My computer is really slow
Most slowness is fixed by a restart and a little cleanup. Try these in order. Stop as soon as your computer feels better.
1. Restart the computer (yes, really)
- Save anything you have open.
- Click the Start button (Windows logo, usually bottom-left).
- Click the Power icon, then Restart.
- Wait for it to fully come back up, then try what you were doing again.
Why this works: Just like people, computers slow down when they've been awake too long. A restart clears out what was running and starts fresh. If you usually just close the lid on a laptop, your computer might not have actually restarted in weeks.
2. Close apps you aren't using
- Look at your screen and close any windows or programs you're not actively using.
- Especially close extra browser tabs — they use a lot of memory.
3. Check for Windows updates
- Click Start → Settings (the gear icon).
- Click Windows Update on the left.
- Click Check for updates.
- If updates install, restart when it asks you to.
4. Check how full your hard drive is
- Open Settings → System → Storage.
- If your main drive is more than 90% full, that's likely part of the problem.
Don't delete files you're not sure about. If your drive is nearly full, that's a great reason to send us a message — we'll help you figure out what's safe to remove.
Still slow?
If you've done all of the above and it's still slow, the next step could be a memory upgrade, a tune-up, or something else. We can take a look and tell you what's actually wrong before charging for anything — diagnostics are free.