Laptop Running Slowly

Laptop Running Slowly

Use this when: Everything is sluggish — apps take an age to open, typing lags, the machine feels bogged down.

Steps

Do this

What should happen

1. Restart (not Shut Down), then use it normally for ten minutes.

Resolves most slowness. Do not skip it.

2. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and click the Processes tab.

A list sorted by resource use appears.

3. Sort by CPU, then by Memory, and see what is at the top.

The heaviest items rise to the top.

4. Close anything you recognise, are not using, and did not need — especially browsers with many tabs.

Load drops. Fifty tabs is not free.

5. Check free disk space: Settings > System > Storage.

Below about 10% free, Windows slows badly. If you are near that, go to “Low Disk Space” in Windows 11, that is your problem, not apps.

6. Check for a pending update: Settings > Windows Update. Install and reboot if one is waiting.

A half-applied update often sits in the background eating resources until it is finished.

If that did not work

One process you do not recognise sits at the top constantly. Do not force-quit things at random — many are essential. Screenshot the Task Manager list and put it in your ticket.

It is slow only when plugged into the dock, or only on battery. Note which — it points at very different causes.

Still slow after a restart, free space, and updates. That is the ticket point. It may be hardware, or the machine may be due for a refresh.

Important: Do not install “PC cleaner”, “speed booster”, or “driver updater” tools from the internet. They range from useless to malware, and driver updaters in particular cause more faults than they fix. If your machine needs cleaning up or new drivers, we do it through the managed tools.

Log a ticket

Same day — Still slow after restarting, freeing space, and applying updates. Include a screenshot of Task Manager.



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