If your Windows 10 is slow and you’re not sure why, don’t worry, it’s usually an issue we can solve in a simple way, quickly and without having to make complicated settings.
First of all, it is important that you understand that this is something “normal” that is enclosed in quotation marks because it shouldn’t be happening, but the reality is that it has become so common that it has finished normalization, and yes, it has an explanation of how Windows 10 itself works.
As many of our readers know, they rely entirely on a model of when they start Windows 10 at Microsoft Operating system as a service, Dispensing with the classic approach of the operating system as a product. This led to the introduction of semi-annual update cycles that introduce new features, change certain aspects of the operating system, extend its life cycle and, in theory, improve its performance.
Unfortunately, it’s not surprising that Windows 10 installs after installing a semi-annual update slows down or behaves erratically. This can be due to many causes, such as: E.g. incompatibility problems at driver level or undesired changes in the configuration.
However, if your Windows 10 is slow and you haven’t installed an update, don’t worry. In this article, we’re going to review a number of tips in general can help you regain this “vitality”, this agility That was the operating system when you were using it, and without having to resort to a clean reinstall.
Why is my Windows 10 slow? Preliminary considerations
Before we head out to find possible solutions, it is important to consider this the hardware of the devices we use to move the operating system. Windows 10 isn’t particularly demanding when it comes to hardware. However, when we use a PC with a modest configuration, we cannot expect an absolutely optimal and perfectly fluid experience.
By that, I mean that even though Windows 10 is slow, you should be wondering if these slowdowns are not going to occur The normal consequence of using a PC or laptop with weak hardware. To help you clarify this question, let me introduce you to three standard configurations that can be used as a reference for the user experience you can expect with this operating system:
- Intel Atom, Celeron, or a similar low-power, low-performance processor, 2GB of RAM, and eMMC storage or hard drive: This is a very loose hardware configuration and Windows 10 should run slowly.
- Intel Pentium G processor, AMD Athlon (Zen), 4 GB of RAM and 7200 rpm hard drive: a higher configuration than the previous one and a significant leap. Usually Windows 10 works fine as long as you don’t multitask extensively or run very demanding applications.
- Core i3 processor, Ryzen 3, 8 GB RAM and SSD drive: From this level onwards, the experience with Windows 10 should be very good, which means that it is not normal to have slowness or performance problems.
It goes without saying that we’ve listed Windows 10’s performance if you’re below the minimum configuration it should be very poor and it would be perfectly normal. If you are above the third configuration, this is performance It should be “perfect”.
What to do if Windows 10 is slow
If your computer will fit in the second or third configuration, or on top of both, and you find that Windows 10 is too slow, that’s clear you have a problem.
With the advice we give you below, you will be able to solve it easily in most cases. We recommend you Follow the order of application where you find them exposed as it is most efficient.
1. Run a full scan for malware
If your Windows 10 PC is slow, this is usually one of the most common causes a malware infection. Not all security threats have the same impact and impact, but when we encounter this situation and do a priori we find no reasonable explanationFirst we have to analyze the system.
Perform a security scan with Windows 10 de quick, easy and effectiveeven if we use Microsoft Defender. This security solution has improved a lot and is now a fully functional antivirus that cannot be the envy of other third party solutions.
The most dangerous malware infections are accurate those who strive to go unnoticed, although they are not always successful. A simple analysis and voila, we can end it in most cases. Even if you don’t think you have suffered one, if you find Windows 10 is slow and you can’t find an explanation, I recommend that you proceed with an analysis to discard this option entirely.
To run an analysis, all you have to do is press the Windows key and enter “Windows Security”. We enter the first result and voila, we find all the options we need to customize the system security and analysis.
2.-Disable Windows 10 fast startup
I know it may not seem intuitive, but the truth is it does a solution that has worked in many cases, I have evidence of this from people who have helped solve problems with slow operating system startup times.
Quick Start is used to reduce PC startup time. This means that it should be enabled to avoid slow startup in Windows 10. In reality, however, problems can arise and do just the opposite.
This has an explanation and is in the operation of the quick start itself. According to Microsoft, when activating this option and when switching off the PC, all sessions are disconnected and the computer goes into hibernation. The system performs the system dump configuration, but this process can generate errors which in the end slows down the startup process.
To fix this, just turn off quickstart. It’s very simple, we just have to type it in Switchboard and follow the route Hardware and Sound> Power Options> Change the actions of the Start and Shutdown buttons. In the attached image you can see the field that we need to disable.
If you want to reactivate the quick start, you can do so at any time Repeat the specified process.
3.-Disable the applications that load on startup
This is one of the best ways to improve your computer’s performance when Windows 10 is slow, as it works on two main fronts. On the one hand Limit apps that load on startupThis reduces the start times (the system is loaded beforehand) and on the other hand also Minimizes applications that remain active in the backgroundwhich reduces the consumption of resources.
We have to keep in mind that we are not interested in killing all of the applications that are initially loading as some of them can be useful. For example if we have one Sound Blaster sound card or Corsair peripheral We should let the relevant applications load at the beginning, as they are necessary to be able to use them optimally.
In the end, the user has to determine which applications he wants to load and which he doesn’t. Then I will report you how to disable them:
- Press the Windows Key and enter “Task Manager”.
- Enter the «Home» tabRight click on the programs you want to disable and that’s it.
- Can You can reactivate it at any time repeat this process.
- Programs that load at startup can have an impact low, medium or high at boot, and some may appear as “Not measured.”
4. Optimize storage units
The storage drive has a significant impact on system performance. If your Windows 10 is slow and none of the above options worked for you, this is what you should do Take a moment to tweak it.
As many of our readers know, normal use of our devices involves hard drives fragment and lose performance. Fortunately, it’s normal and not a serious problem at all. Thanks to Windows 10’s built-in tool, the solution only takes a moment.
First of all, let me remind you that the drive optimization process is built into Windows 10 it differs from the classic defragmentation process We could find this in previous operating systems as it is perfectly customized for optimal results with HDD and SSD drives. You have nothing to worry about as this does not shorten the useful life of SSDs and of course not hard drives. Therefore, use it without fear.
To optimize the storage units we just have to press the Windows key, we write “Defragment and optimize drives” and we go to the first result. Once that’s done, all we have to do is choose which unit to optimize and let the team work. If we don’t want to know about this problem, you can specify scheduled executions by selecting the «Change settings]option
enter.
5.-Eliminate useless applications that stay in the background
If your Windows 10 is slow despite everything we’ve done so far, I think Now is the time to free up resources again.
Although we disabled some startup applications, These will likely restart when other applications are started that depends on you or that we have others in the background that we cannot disable directly through this option.
Due to the normal use of Windows 10, it is also possible that applications are installed that we no longer use but that continue to consume resources. It is best to uninstall it, but if we’re not sure and want to keep them, just close them and stop them from continuing to consume resources in the background.
To close it we just have to press the Windows key and enter “Task Manager”. We go to the “Processes” tab and close the applications that we do not need. If we want to get rid of them forever we have to get rid of them, a very simple process:
- Press the Windows Key and enter “Adding or Removing Programs”.
- Select the applications you want to uninstall click in them.
6.-Don’t forget the energy plan
The energy plan can greatly influence the performance of the system, it is not for nothing that it determines a large part of the energy consumption of the components and can significantly increase or decrease autonomy on portable computers.
If our team uses that Electricity consumption plan The could be the reason why Windows 10 is slow. The solution is to switch to a power plan that allows for higher consumption. If we have a laptop, I recommend using the balanced power plan as this gives the best value in terms of power autonomy.
On the other hand, if you are using a desktop PC, your best bet is going for the high-performance plan. It is also possible Create a fully personalized energy plan.
This is a very easy customization even if you want to create a personalized plan It can take a while. These are the steps we need to take:
- We press the Windows key and enter «Edit energy plan ».
- We enter the first result and choose the option “Change advanced power settings”.
- We can Choose one of the standard plans or create a custom one.
7.-A Windows 10 no-frills
If your pc has very fair specss and fits into the first standard configuration that we indicated at the beginning of the article. It is clear that Windows 10 is slow but calm due to the limitations of your own computer. You can improve the performance.
Windows 10 is a next generation operating system that uses a fairly neat interface and has animations and effects that are obvious Consume resources. If you reduce these effects and animations, resources will be freed up and the system will run more smoothly.
This clearly implies Reduce the image quality and the details of the operating systemBut when we have a very limited hardware configuration, I’ll tell you again from my own experience that this is one of the best options.
So the list of options we can disable is pretty extensive I recommend that you take your time Check out everything to create a custom setting that will allow you to tweak the power ratio of the detail ratio. If you don’t want to complicate yourself, don’t worry, you can choose the option right away “Adjust for best performance.”
These are the steps that you need to follow Adjust visual effects and detailss in Windows 10:
- Press the buttons “Windows + R” to open the window “Run”.
- Write in the window that appears sysdm.cpl.
- Go to the section “System properties” and follow the route «Advanced options> Performance> Frame”.
- Go in “Adjust for best performance” and select the option you want.
8.-Do you have free space in your storage units?
Another reason Windows 10 is slow may be a lack of storage space. As many of our readers know, said the operating system can use hard disk space as virtual memory, Many applications and tools depend on this resource to function properly.
Freeing up space can improve performance it saves us having to deal with problems Depicting a personal computer that has run out of this valuable resource. To display a button, a PC with no free space cannot save or update photos or files, new applications cannot be installed, and certain items cannot even be cached to improve the overall user experience.
We can free up space in many ways, but here’s a summary three of the most effective.
- Option 1: Press the Windows Key and enter “Disk Cleanup”. In this way we can access a Windows 10 tool that allows you to free up space directly on the storage unit you want. Once we’re inside, we choose what content to delete, and that’s it. The process is automatic.
- Option 2: We use the function “Free some space now.” To do this, we press the Windows key and enter “Storage settings”, We enter “Free Space Now” and select all the data that we want to delete. The space that is freed up can vary greatly from computer to computer.
- Option 3: We can get rid of the applications that we no longer use by following the process given above, that is, by resorting to “Adding or Removing Programs”.
9.-Game mode can help even if you’re not expecting miracles
When Microsoft introduced game mode, it generated a lot of excitement and interest. It’s understandable as this mode would Release resources wisely to improve the performance of the operating system in games. However, when we got the chance to test it out, we found that the improvements were minimal.
Time has passed and today is the game mode still doesn’t work miracles. If your Windows 10 is slow and the games are not performing well at all, don’t expect miracles. However, if you have a computer that can perform reasonably well, enabling this mode can result in a slight improvement in language proficiency, which in some cases can make a significant difference, especially if it does a couple of extra frames And it allows us to get close to a stable 30 FPS.
In any case, don’t rule it out, it’s a free and easy way to get a little extra performance You won’t lose anything if you try.
To activate it we have to follow these steps:
- We press the Windows key and enter “Game Mode Settings”.
- We enter the first result and voila, we just have to activate it.
10.-Keep the drivers updated. If nothing works, consider reinstalling
If nothing we’ve told you so far worked, you should do it Check driver. Keeping the operating system and computer components up to date is essential to ensure they function properly. In addition to improving performance, they can also resolve certain conflicts that, in one way or another, can burden other components. or even the operating system itself.
Always remember that you:
- Download the drivers directly from the Manufacturer website.
- make sure that They are compatible with the hardware and the version of the operating system used.
- Only install drivers that have been certified and validated as the final version, no alphas or betas.
If Windows 10 is slow despite all of the steps we’ve taken, you may have A hardware problem or that your PC has temperature problems. If you don’t dare “confuse” one final cartridge, back up your data and reinstall Windows 10 from scratch, i.e. do a clean install.
Just remember that if you are taking this final step and Windows 10 is slow despite everything, then this is no doubt what you should keep an eye on. on the hardware.
