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Your computer is not too old to run well: 7 free fixes for a slow PC or Mac
2026-09-15

Your computer is not too old to run well: 7 free fixes for a slow PC or Mac

Seven free fixes for a Windows PC or a Mac that has started to drag — the startup list, a nearly full drive, background apps, and the settings quietly holding it back.

Life Hack Stack
Life Hack Stack@Jenna M
A computer that has started to feel slow is usually still doing everything it always did, plus a pile of work you never asked for. Programs launch themselves when you sign in. Sync clients, browsers, and photo libraries keep background processes alive. Files accumulate until the drive has little room left. Microsoft and Apple both put storage space and background load at the top of their own lists of causes for a sluggish machine. 12 All seven fixes below are free, and each one works on Windows or macOS. They are ordered by how quickly they pay off. Where the slowdown turns out to be the hardware itself, the last section says how to recognise that.

1. Look at what is running before you change anything

Steps
  1. On Windows, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Open the Performance tab and note which resource is pinned flat: CPU, Memory, or Disk.
  3. Open the Processes tab, then click the CPU and Memory column headers to sort the list.
  4. On a Mac, open Activity Monitor from Applications > Utilities.
  5. Check the CPU and Memory tabs while the machine feels slow, and write down the top two or three process names.
Why it works: Microsoft's performance guidance starts with monitoring CPU, memory, and disk usage, because the process list is what identifies the programs actually consuming the machine. 1 Apple's page for a slow Mac names memory-hungry apps and a startup disk without enough free space as the first two things to check. 2 Sorting the list once tells you which of the next few fixes you need, and whether one runaway program is responsible for all of it.
Avoid this mistake: Ending a process only because the name looks unfamiliar. That list also contains drivers, security software, and operating-system components. Quit the programs you recognise and leave the rest alone.

2. Cut what launches itself at sign-in

The startup list is the largest free gain on most machines, and the one most people have never opened.
Hands typing on a laptop at a white desk with a small plant beside it
A computer that looks idle is usually still working: an app set to open at sign-in keeps running for the rest of the session, whether or not you use it. Image source: Pixabay
Steps
  1. On Windows, open Settings > Apps > Startup, or open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and select the Startup apps tab.
  2. Sort by the Startup impact column and start with the entries marked High.
  3. Switch off the ones you do not need the moment you sign in.
  4. On a Mac, open System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions and remove the apps you do not need opening automatically. 3
  5. Restart the machine and watch how long the desktop takes to settle.
Why it works: Apps that run at startup can slow boot time and increase background usage, which is why Microsoft lists them among the first things to check on a slow PC. 1 Task Manager grades every entry by the processor time and disk access it uses while you sign in; High impact means more than a second of CPU time or more than three megabytes of disk access before you have done anything at all. 4 Switching an entry off is reversible, and the app still opens normally when you click it.
Avoid this mistake: Turning everything off in one pass. Leave security software, audio, touchpad, and cloud-sync utilities alone until you know what they do, and change two or three entries at a time so you can tell which one helped.

3. Get the drive out of the danger zone

A drive with almost no room left is slower than the same drive with space to work.
Steps
  1. On Windows, open Settings > System > Storage and turn on Storage Sense, or open Cleanup recommendations. 5
  2. Read each category before you select anything, then remove what you do not want.
  3. Empty the Recycle Bin; files you delete do not free space until you do. 5
  4. On a Mac, open System Settings > General > Storage and work through the recommendations there, then empty the Trash. 6
  5. Before you stop, check that roughly a fifth of the drive is free. 7
Why it works: Microsoft states that low disk space can reduce system performance and interfere with installing Windows updates. 5 Apple's first cause to check on a slow Mac is a startup disk without enough free space. 2 Lifehacker's guidance on reviving an old laptop sets the working target at 15 to 20 percent of the drive left empty, which is a number you can check in a few seconds. 7
Avoid this mistake: Deleting your way to a tidier number without reading the list. On Windows, Cleanup recommendations can include the previous Windows installation, and removing it also removes your route back to that version. That choice is final, so make it deliberately.

4. Uninstall what you do not use, and quieten what you keep

Steps
  1. On Windows, open Settings > Apps > Installed apps and sort by size or by install date.
  2. Uninstall the programs you have not opened in a year.
  3. For an app you want to keep, open its Advanced options and set the background permission to Never. 1
  4. On a Mac, drag the app from Applications to the Trash and empty it. 6
  5. Look at Login Items again a week later, in case something has added itself back. 3
Why it works: An installed app costs more than the space it occupies. Microsoft counts uninstalling unused apps as both freed storage and reduced background activity, and some programs keep processes running whether or not you ever open them. 1 Clearing them lowers the load the machine carries all day rather than only at sign-in.
Avoid this mistake: Removing something you cannot identify. On Windows, some entries in that list are drivers or shared components rather than programs you started yourself, so check the name and the publisher first. When you are unsure, switch off the background permission instead.

5. Restart properly on Windows

Steps
  1. Choose Start > Power > Restart, and let it finish undisturbed.
  2. Before you go back to work, close the apps and browser tabs you do not need.
  3. On a Mac, quit apps with Command + Q rather than leaving them open for days. 2
Why it works: On Windows, Fast Startup saves the kernel session to disk and hibernates it when you shut down, which is exactly what makes shutting down fast. 8 Microsoft states that the Fast Startup setting does not apply to Restart, and that a restart performs a full boot cycle. 8 A restart therefore closes the session you have been carrying, including the background processes the fixes above left in place.
Avoid this mistake: Treating a restart as a cure. If the machine is slow again within the hour, something is launching itself at sign-in, and fix 2 is where that gets handled.

6. Trade animations and battery for responsiveness

Steps
  1. On Windows, type "Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows" into the Start search and open the result.
  2. On the Visual Effects tab, choose "Adjust for best performance". 1
  3. Open Settings > System > Power & battery and set the Power mode to Best performance.
  4. On a Mac, keep the charger connected for heavy work.
  5. Move the laptop back to its usual power setting when you are finished.
Why it works: Window animations, shadows, and transparency are work the machine does every time you open, move, or close something. Setting visual effects to best performance returns that effort to the programs you are actually using, and the power mode lets the processor hold a higher speed when a task asks for it. 1
Avoid this mistake: Leaving Best performance on permanently on a laptop. Microsoft notes that the setting draws more power, drains the battery faster, and makes the device run warmer. 1 Use it while the laptop is plugged in.

7. Update everything, then scan for malware

Steps
  1. On Windows, open Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates.
  2. Then open Advanced options > Optional updates and install any driver updates offered. 1
  3. Restart to finish the installation.
  4. Open Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection and run a Quick scan.
  5. On a Mac, open System Settings > General > Software Update.
Why it works: Microsoft counts Windows updates among the fixes that carry performance improvements, and malware among the causes of a slow machine, because a malicious process consumes processor and disk time like any other program. 1 The updater also needs free disk space to work with, which is why fix 3 comes before this one.
Avoid this mistake: Reaching for a third-party "PC cleaner" first. The updater, the storage tools, and the malware scanner already ship with the operating system. One limit is worth knowing: Microsoft ended free software updates and security fixes for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, and no setting on that machine changes it. 1
Fix 2 and fix 3 carry most of the free gain, so start there, then work down the list. Finish with a restart and use the machine normally for a day. If it is still slow with room on the drive and a startup list you have cleared, the constraints are hardware: a processor several generations behind, a battery that can no longer supply peak power, or a mechanical hard drive where a solid-state drive would go. 7 That is a spending decision, and it is worth making after the free ones have been tried.

References

  1. 1
    Tips to improve PC performance in Windows

    support.microsoft.com

  2. 2
    If your Mac runs slowly

    support.apple.com

  3. 3
    Open items automatically when you log in on Mac

    support.apple.com

  4. 4
    Configure Startup applications in Windows

    support.microsoft.com

  5. 5
    Free up drive space in Windows

    support.microsoft.com

  6. 6
    Free up storage space on Mac

    support.apple.com

  7. 7
    8 Ways to Make Your Old Laptop Feel New Again

    lifehacker.com

  8. 8
    Fast startup causes hibernation or shutdown to fail in Windows 10 or Windows 8.1

    learn.microsoft.com

Life Hack Stack
Life Hack Stack@Jenna M

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  • 1. Look at what is running before you change anything
  • 2. Cut what launches itself at sign-in
  • 3. Get the drive out of the danger zone
  • 4. Uninstall what you do not use, and quieten what you keep
  • 5. Restart properly on Windows
  • 6. Trade animations and battery for responsiveness
  • 7. Update everything, then scan for malware