It is important to take the time to learn how to speed up your laptop. The unfortunate reality is that over time it is likely your laptop or PC will become slower and less responsive.
If you are like most people, that means you will probably rush out and get a new one! Or maybe, if you are like me, you will drag your charger everywhere you go until you get around to replacing the computer.
We live in a society where people don’t think much about fixing the things that they own. Unfortunately, this means you are losing a lot of money in the process! There are things you can do to help you boost the speed of your laptop and get it back to working as it once was.
In this post, I will share some easy ways you can speed up your laptop so you don’t have to waste money buying a new one!
Table of Contents
- 1. Identify Resource Heavy Programs
- 2. Close Start-Up Programs
- 3. Remove Uninstalled Programs
- 4. Check Your Storage
- 5. Check Your RAM
- 6. Clean It
- 7. Replace Your Battery!
- Final Thoughts on Speeding Up Laptops to Save Money
1. Identify Resource Heavy Programs
You obviously know that using some types of programs can be resource and memory-intensive, and the more resources they use, the slower your laptop will be.
This is not true for all programs, and some will use very little when at rest while others will use a lot both at rest and when in use.
This can be true, especially for Chrome. If you are running Chrome, chances are it’s using a lot of resources, so finding out how to reduce Chrome memory usage can be an excellent option to help you speed things up. If you want to know what other processes are eating into your resources, then the following sequence can help you.
- Press the CTRL+ALT+DELETE keys together
- Task Manager
- Processes
- Then, identify processes and close them down
2. Close Start-Up Programs
Most laptops will have multiple start-up programs set to run as soon as you open your laptop, whether you use them or not.
Some of these can impact the speed of your laptop, meaning you will already be slowed down without doing anything. However, you can disable these programs and only turn them on when you need them.
This is how:
- Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE together
- Task Manager
- Start-Up
- Right-click on the pens you do not want to run on start up automatically
- Click disable
How much faster this makes your laptop will depend on the settings you disable and what you still require when getting to work, but it can help you remove anything impacting your speed.
3. Remove Uninstalled Programs
Again, as above, most laptops will come with specific pre-installed programs built in for your convenience. You don’t need to keep them, and if you need the memory for other programs, then it can be worth looking through what there are and removing the ones you don’t want.
The same can be said for programs you have used in the past but don’t need anymore.
Here are some steps you can take to remove unwanted programs:
- Open control panel
- Programmes
- Features
- Right-click and select uninstall
It’s important to know that you cannot uninstall essential programs your laptop needs to run. You won’t be shown the uninstall option to avoid accidentally doing this.
4. Check Your Storage
If your storage is full or nearly full, this will also impact your laptop’s speed. Go through everything you have saved on your computer and either delete it or move it to an external hard drive.
Another option could be to upgrade your memory from a hard disk drive (HDD) to a solid state drive (SSD), as SSDs are lighter and faster and use flash memory over moving parts like an HDD does.
If you want to see how full your memory is and delete anything you don’t need, you can do this easily.
- Click the Windows button
- Type “settings”
- Select System
- Storage
You will be shown what is using up all of your storage, and you can see what you want to keep or delete.
5. Check Your RAM
If your laptop doesn’t have sufficient RAM for the operations you use it for, it will always feel a bit slow. The lower the RAM, the slower the performance will be. You can upgrade the RAM to help you boost speed, performance, and responsiveness and give you a much better experience.
If you’re unsure how much RAM your laptop has, you can find it easily:
- CTRL+ALT+DELETE at the same time
- Task Manager
- Performance
- Memory
- The RAM will be in the top right corner
6. Clean It
When was the last time you cleaned your laptop? A buildup of dust can make it harder for your laptop to perform as it needs to and make it slower.
It is always a good idea to clean your laptop before you start doing more complex operations. Sometimes this simple action can resolve a few of your issues already!
Wipe down the keyword and use short sharp bursts of air in the fan to blow away any dust that might have accumulated and to remove any bits under the keys.
7. Replace Your Battery!
This is probably my favorite tip because it is one of the easiest solutions. When I was living in Cambodia, I got very tired of my laptop’s short battery. The heat of the country slowed it down and would sometimes cause it to shut off completely!
I didn’t have a ton of money to shell out for a new laptop, so instead I spent around $250 to replace the battery. I thought the battery only impacted how long I could use the computer without charge, but I was wrong!
Replacing the battery improved the overall functioning of the computer! My screen was able to be used on brighter settings, the random shut-offs stopped because it could tolerate the heat better, and everything seemed to work faster.
The best result of the battery replacement is that I got another 2-3 years out of my laptop. When I upgraded it wasn’t because of my computer’s performance, rather I wanted to move to the computers with the M1 chip!
Final Thoughts on Speeding Up Laptops to Save Money
I hope that some of these tips help you! I know how frustrating it is to have issues with your computer. Not only do they often come with a hefty price tag, but we often see our laptops as an extension of ourselves.
It can be scary to potentially lose important documents or ideas. It is also such a pain to have to get used to and set up a new computer.
Hopefully, these tips help you to resolve your issues before they cost you money. You may also consider saving your documents in Google Drive or some sort of cloud in the future. This can make the whole process a lot easier and improve your long-term laptop speed.
Do you have any other tips on speeding up or saving money on your laptop? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
