How to Make Your Laptop Faster in Windows

A slow laptop can significantly affect productivity, increase application loading times, cause system freezes, and reduce the overall user experience. Whether you use your laptop for work, study, gaming, or personal tasks, identifying the root cause of performance issues is essential for maintaining optimal performance.

This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know to diagnose and fix a slow Windows laptop, including built-in troubleshooting tools, Run commands, Command Prompt utilities, disk cleanup methods, malware scanning, and hardware recommendations.

Common Symptoms of a Slow Laptop

Before troubleshooting, identify the symptoms:

• Slow startup or shutdown
• Applications taking too long to open
• Frequent freezing or hanging
• Slow web browsing
• High CPU, Memory, or Disk usage
• Delayed response when multitasking
• Excessive fan noise
• Overheating
• Slow file transfers
• System crashes or blue screens

Step 1: Restart Your Laptop

A simple restart can often resolve temporary performance issues.

Why?

• Clears RAM
• Ends stuck processes
• Applies pending updates
• Refreshes system resources

Steps

1. Save all work.
2. Click Start > Power > Restart.
3. Check if performance improves.

Step 2: Check CPU, RAM, and Disk Usage

Open Task Manager

Press:

Ctrl + Shift + Esc

Review Resource Usage

Resource	Healthy Range
CPU	Below 30% when idle
Memory	Below 70%
Disk	Close to 0% when idle

Troubleshooting

• End unnecessary processes.
• Close resource-heavy applications.
• Remove unused software.

Step 3: Check Startup Programs

Too many startup applications increase boot time.

Steps

1. Open Task Manager.
2. Select Startup Apps.
3. Disable unnecessary applications.

Examples

• Skype
• Discord
• Spotify
• Adobe Updater
• Teams (if not required)

Step 4: Verify Available Disk Space

A full drive significantly impacts performance.

Check Storage

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Select This PC.
3. Review free disk space.

Recommendation

• Keep at least 20% free space.
• Maintain 20 GB+ free on Drive C:.

Step 5: Clean Junk Files Using Run Commands

Open Run

Press: Windows + R

Delete Temporary Files

Run: temp

Delete all files.

Delete User Temporary Files

Run: %temp%

Delete all contents.

Delete Prefetch Files

Run: prefetch

Delete all files.

Clear Recent Items

Run: recent

Delete all entries.

Open Disk Cleanup

Run: cleanmgr

Select:

• Temporary Files
• Windows Update Cleanup
• Recycle Bin
• Delivery Optimization Files
• Temporary Internet Files

Storage Sense

Run: ms-settings:storagesense

Enable automatic cleanup.

Step 6: Check Windows Updates

Steps

1. Open Settings.
2. Navigate to Windows Update.
3. Click Check for Updates.
4. Install all available updates.

Step 7: Update Device Drivers

Open Device Manager

Press: Windows + X

Select: Device Manager

Update:

• Display Adapter
• Network Adapter
• Storage Controllers
• Audio Drivers

Step 8: Scan for Malware and Viruses

Windows Security

1. Open Windows Security.
2. Select Virus & Threat Protection.
3. Run Quick Scan.

Advanced Scan

Run Full Scan if issues persist.

Step 9: Check Laptop Temperature

Symptoms

• Hot laptop
• Loud fan noise
• Slow performance under load

Fixes

• Clean vents
• Use cooling pad
• Remove dust
• Keep laptop on a hard surface

Step 10: Check Hard Drive Health

Open Command Prompt as Administrator

Run: wmic diskdrive get status

Expected:

OK

Scan for Disk Errors

chkdsk C: /f

Step 11: Repair Corrupted System Files

Run SFC Scan

sfc /scannow

Run DISM

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Benefits

• Repairs Windows corruption
• Improves stability
• Fixes update issues

Step 12: Check RAM Usage

Open Task Manager

Go to:

Performance > Memory

RAM Recommendations

Usage Type	Recommended RAM
Basic Use	8 GB
Office Work	16 GB
Gaming	16–32 GB
Professional Work	32 GB+

If RAM usage constantly exceeds 80%, consider upgrading.

Step 13: Verify Storage Type (HDD vs SSD)

Open Task Manager

Go to: 

Performance > Disk

Comparison

Storage Type	Performance
HDD	Slow
SATA SSD	Fast
NVMe SSD	Fastest

Upgrading from HDD to SSD is one of the best performance improvements.

Step 14: Use Performance Monitor

Run Command

perfmon

Monitor:

• CPU
• RAM
• Disk
• Network

Step 15: Use Resource Monitor

Run Command

resmon

Identify applications causing:

• High CPU usage
• High memory consumption
• Disk bottlenecks

Step 16: Uninstall Unnecessary Applications

Run Command

appwiz.cpl

Remove:

• Unused software
• Old games
• Trial programs
• Toolbars

Step 17: Perform a Clean Boot

Run Command

msconfig

Steps

1. Open Services tab.
2. Check Hide all Microsoft services.
3. Click Disable All.
4. Restart.

If performance improves, a third-party application is likely causing the issue.

Step 18: Network Troubleshooting Commands

Flush DNS

ipconfig /flushdns

Release IP

ipconfig /release

Renew IP

ipconfig /renew

Useful for slow internet-related issues.

Step 19: Check Running Processes

Command Prompt

tasklist

Displays all active processes.

Step 20: PowerShell Cleanup Commands

Clear Recycle Bin

Clear-RecycleBin -Force

View Memory-Hungry Processes

Get-Process | Sort WS -Descending

Step 21: Reset or Reinstall Windows (Last Resort)

If all troubleshooting steps fail:

Open

Settings > System > Recovery

Choose

• Keep My Files
• Remove Everything

Useful Run Commands for Laptop Troubleshooting

Run Command	Purpose
temp	Temporary files
%temp%	User temp files
prefetch	Prefetch cache
recent	Recent items
cleanmgr	Disk Cleanup
msconfig	Clean Boot
perfmon	Performance Monitor
resmon	Resource Monitor
appwiz.cpl	Programs and Features
msinfo32	System Information
devmgmt.msc	Device Manager
services.msc	Services Management
taskmgr	Task Manager
control	Control Panel

Recommended Monthly Maintenance Checklist

✔ Restart laptop regularly
✔ Delete temp files (temp)
✔ Delete user temp files (%temp%)
✔ Clear prefetch files (prefetch)
✔ Empty Recycle Bin
✔ Run Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr)
✔ Update Windows
✔ Update drivers
✔ Run antivirus scan
✔ Check disk health
✔ Run SFC scan
✔ Run DISM scan
✔ Disable unnecessary startup apps
✔ Maintain 20% free disk space
✔ Clean laptop vents and fans

Conclusion

A slow laptop is usually caused by excessive startup applications, insufficient RAM, low disk space, malware, overheating, corrupted system files, or aging hardware. By following the troubleshooting methods in this guide—including Run commands, Command Prompt tools, cleanup utilities, and hardware checks—you can identify the root cause and significantly improve your laptop's performance. Regular maintenance and monitoring will help keep your Windows laptop fast, stable, and reliable for years to come.