How to Make Your Laptop Faster: Helpful Tips and Tricks
So many of us know the pain that a slow laptop can inflict. Video calls can't stop buffering and freezing, choppy frame rates turn games into a chore, and even relatively simple spreadsheets can slow to a crawl. What a drag!
The good news: As long as your laptop isn't truly archaic, there's probably no need to plan the funeral just yet. In fact, there's a wide range of software and hardware tweaks that can unlock a faster and more functional experience on your notebook computer — even if it's a little bit older. Check out these nine key tips that will give your laptop some get-up-and-go!
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1. Reboot your laptop.
There’s a reason “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” is every IT pro’s first suggestion. A full restart often resolves sluggish performance, frozen apps, and background processes that won’t quit. Using the Restart command from your Windows Start menu or macOS Apple menu is the simplest way to give your system a clean reset. Shutting down and then powering back on achieves the same result.
Why does this work? Over time, applications and background processes can get stuck, leave behind temporary files, or consume system resources unnecessarily. Restarting clears out this “digital clutter,” giving your operating system a fresh start and often restoring smooth performance.
On Windows laptops, there’s also a feature called Fast Startup that speeds up boot times by placing your PC into a semi-hibernation state instead of fully shutting down. While this is fine for most users, it can sometimes interfere with installing updates, applying new drivers, or troubleshooting stubborn issues. In Windows 11, Fast Startup is less of a problem than in Windows 10, but if you notice recurring issues that only resolve after a restart, you may want to disable it so every shutdown performs a true reset.
2. Clean your laptop.
Speaking of laptop care tasks that people tend to put off, here's another important way to improve your laptop's speed: Clean that machine! The dust, dirt, and debris that accumulates in your laptop's vents can actually harm its performance, so a quick cleaning job can make a world of difference.
Laptops gummed up with debris will often begin to overheat more quickly than a clean computer because the hot air generated by components like the CPU has trouble escaping through the vents. Your laptop's motherboard will sense the temperature increase and may begin to apply thermal throttling, which slows down the computer's performance to protect its components.
Most laptop users can handle cleaning as a DIY job with simple household supplies like a microfiber cloth, a can of compressed air, and a solution of warm water and dish soap. While clearing out the vents should be your focus, clean your keyboard and screen while you're at it so your laptop comes out with looks as good as its performance.
3. Optimize your laptop's settings.
Changing certain settings can help your laptop improve its performance by allocating its resources more efficiently. There are three especially important ones to look at first:
- Power Saving Mode: Most laptops include a power-saving mode that offers longer battery life at the expense of system performance. Some computers switch this mode on and off automatically depending on battery level, but it's possible to set it to run all the time. Check your Windows or macOS power settings to see if you're currently using it. If you find that your laptop often needs to run in power-saving mode to preserve battery life, your battery might be near the end of its lifespan, so consider whether a laptop battery replacement could be right for you.
- Visual Effects: Your operating system creates visual effects such as animations and shadows that can also slow down your laptop's performance (since it's using system resources to create these). Turning off visual effects on Windows and macOS can save some processing power without sacrificing usability.
- Search Indexing: This feature powers fast file searches on your laptop, and while disabling it was once a common speed tip, that’s no longer true for most modern systems. On SSD-based laptops (especially NVMe), indexing has little impact on performance and actually makes searches feel faster. Only on older HDD-based laptops, which are rare in 2025, might turning it off or limiting it to specific folders improve speed. For nearly all users today, it’s best to keep Search Indexing enabled.
4. Upgrade to an NVMe SSD.
Nearly all modern laptops today use solid state drives (SSDs), and the fastest option is an NVMe SSD, which offers dramatically quicker boot times, app launches, and file transfers compared to older storage technologies. If your laptop still runs on a traditional HDD, upgrading will feel like night and day. Even if you already have an older SATA SSD, moving to an NVMe drive can deliver a noticeable boost in speed and responsiveness.
Most laptops with an accessible storage bay allow you to make the swap yourself, but you’ll need to confirm the correct form factor (M.2 NVMe vs. 2.5" SATA) before purchasing. Always perform a full system backup first to protect your files. If your system doesn’t make upgrading easy—or you’d rather not tackle the hardware yourself—Micro Center’s experts can handle the installation for you and ensure everything is configured properly.
SSD vs. HDD: Which Storage Is Right for You?
5. Limit the number of programs that automatically run on startup.
Ever turned on your laptop and suddenly realized you somehow have five different applications running that you didn't ask for? That's because some programs will automatically start when you boot up your computer unless you tell them otherwise. That's not necessarily bad if it's something like your cybersecurity software, but less necessary applications are also happy for a free ride.
Fortunately, both Windows and Mac make it easy to choose which programs run on startup. On Windows PCs, navigate to Settings > Apps > Startup, where you'll see a list of apps that currently auto-run when you boot up your PC. You'll be able to toggle them on and off here, and Windows even shows a helpful indicator beneath each one that tells you what kind of impact it has on your computer's resource usage (ranging from No Impact to High Impact).
It's equally easy on macOS. To see every app that runs when you boot up the computer, go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items. From here, you can easily select and deselect which apps you want to open when you start your Mac. If you have an app in your Dock that auto-runs, you can also right click its icon and then deselect “Open at login.”
6. Scan for malware and remove bloatware.
Malicious software or unnecessary apps running in the background can slow your laptop just as much as outdated hardware. Run a malware scan with built-in tools like Windows Security or third-party programs such as Malwarebytes. On macOS, tools like CleanMyMac can help identify resource-hogging apps. Also check for pre-installed “bloatware” apps you don’t use and uninstall them. This frees up resources and helps your laptop run more smoothly.
7. Upgrade your laptop's RAM.
RAM is a computer's “working memory” that helps it perform tasks quickly and efficiently, and a lack of sufficient RAM can be a big problem for your computer's performance. These days, 16GB RAM is considered the minimum standard for good performance on common applications. At the same time, 32GB or even 64GB is preferred if you need a high-performance computer for design, audio/video production, or gaming.
Both Windows and macOS make it easy to determine how much RAM you have installed, as well as how much your computer is using. Task Manager will show you on Windows, while Activity Monitor does basically the same thing on Mac. If your RAM usage is consistently high, consider whether your laptop has enough RAM for the tasks you're using it for, and whether an upgrade might be a good idea.
Not all laptops allow end users to upgrade RAM, many laptops have soldered RAM, making upgrades impossible. However, some do, and a RAM upgrade can provide a noticeable performance boost on all kinds of applications. Before making your purchase, check to make sure your laptop RAM is upgradeable. If you can upgrade, it's relatively easy on many laptops to access and replace the RAM modules yourself. Much like replacing a hard drive, however, plenty of people also find it much easier and less anxiety-inducing to have a professional replace their laptop's RAM.
8. Store large files on an external drive.
Filling a hard drive close to its capacity can make its performance slower. That means if you've been using your laptop to store your collection of photos, music, movies, or other media, it might be time to find a new place for these things. Start by checking your free space and finding out how much you have available.
External storage media (such as external HDDs and SSDs) have long been the preferred option for big media collections. They're convenient, can hold tons of files, and are more affordable than ever. (They're also a great choice for backing up your most important files, which is a fundamental data security task that everyone should be doing regularly.) For those with truly huge media collections, or media professionals sitting on terabytes of project files, it can be worth investigating commercial-grade storage solutions like network attached storage.
9. Check your internet connection and WiFi signal.
Sometimes, slow performance isn't your laptop's fault, and your internet connection (or WiFi) is actually causing problems. Start by running some free speed tests, which will tell you the upload and download speed of your connection, as well as its general performance level.
If your speeds are on the lower end, here are a few steps you can take:
- Move closer to your WiFi router
- Use a wired Ethernet connection instead of WiFi
- Switch to a faster WiFi band if your router supports it, such as 5 GHz, 6 GHz, or even WiFi 7
- Check whether other people on your connection are downloading or uploading large files
- Make sure your modem and router can accommodate your internet's rated connection speed
If none of these steps work and your internet is consistently slow, contact your ISP and ask about options. They'll work with you to troubleshoot the issue, including upgrading your internet connection if it turns out to be necessary.
10. Perform a factory reset on your laptop.
If you’ve tried every other fix and your laptop is still sluggish, a factory reset can give it a true clean slate. This process wipes your files, removes apps, and reinstalls the operating system, often clearing out the corrupted or leftover data that slows performance.
On Windows 11, the easiest way is through Settings > System > Recovery > Reset this PC, where you can choose between keeping your personal files or removing everything. Microsoft also offers a cloud download option, which reinstalls Windows from scratch without needing local files. On macOS Ventura and newer, head to System Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Erase All Content and Settings for a similar one-step reset.
Before you reset, always create a backup of your files using File History or OneDrive on Windows, or Time Machine and iCloud on macOS. This ensures you can restore important documents after the reset. For best results, uninstall unnecessary apps and clean up your storage first so the reset restores a lean, optimized system.
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