How To Make Laptop Faster – 13 Proven Methods

Is your laptop running slower than before? Before you think about getting rid of it, we have some tips that might help. Our guide is full of easy steps to give your laptop a fresh start. Everyone faces this problem at some point. Even if you’ve been taking good care of your laptop, it can start to slow down.

This is especially true for gaming laptops. But don’t worry, you don’t need to be a computer expert to follow our advice. With some basic cleaning and a few simple steps, you can make your laptop run faster again. Keep reading to find out how to make laptop faster!

14 Easy Methods on How to Make Laptop Faster

Boost your laptop’s speed with these straightforward methods. Try these solutions and experience a swifter, smoother computing journey.

1. Limit Startup Programs

Many applications, including tools, start up when Windows begins. Often, software developers set their programs to run silently in the background, making them quick to launch when clicked.

Starting apps automatically is great for those you use daily. But apps you don’t often use can slow things down by taking up memory. Boost your laptop’s speed by turning off these less-used apps using the following method:

1. Type “Task Manager” in the search bar.
2. Open it and click on “Startup Apps.”
3. You’ll see a list of programs that start with Windows.
4. Check the impact each has on system speed.
5. Turn off any you don’t always need by clicking “Disable.”

2.  Clean Up Your Disk

Deleting old files you no longer need can help your laptop run smoother. This process also removes system junk and clears out your trash bin. Doing this cleanup regularly’s a good idea, especially if you use your laptop for gaming. Take a look at how much space you’ve got left.

If you’re using more than 85% of your laptop’s storage, it might start acting slowly. To free up disk space, start by removing old files and any large ones you no longer use. And if after making space your laptop is still lagging, it might be a software issue. Consider resetting or reinstalling Windows.

Follow the steps below to perform disk cleanup on your hard drive:

1. Select “This PC“ or “Computer.”
2. Right-click the drive you need to clean. Most of the time, this is the “C: drive.“

3. The quantity of free disk space will be displayed in the dialogue box that comes up.
4. If you have less than 15% free disk space, you should use the “Disk Cleanup feature.”

5. Check the disk that you need to perform disk cleanup. The laptop will figure out how much disk space will be made available after deleting all the extra and temporary files.
6. Click OK after you’ve checked all the boxes

If you perform disk cleanup more often, your computer can find files faster.

3. Uninstall Unused Programs

After clearing up your hard drive, the next step is to uninstall unused programs and apps you no longer need. These not only take up storage but can also run tasks in the background, making your laptop slower.

Note: If you are unsure about the function of a program, search it online to see if you still require it; otherwise, uninstall it. Windows will not allow you to uninstall programs that are essential to Windows.

Follow these steps for uninstalling unused programs to speed up your laptop.

1. Click the “Start” button and look for the gear-like “Settings” icon.
2. Once in Settings, choose “Apps” then “Installed Apps.”

3. Click on the unnecessary programs and select “Uninstall.“

4. After uninstalling, Windows might ask to restart your laptop. If so, wait until you’ve removed all unwanted programs before restarting.
5. Go through the list and repeat the process for each program you want to remove.
6. Restart your laptop after you’re finished.

There will be a clear difference in the speed of your system, and it indicates that uninstalling unused programs has made your laptop faster.

Note: You can also do this in the Control panel. Launch the control panel, then navigate to the Uninstall a software section under the Programs heading. You can simply add and remove apps here.

4. Install A Solid State Drive

Installing a solid-state drive (SSD) is ideal for making a laptop faster that still uses a traditional hard disk drive. With an SSD, your laptop will start up super fast and apps will open quickly.

SSDs are strong because they don’t have parts that move, so they usually last longer. If you want a fast laptop, adding an SSD is a great option, even better than getting a new processor sometimes.

Depending on your device’s configuration, you can install a solid state drive (SSD) yourself or get it installed by professionals. An SSD is also the best way to enhance the speed of a gaming laptop. You will not have to perform disk cleanup more often with an SSD drive.

5. Close System Tray Programs

If your laptop starts up slowly, you might have too many programs starting up at the same time as Windows. Many of the programs in the tray programs startup and keep running when you open up your laptop.

You can check which background programs are running from the task manager. To access the task manager, press Alt+Ctrl+Delete. You’ll see a list of programs running both in front and background on the task manager. The task manager also shows which particular program is taking up more CPU, disk space, and RAM.

Another way is to click the Up arrow on the right side of your task manager. Right-click on any program you don’t want to keep running and choose “Close.”

6. Update Drivers And Programs

Outdated programs and drivers can make your laptop slow. For instance, when drivers get old, Windows might start and work slower. Make sure to update things like your video card because new versions often work better and fix problems.

Updating the drivers is more crucial when your gaming laptop has a graphics card. Once you update all the drivers and applications, your laptop will run faster.

7. Keep Windows Updated

Updates can be annoying, especially when you’re working on an important project with a tight deadline, and you can’t afford to restart your laptop. But updates are really important. They help your computer work better and keep it safe.

While Windows might update on its own, you can also check for updates manually in the Windows Update section. It doesn’t always install every update by itself, so there might be some good ones you can add on your own.

You may see if there are any pending updates by visiting the Settings app and choosing Update & Security (Windows 10) or Windows Update (11).

The menu will check if there are updates to download. If it finds any, it’ll download them. Then, it lets you install these updates.

Updating Windows might alter your laptop’s visual layout and features. This can mean new icons and backgrounds. Having a strong internet connection ensures the update downloads swiftly and any changes are implemented smoothly. It’s always beneficial to stay current for optimal performance.

8. Check Your Hard Disk for Errors

When your disk’s reading and writing speeds lag, it’s a sign there might be issues with your hard disk. Checking it can help identify these problems. Remember, a faster laptop often starts with a healthy hard drive. Even if you have ample storage space, a minor error can reduce its speed.

The tool that checks for disk errors will examine your hard drive and fix any issues it discovers.

1. Open “Properties” by right-clicking your C drive.

2. Click “Tools,” then “Check.”

3. Click “Drive scan.”

4. When the process is done, Windows will show a message.

Fixing these errors will speed up your laptop.

9. Upgrade Your RAM

Another useful tip of this guide on how to speed up your laptop is to upgrade RAM (random access memory). Many old PCs don’t have enough memory to run new apps. Today, 8GB is the bare minimum, and a 32-bit version of Windows takes up about 4GB, so switching to 64-bit is a good idea.

After putting in an SSD, the next step is to add RAM (which we mentioned right at the start). Adding RAM will offer more space, and you’ll not have to clear the cache more often.

Additional tip: Consider upgrading your graphics card for a gaming laptop along with RAM. It will make your slow computer more responsive. It will also increase processing power.

Malicious software and programs like viruses, spyware, Trojans, adware, and others can really slow down your computer. These destructive programs run in the background, slow down the computer, and take more RAM.

Besides, the malware uses a lot of random access memory to run, leaving other programs with less room to work. That is why installing more RAM can help your laptop run faster.

10. Defragment the Hard Drive

Defragmenting the hard drives is another good solution to speed up your laptop. A fragmented hard drive causes the laptop to slow down as the device has to check multiple places to get the required information.

Defragment means putting the flies back in one place, so your system doesn’t have to overwork. This can either be done manually. Otherwise, there is a set schedule for that in Windows.

“Although keep in mind that this method only works if your laptop has a Hard Drive. If it has SSD then no need to defragment as SSD has different way of working”.

Following are the steps to defragment an HDD:

1. Start by searching “Defragment” on the search option of “Task Bar.”
2. Or you can Right-Click in “C” drive, select “Properties” and then click on “Tools.”

3. A new window named “Optimize Drives” will pop up.
4. Select your HDD and then click “Analyze.”

5. If fragmentation is below 5%, it’s okay; otherwise, click “Optimize” to defragment.

11. Adjust The Graphics/Animations

For better and sleek visuals, the new Windows comes with improved graphics and visual effects. Although these give the user an incredible visual experience, these can also be the reason for the slowness of laptops.

Don’t worry; you can adjust these effects according to your liking and speed up your computer.

It is done by this simple process:

1. Open up “Control Panel.”

2. Click on “System and Security” and then on “System”.

3. Then select “Advanced System Setting”.

4. There Click on “Setting” under the Performance section.

5. A new window will pop up with the list of all the visual effects.

6. You can adjust them accordingly or opt for Adjust for Best Performance.

12. Resource Heavy Programs

Sometimes, the main reason for the slow speed of the laptops is the resource-heavy programs. Identifying these programs can help you speed up your laptop. This is done through the Task Manager of the laptop, where you can identify the programs eating up the resources.

1. Search for “Task Manager” in the “Task Bar”.
2. Open the Task Manager; by default, it should show you the “Processes Tab.”
3. There, it will show all programs that are mainly eating a lot of resources.

4. You can click on the particular programs and select the “End Task” on the top bar.
5. You can also “Right-click “on the program and close it from there.

Note: In Windows 7, instead of Task Manager, search for System Configuration.

13. Physical Cleaning of Laptop

Just like the virtual cleaning, physical cleaning of the laptop is also necessary. Dust buildup slow down the speed of a laptop and is the most overlooked problem. Dust buildup do not let the laptop cool down effectively, which heats the laptop.

The inefficient cooling of the laptop, in turn, slows down the laptop’s speed. Make sure to clean your laptop daily and get it thoroughly cleaned by professionals occasionally.

Tips on How to Make Laptop Faster

Here are some additional and quick tips to try and understand how to make a laptop faster for gaming.

• Ensure your laptop doesn’t get infected by getting good antivirus software.
• Keep your operating system and system configuration up-to-date to speed up your laptop.
• Use a secure web browser to maintain the computer’s speed.
• Make a habit of clearing cache and temporary internet files regularly.
• Don’t visit or download from sites that look sketchy.
• Use safe email habits, like not opening suspicious emails or deleting spam emails.  
• Ensure you have a good internet speed to keep the firewall and antivirus software running correctly.
• Check your hard disk space to see how much free space you have.
• Make a habit of deleting temporary files.
• Keep a check on your laptop specs to see if RAM or hard drive memory is getting full.

Final Thoughts

Slow down in the performance of a laptop is obvious, and you can face it sooner or later. So, it is better to schedule a monthly virtual and physical cleanup of your laptop. Fortunately, you have this guide to help you with that. Your laptop will run smoothly if you follow every tip in this guide on ” how to make laptop faster.”
Follow the methods as mentioned above and avoid hassling with slow laptops.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Updating the Window Speed Up My Laptop?

Yes, it can. Updating to the newest version of Windows can speed up the performance by installing the new drivers. Moreover, every new version comes with the fixes that helps in resolving the previous performance issues. So yes, updating the Windows might actually help.

Do Laptops Slow Down with Age?

Laptop itself does not slow down but its performance does slow down with age. That is because the new version of software’s requires better and bigger hardware’s. Old laptops not having the software compatible hardware may be the main reason of a laptop slowing down.

How Often Should You Clean Your Laptop?

If you can then cleaning your laptop on daily basis, is a good option. It will help get rid the dust and stains. However, a good through cleaning once or twice a week is a must. Whereas for the interior like vents once a year is must.