How to Make a Laptop Faster

Hardware Upgrades

• Upgrade to an SSD: If your laptop still uses a traditional Hard Drive (HDD), swapping it for a Solid State Drive (SSD) provides the single biggest jump in overall performance Microsoft Community, HP. 
• Add More RAM: For modern operating systems (like Windows 10/11) and heavy multitasking, upgrading to at least 16GB of RAM prevents extreme slowdowns HP.

Check What Is Actually Slowing You Down

Before changing any settings, it helps to know exactly where the bottleneck is coming from, since the fix for low RAM is completely different from the fix for a failing hard drive.

1. Press Control, Shift, and Escape to open the Task Manager directly.
2. Click the Performance tab.
3. Watch your CPU, Memory, and Disk usage while you open a few normal apps.
4. If Disk usage sits near 100 percent even when idle, your storage drive is very likely the bottleneck, and an SSD upgrade will help enormously.
5. If Memory is constantly maxed out, you are short on RAM for your workload.
6. If CPU spikes to 100 percent regularly, an old processor or a runaway background process is the culprit.

It also helps to check laptop specifications at this stage, since knowing your exact RAM amount, processor, and storage type tells you immediately whether an upgrade is even physically possible on your model.

Disable Unnecessary Startup Programs

Every app that automatically launches when Windows boots adds to your startup time, and most of them are not apps you actually need running constantly.

1. Open Task Manager with Control, Shift, and Escape.
2. Click the Startup apps tab (Startup on older Windows 10 builds).
3. Look at the Startup impact column, sorted from High to Low.
4. Right click any app you rarely use immediately after turning on your laptop, such as chat clients, cloud backup tools, or printer software, and select Disable.
5. Leave your antivirus software and any Windows system processes alone.

This single change is often responsible for the biggest visible improvement in boot time, sometimes cutting startup by half on laptops that have not been cleaned up in years.

Run Disk Cleanup and Free Up Storage

A storage drive that is nearly full slows down almost everything, including how quickly Windows can create temporary files it needs for normal operation.

1. Type Disk Cleanup into the Windows search bar and open it.
2. Select your main drive, usually C, and click OK.
3. Click Clean up system files for a deeper scan that includes old Windows Update leftovers.
4. Tick Temporary files, Recycle Bin, and Windows Update Cleanup at minimum.
5. Click OK, then Delete Files to confirm.

Aim to keep at least 15 to 20 percent of your total storage free at all times, since both Windows and your SSD’s own internal management need breathing room to function efficiently.

Update Windows and Your Drivers

Outdated drivers, particularly for your graphics card and storage controller, are a frequent and often overlooked cause of sluggish performance.

1. Open Settings, then Windows Update, and click Check for updates. Install anything pending, including optional driver updates listed under Advanced options.
2. Open Device Manager, expand Display adapters, right click your graphics card, and select Update driver.
3. Do the same for your network adapter if web browsing feels slow specifically, since a poor network driver can look identical to a slow laptop.

Restart your laptop after installing updates, since many driver improvements only take effect after a full reboot rather than immediately.

Remove Bloatware and Unused Programs

Manufacturer trial software, old game installs, and browser toolbars you forgot about all quietly consume storage space and, in some cases, run background services even when you never open them.

1. Open Settings, then Apps, then Installed apps.
2. Sort the list by size to spot large, unused programs quickly.
3. Uninstall anything you do not recognize or have not opened in the last six months.
4. Pay particular attention to manufacturer trial software such as antivirus trials or PC tune up utilities, which often run constantly in the background while providing little actual benefit.

If you plan to install fresh, useful software afterward, our guide on how to download apps laptop owners actually need covers safe sources and setup in full detail.

Scan for Malware and Adware

Malware and adware are a surprisingly common and frequently overlooked cause of a laptop that has suddenly become slow, particularly one that shows random pop ups, changed browser settings, or unexplained CPU spikes.

1. Open Windows Security directly from the Start menu.
2. Click Virus & threat protection.
3. Select Scan options, choose Full scan, and click Scan now.
4. Remove or quarantine anything flagged.
5. For a second opinion, download Malwarebytes free version and run an additional scan, since no single tool catches everything.

Adjust Your Power and Performance Settings

Windows sometimes defaults to a power saving plan that deliberately limits your processor speed to save battery, which can feel like a genuine performance problem even on capable hardware.

1. Open Settings, then System, then Power.
2. Change the Power mode dropdown to Best performance if you are plugged into mains power.
3. For older Windows 10 builds, search the Control Panel, open Power Options, and select the High performance plan instead of Balanced or Power saver.

This is especially worth checking if your laptop feels slower specifically while running on battery, since many manufacturers throttle performance automatically once unplugged.

Manage Background Apps and Browser Tabs

Modern browsers are some of the heaviest resource consumers on any laptop, often quietly using more memory than every other open app combined.

1. Close browser tabs you are not actively using rather than leaving dozens open across multiple windows.
2. Open your browser’s task manager (Shift and Escape inside Chrome) to spot individual tabs or extensions using excessive memory.
3. Disable or remove browser extensions you installed once and never use again.
4. In Windows Settings, go to Apps, then Startup, and disable any browser set to launch automatically at boot if you do not need it running constantly.

Upgrade Your RAM or Switch to an SSD

If the free software fixes above only help a little, your laptop may genuinely be limited by its hardware, and this is where a targeted upgrade delivers the biggest real world improvement.

Adding more RAM is the single best upgrade for multitasking, browser heavy work, and running several apps at once. Our guide on how to install memory laptop owners can follow safe walks through checking compatibility and fitting new modules step by step.

Switching to a solid state drive delivers the most noticeable everyday speed improvement of any single upgrade, often cutting boot time from over a minute down to fifteen seconds or less, since SSDs read and write data many times faster than traditional spinning hard drives.

If your current machine cannot be upgraded further, or the cost of new parts outweighs the value of an older laptop, renting newer, properly specified hardware is often the more practical choice for short term projects. Take a look at our laptops for rent selection for machines that arrive fully updated and ready to work at full speed from day one.

Keep Your Laptop Cool

Heat is one of the most underrated causes of slow performance, since modern processors deliberately slow themselves down, a process called thermal throttling, once internal temperatures climb too high.

1. Use your laptop on a hard, flat surface rather than a bed or sofa, since fabric blocks the intake vents underneath.
2. Clean dust out of the vents every few months using compressed air, since built up dust is the single most common cause of overheating on laptops over a year old.
3. Consider a cooling pad if you regularly run demanding software or games for extended periods.

For a deeper walkthrough of diagnosing and fixing heat related slowdowns specifically, our guide on how to fix laptop overheating covers thermal paste, fan cleaning, and airflow in full detail. If your fans have started running loudly as well as your laptop running slow, it is also worth reading our post on how to stop laptop fan noise, since the two issues frequently share the same root cause. A worn out battery can also contribute to poor performance since some laptops throttle speed to protect an aging battery, so it is worth learning how to check battery health as part of a full diagnosis.

If you have worked through every fix here and your laptop is still holding your team back, it may simply be time for newer equipment rather than another repair. Browse our full laptop rental range for fast, fully tested machines delivered ready to use across Dubai and the wider UAE.

Frequently Asked Questions