Is your Windows PC running slower than it used to? Before spending money on new hardware, try these 5 simple tips that can make a big difference — no extra software required.
Most slowdowns are caused by things running quietly in the background. These steps will help you take back control of your PC's performance.
Tip 1: Disable Startup Apps
Every program that launches at startup slows down your boot time and quietly uses memory in the background. Disabling the ones you don't need is the single fastest win.
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
Click the Startup tab (or Startup apps in Windows 11)
Sort by Startup impact — look for High impact apps
Right-click apps you don't need at startup → Disable
Common culprits to disable: Spotify, Discord, Teams, OneDrive, and Skype. You can still open them manually — they just won't slow down your startup.
Tip 2: Free Up Disk Space with Disk Cleanup
When your hard drive is nearly full, Windows slows down significantly. The built-in Disk Cleanup tool removes temporary files, old Windows updates, and cached data safely.
Press Windows + S and search for Disk Cleanup
Select your C: drive and click OK
Check all boxes, then click Clean up system files for even more space
Click OK → Delete Files to confirm
This is completely safe and can recover several gigabytes of space on most PCs.
Tip 3: Switch to High Performance Power Plan
Windows uses a Balanced power plan by default to save energy. Switching to High Performance tells Windows to stop throttling your CPU and run at full speed.
Press Windows + S and search for Power plan
Click Choose a power plan
Select High performance (click Show additional plans if you don't see it)
This is best for desktop PCs or laptops plugged into power. On battery, it will drain faster. Switch back to Balanced when on the go.
Tip 4: Reduce Visual Effects to Free Up RAM
Windows uses animations, shadows, and transparency effects that look nice but consume RAM and CPU. Turning them off speeds things up noticeably — especially on older PCs.
Press Windows + S and search for Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows
In the Performance Options window, select Adjust for best performance
Click Apply → OK
If you want a middle ground, choose Custom and keep only "Show thumbnails instead of icons" and "Smooth edges of screen fonts" checked.
Tip 5: Turn On Storage Sense
Storage Sense is a built-in Windows feature that automatically deletes temporary files, empties the Recycle Bin, and cleans up your Downloads folder on a schedule — so your PC stays clean without you having to do anything.
Press Windows + I to open Settings
Go to System → Storage
Toggle Storage Sense to On
Click Configure Storage Sense to set how often it runs (weekly recommended)
Be careful with the Downloads folder cleanup option — it will delete files older than 30 days. Make sure important files are moved elsewhere first.
Conclusion
A slow PC is usually a software problem, not a hardware one. By disabling unnecessary startup apps, cleaning up disk space, switching your power plan, reducing visual effects, and turning on Storage Sense, you can bring your Windows PC back to life — completely free.
Start with Tip 1 right now — press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and see how many startup apps are slowing you down.
