in turn, can affect the speed at which your computer performs. Dust off your computer occasionally to clear its air vents. Also, once in a while have an IT professional clean inside of your PC. Your computer uses drivers to communicate with hardware devices connected to it.

If you are using outdated drivers, then the communication will most likely be faulty and take your computer longer than it should to have the connected hardware devices working properly.

Browse the internet for the most recent drivers compatible with your computer hardware, download and install them or install driver updating software to locate and install the drivers for you. If your computer has been in use for more than 5 years, then running slow is more of a natural progression rather than a problem. At some point, due to the frequent releases of updates for programs, your computer will fail to meet the minimum requirements for certain updates leaving you to work with old and outdated programs.