Get back performance for your computer in 2023

There are a few things you can do which might help with a sluggish Windows machine. to increase the overall performance. In this tutorial, we give you tips on making a slow computer faster.

Tip 1: Use your applications in a clever way

First, you have to find out what slows down the computer. Does it lack overall performance or is the speed problem caused by a single program you have installed? If the latter is the case, then take a close look at this program. With the Windows Task Manager, you can find out which programs are currently using most of the available resources on your computer. Especially the CPU performance used by the programs is interesting.

An easy and fast way to launch the Task Manager is to use the keyboard and press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys simultaneously.

Once the problematic application has been identified, you can simply quit and restart it. Or you can check, if you make too heavy use of a program. For example, browsers can handle many open tabs at the same time, but this number should not get too big. The same applies to office applications such as Word and OpenOffice, which might become slow for larger documents.

Tip 2: Reboot your computer

Today's energy-saving features for computers let users restart them much less frequently. Often the sleep mode is the only option used to turn off a computer. But a restart sometimes is a good way to fix problems. Crashed application might still use up memory and CPU time and a reboot might solve these resource problems. If your computer is slow, try a reboot.

Tip 3: Update your applications

Another reason your computer might react sluggish and slow may be because operating system and applications are not up-to-date.

Check for Windows updates

You can open Windows Update by clicking the Start button in the lower left corner. Start typing Update, and then, in the list of results, click either Windows Update or Check for updates. Click the Check for updates button and then wait while Windows looks for the latest updates for your computer.

Check for application updates

It is also important for keep applications up to date to prevent multiple computer problems you might run into. Some applications such as Microsoft Office and Browsers offer their own update features. Most do not offer that. But you can use a specialized software such as UpdateStar Premium to test your applications for available updates. Just download and install the trial version to search for updates.

Always remember that an up-to-date is relevant to prevent computer problems including performance issues.

Tip 4: Uninstall unnecessary applications

You should remove software programs you do not use. Unused applications can slow your computer down by their sheer volume. You can use the Windows Task Manager to find out which programs are running on your computer. Or simply use UpdateStar Premium to list and uninstall applications.

Also take the opportunity to check the programs in the Task Bar and in Start Menu. You can also check for browser extensions and remove those you do not want anymore.

Also Windows installs a set of apps by default you do not necessarily need. You can use the free application O&O AppBuster to debloat Windows 10. AppBuster divides the apps into categories and gives you tips which apps you can safely remove and which ones you should leave. Read more in our Software Reviews section about Debloating Windows 10 the easy way with O&O AppBuster.