Max Mustermann Musterstraße 12 12345 Musterstadt Germany (Deutschland)
Does Your Laptop Have a Crawl? You’re Not by Yourself We’ve all been there—clicking an icon, waiting… and waiting. Your once-speedy laptop now feels like it’s moving through
We’ve all been there—clicking an icon, waiting… and waiting. Your once-speedy laptop now feels like it’s moving through molasses.
Good news?
You don’t need expensive software or a brand-new device to fix it. In many cases, a few smart, free tweaks can dramatically improve your laptop’s performance.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to speed up your laptop for free using built-in tools and a bit of tech hygiene. Whether you’re a student, remote worker, or casual user, these tips can help your machine run like new—no wallet required.
Even if you’re not actively using them, dozens of background programs may automatically launch when your laptop starts. These eat up memory and drag down your boot speed.
How to Fix It:
On Windows:
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
Click on the Startup tab.
Right-click unnecessary apps and select Disable.
On macOS:
Go to System Settings > General > Login Items.
Remove any apps you don’t need to launch at startup.
Result:
Faster boot time and immediate RAM savings for smoother performance.
Over time, your laptop collects software you don’t need—trialware, preinstalled apps, or tools you only used once. These background programs drain memory and processing power.
How to Fix It:
On Windows:
Go to Settings > Installed Apps > Apps.
Uninstall any apps you don’t use.
On macOS:
Open the Applications folder.
Drag unused apps to the Trash, then empty it.
Pro Tip:
Start by removing toolbars, trial antivirus programs, and outdated games or productivity apps—these are common resource hogs.
When your laptop’s system drive (usually C:) gets too full, it can seriously slow down performance, especially during multitasking or software updates.
How to Fix It:
On Windows:
Search for Disk Cleanup in the Start menu.
Select your system drive and let it scan.
Check off unnecessary file types (like temporary files and thumbnails), then click OK to delete them.
On macOS:
Go to Apple Menu > About This Mac > Storage > Manage.
Delete large and unused files, system clutter, and old downloads.
Pro Tip:
Free up extra space by clearing out your Downloads folder—especially images, videos, and leftover installers you no longer need.
Browsers can consume a lot of memory, especially with too many open tabs, unnecessary extensions, and accumulated cache files.
How to Fix It:
Go to Settings > Privacy in Chrome, Safari, or Firefox and clear your cache and cookies.
Remove any outdated or unnecessary extensions.
To save RAM, either install a tab-suspender extension or reduce the number of open tabs.
Bonus Tip:
If Chrome feels sluggish, consider switching to Brave or Firefox, which are lighter on system resources.
While they look appealing, animations and transparency effects consume significant system resources, especially on older laptops.
How to Fix It:
Windows:
Search for “Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows.”
To boost performance, select Adjust for best performance or manually disable effects like slide and fade animations.
Mac:
Go to Display under System Settings > Accessibility.
Enable Reduce transparency and Reduce motion.
Result:
Less graphical strain on your system, making it feel snappier.
Many users leave their laptops in sleep mode for extended periods, leading to slowdowns as background processes pile up.
What to Do:
To clear out memory and restart sluggish processes, restart your laptop at least every three days.
Quick Fix:
A restart can also quiet a noisy fan by resetting processes that may be overworking.
Adware and background trackers can silently consume your laptop’s CPU and RAM, slowing down performance.
How to Fix It:
Run a thorough scan with Malwarebytes Free or Windows Defender.
For Mac users, check for suspicious processes using Activity Monitor (search for it in Spotlight).
Important:
It’s wise to scan your laptop for malware at least once a month, as malware can drastically reduce performance.
Outdated drivers and software can lead to incompatibilities, lag, and even system crashes.
How to Fix It:
Windows:
Go to Settings > Update & Security and select Windows Update.
Mac:
Go to System Settings > General > Software Update.
Extra Step (Windows Only):
If you notice slowdowns tied to hardware, use Device Manager to update specific drivers.
Defragmentation is useful for HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) as it reorganizes scattered data, improving access speed.
How to Fix It:
Use Windows Search to find Defragment and Optimize Drives.
Select your drive and click Optimize.
⚠️ WARNING:
Defragmenting SSDs (Solid State Drives) can reduce their lifespan and offers no performance benefit.
Try starting your laptop in Safe Mode to see if it works better with minimal background processes.
If your laptop runs faster, a background app or service is likely the culprit.
Use Activity Monitor (Mac) or Task Manager (Windows) to identify which processes are slowing down your system.
