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Tips to improve PC performance in Windows 10

Does a slow PC have you down? If so, try some of the things below to help
make your Windows 10 PC run better. The tips are listed in order, so start with
the first one, see if that fixes the problem, and then continue to the next one if
it doesnt.

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1. Make sure you have the latest updates for Windows and device drivers
One the best ways to get the most of your PC is to make sure you have the
latest version of Windows 10 installed. When you check for updates, your PC
will also search for the latest device drivers, which can also help improve
your PCs performance.

To check for updates

1. Select the Start button, then select Settings > Update &
security > Windows Update > Check for updates.

2. Look under Update status, and do one of the following:

If the status says Your device is up to date, go to the next tip

below.

If the status says Updates are available, select Install now, and
go to the next step in this procedure.

3. Select the updates you want to install, then select Install.

4. Restart your PC, do what you were doing before, and see if your PC is
running better.

For more info about updates, including how you can have them installed
automatically for you, see the Windows Update FAQ.

If your PC still runs slowly, continue to the next tip.

 2. Restart your PC and open only the apps you need
Having more open apps, programs, web browsers, and so on can slow down
your PC. If this is happening to you, restart your PC, then close the apps,
programs, and windows youre not using.

To restart your PC

1. Select the Start button > Power > Restart.

2. After your PC restarts, open just the apps you need, then close them
when youre done.

Sometimes apps that were made for a previous version of Windows will still
run on Windows 10, but they might slow down your PC. If you notice this is
happening after opening a certain program, check the software companys
website for an updated version, or run the Program Compatibility
Troubleshooter.

To run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type troubleshooting, and then select
Troubleshooting, which has Control Panel listed underneath it.

2. In Troubleshooting, select Run programs made for previous versions

of Windows.

3. In the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter, select Next to run it.

4. Select the program that youre having problems with > Next, and
continue through the troubleshooter.

PC still running slowly? Continue on.

3. Check your memory and memory usage

When it comes to memory, one of the first things to do is find out how
much memory RAM you have and how much of it is currently being used.
You can find out these things and much more in Task Manager.

To check memory and memory usage

To check memory and memory usage

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete, and then select Task Manager.

2. In Task Manager, select More details > the Performance tab >
Memory.
First, see how much you have total, and then check the graph and see
how much RAM is being used.

1. Total amount of memory RAM

2. Memory in use

If you find that a lot of your RAM is regularly in use, you might want to
consider adding more RAM if you canespecially if your PC only has 1 or 2
gigabytes GB of RAM. To learn more about what kind of RAM your PC
model uses, first look at the memory information in Task Manager, and then
visit the PC manufacturers website for more specific info.


1. Type of memory RAM PC uses

2. RAM speed

3. Memory slots used

Heres some info about the minimum memory requirements for Windows
10:

Windows 10 32bit can run on a PC with 1 GB of RAM, but it runs

better with 2 GB. For better performance, add memory so you have 3
GB or more.

Windows 10 64bit can run on a PC with 2 GB of RAM, but it runs

better with 4 GB. For better performance, add memory so you have 6
GB or more.

For more info about the system requirements for Windows 10, see the
Windows 10 Specifications page.

Use ReadyBoost to help improve performance

Like previous versions of Windows, Windows 10 has ReadyBoost.
ReadyBoost lets you use a removable drive, like a USB flash drive, to improve
your PCs performance without opening your PC and adding more memory
RAM. To use ReadyBoost, youll need a USB flash drive or a memory card
that has at least 500 MB free and a high data transfer rate. For more info
about ReadyBoost, see ReadyBoost in Windows 10.

To use ReadyBoost

1. Insert the USB flash drive into a USB port on your PC.

2. On the taskbar, select File Explorer.

3. Press and hold or rightclick the USB flash drive or SD card if you
used one instead, then select Properties.

4. Select the ReadyBoost tab, then select Use this device.

Windows determines if the device can use ReadyBoost. If it cant, a
message appears to let you know.

5. After Windows determines how much free space to use to optimize

memory, select OK to reserve this space, so ReadyBoost can use it.
When you look at the contents of the USB flash drive in File Explorer,
youll see a file named ReadyBoost.sfcache on the flash drive. This file
shows how much space is reserved for ReadyBoost.

Note
If Windows is installed on a solid state drive SSD, ReadyBoost cant be used because the SSD
drive is already fast and you wont get better performance by using ReadyBoost.

Change the paging file size to improve performance

The paging file is an area on your hard disk that Windows uses like memory.
Increasing the paging file size can help improve your PCs performance.

1. Rightclick the Start button, then select System.

2. Select Advanced system settings on the left side.

3. In System Properties, select the Advanced tab > Settings in the

Performance area.
 4. In Performance Options, select the Advanced tab > Change in the
Virtual memory area.

5. Clear the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives check
box.

6. Select Custom size, then enter an initial size in MB and maximum size
in the corresponding boxes.

7. Select Set > OK.

8. Restart your PC by selecting the Start button > Power > Restart.

Use your PC then see if its running better. If its not, try the next tip.

4. Check for low disk space and make some room if necessary
Your PC might slow down if your hard disk is almost full and you dont have
a lot of free space. In this case, freeing up disk space can help make your PC
run better.

To check for low disk space

1. Select the Start button > Settings > System > Storage .

2. Under Storage, select your hard disk, and then see whats taking up
space.

3. Do one of the following:

If your PC isnt low on space, go to the next tip.

If youre running low on disk space, go through each section and

remove stuff you dont need.

To remove temporary files and downloads, and empty the recycle

bin

Another way to free up disk space is to delete temporary files and

downloads, and empty the recycle bin.
 1. Select the Start button > Settings > System > Storage .

2. Under Storage, select This PC, which has a drive letter for your hard
disk next to it.

3. Under Storage usage, select Temporary files.

4. On the Temporary files screen, select the Temporary files check box >
Remove files.

5. On the taskbar,select File Explorer, then select the Downloads folder

under This PC.
The Downloads folder is the default file location for most web browsers.

6. See which files are in the Downloads folder, and move the downloads
you want to keep to another drive.

7. Go back to the Temporary files screen in Settings, select the

Downloads folder check box > Remove files.

8. Go to your desktop, and then open Recycle Bin.

9. Move any files you want to keep, and then select Empty Recycle Bin.

10. Restart your PC, and then see if its running better.

To move files to another drive

If you have photos, music, downloads, or other files that you want to keep
but don't use very often, consider saving them to removable media, like a
USB flash drive. You'll still be able to use them when the flash drive is
connected, but they won't take up space on your PC.

1. Plug a USB flash drive into a USB port on your PC

2. Select File Explorer on the taskbar, and find the files you want to move.

3. Select the files, go to the Home tab, and then select Move to >
Choose location.

4. Select your flash drive from the location list, and then select Move.

To uninstall apps you don't use anymore

 Another way to free up space is to remove apps and programs that you
dont use.

1. Select the Start button > Settings > System > Apps &
features .

2. Search for a specific app or sort them to see which ones are taking up
the most space.

3. When you find an app you want to remove, select it from the list, then
select Uninstall.

4. Restart your PC, and then do what you were doing before to see if your
PCs performance has improved.

5. Restore your PC from a system restore point

Restoring your PC is a way to undo recent changes to your PC that might be
causing problems. If you think an app, driver, or an update for Windows you
recently installed might be causing problems, you might be able to get
things running normally again by restoring your PC to an earlier point in
time. This is a called a restore point.

Notes

Restoring from a restore point wont affect your personal files,

but it will remove apps, drivers, and updates that were
installed after the restore point was created.

System restore works for recent changes that were made to

your PC more recentlychanges in the last 7 to 14 days.

To restore your PC from a restore point

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type restore point, then select Create
a restore point from the list of results.

2. In the System Properties box, on the System Protection tab, select

System Restore.

3. Select Next > choose the restore point related to the app, driver, or
update that might be causing the problem > Next > Finish.
 4. Restart your PC and do what you were doing before and see if that
makes things better.

If you dont see any restore points, it might be because system protection
isnt turned on.

To turn on system protection

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type restore point, then select Create
a restore point from the list of results.

2. In the System Properties box, on the System Protection tab, select

Configure.

3. In the Restore Settings area, select Turn on system protection > OK.

If your PC still runs slowly, try the next tip.

6. Disable unnecessary startup programs

When you turn on your PC, some programs start automatically and run in
the background. You can disable these programs, so they dont run when
your PC starts up.

Many programs are designed to start automatically when Windows starts.

Software manufacturers often set their programs to open in the background,
so you dont see them running, but so they'll open quickly when you go to
use them. This is helpful for programs you use a lot, but not for programs
you dont use often because it slows down the time it takes Windows to
start.

Find the programs that start automatically

Sometimes you can figure out which programs start automatically by

looking at the program icons in the notification area thats on the far right of
the taskbar. Check there first to see if there are any programs running that
you dont want to start automatically. To try to find out the name of the
program, point to the icon with your mouse pointer. Make sure you select
Show hidden icons , so you dont miss any programs.


Notification area with mouse pointing to show hidden icons

Even after you check the notification area, you might still miss some
programs that run automatically at startup. Heres how you can find all the
programs that start automatically, and stop the ones that you dont want to
start automatically when Windows starts.

To stop a program from starting automatically

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete, then select Task Manager.

2. In Task Manager, select More details in the lowerleft corner, then

select the Startup tab.

3. To stop a program from starting automatically, select the program, then

select Disable.
If you have questions about a specific app or program, see the
programs support page for more info.

4. Restart your PC and do what you were doing before, then see if youre
still seeing the same performance problems.

Note
If you disable a program and it continues to start automatically when Windows starts, you should
scan for viruses and malware, which is explained in the next section.

7. Check for and remove viruses and malware

A virus, malware, or other malicious software could cause your PC to run
slowly. Some other symptoms include unexpected popup messages,
programs that unexpectedly start automatically, or the sound of your hard
disk constantly working.

The best way to handle viruses and malicious software is to try to prevent
them by running antimalware and antivirus software and keeping it up to
date. Even if you take precautions, your PC can still become infected.

You can scan your PC for viruses or other malicious software by using
Windows Defender, which is included in Windows 10. For more info, see
Protect your PC.

Note
If youre using other antivirus or antimalware software, check the documentation for that program
to learn how to scan for viruses. Also, make sure multiple antivirus programs arent running at the
same time. If they are, pick the one you want to run, and then disable or uninstall any others.

To scan for viruses using Windows Defender

1. Select the Start button > Settings > Update & security >
Windows Defender > Open Windows Defender.

2. Select the Update tab > Update Definitions to make sure you have
the latest definition file.

3. Select the Home tab > Scan Now, then wait for Windows Defender to
finish scanning for viruses and malware.

4. Do one of the following, depending on the results of the scan:

If Windows Defender finds a virus or malware and cant remove or
quarantine it, contact Microsoft Support for help.

If no viruses are found, restart your PC and try to reproduce the

performance problem you were having with your PC.

Note
If Windows Defender doesnt open, cant update the definition file, or cant finish scanning for
viruses, try running Windows Defender in Offline Mode, which is explained in the following
procedure.

To scan for malware and viruses with Windows Defender Offline

 1. Save any documents or anything else you might have open on your PC.

2. Select the Start button > Settings > Update & security >
Windows Defender > Scan Offline.
Your PC will restart, and Windows Defender Offline will run and scan for
viruses and malware. The scan might take 15 minutes or so, and your
PC will restart again after that.

3. Try to reproduce the performance issue.

If your PC still runs slowly, continue to the next tip.

8. Check for corrupted Windows system files

System File Checker SFC is a utility in Windows that scans for corrupted
Windows system files. If it finds a problem, it will try to replace the
problematic system files from a cached version thats on your PC. If SFC cant
replace the files, the Deployment Image Service and Management Tool
DISM can check the corrupted files then download and replace the files
through Windows Update.

To run System File Checker SFC

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type command prompt, press and
hold or rightclick Command Prompt, then select Run as
administrator > Yes.

2. At the command prompt, type sfc /scannow note the space between
"sfc" and the "/".
Scanning will take a few minutes.

3. Do one of the following, depending on the results of the scan:

If SFC finds corrupted files and replaces them, restart your PC and
see if that improves your PCs performance.

If SFC doesnt find corrupted files or finds corrupted files but cant
replace them, try using the Deployment Image Service and
Management Tool DISM.

For more info about System File Checker, see Use the System File Checker
tool to repair missing or corrupted system files.

To use the Deployment Image Service and Management Tool

 To use the Deployment Image Service and Management Tool
DISM

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type command prompt, press and
hold or rightclick Command Prompt, and then select Run as
administrator > Yes.

2. At the command prompt, type dism.exe /Online /Cleanupimage

/Restorehealth note the space between "dism.exe" and "/" and each
switch /.

3. If DISM finds corrupted files and replaces them, restart your PC and see
that improves performance.

Note
You need to be connected to the Internet to use DISM, and it might take several minutes to finish.

For more info about DISM, see Fix Windows Update errors by using the
DISM or System Update Readiness tool.

If your PC is still running slowly, go to the next tip.

9. Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows

Windows 10 includes many different visual effects, such as animations and
shadow effects. These look great, but they can also use additional system
resources and can slow down your PCthis is especially true if you have a
PC with a smaller amount of memory RAM.

To adjust the visual effects in Windows

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type performance, then select Adjust
the appearance and performance of Windows.

2. In the Performance Options dialog box, on the Visual Effects tab,

select Adjust for best performance > Apply.

3. Restart your PC and see if that speeds up your PC.

If your PC still runs slowly, continue to the next tip.

10. Adjust or turn off OneDrive sync

 Your PC settings let you choose where files will be saved to by default.
However, in newer versions of Windows 10, files are saved to OneDrive
instead of your PC. This lets you get to your files from any device that can
connect to the Internet, and it helps to make sure you have your files in case
your PC is ever damaged or lost. It also means that your files need to sync
between your PC and OneDrive to make sure both copiesthe one on your
PC and the one on OneDriveare synced. However, syncing can slow down
your PC.

To stop syncing to OneDrive

1. On the taskbar, select File Explorer.

2. Press and hold or rightclick OneDrive Personal, and then select

Choose OneDrive folders to sync.

3. Clear the Sync all files and folders in OneDrive check box, then select
OK.

4. Restart your PC and see if that improves things.

If this fixes the performance problem with your PC, check out the Fix
OneDrive sync problems topic to try to fix your syncing problems, so you
can turn syncing back on to keep your files synced.

If your PC still runs slowly, you should turn syncing back on for OneDrive by
selecting the Sync all files and folders in OneDrive check box again, and
then continue to the next tip.

11. Reset your PC

When you reset your PC, you can choose whether you want to keep your
personal files or remove them, then have Windows reinstalled. Resetting
your PC should be one of the last things you should try.

Do one of the following:

If you want to keep your files, follow the steps in To back up your
data below.

If you want to remove your files and not back them up, go to To reset
your PC below.

To back up your data

 To back up your data

1. Select the Start button > Settings > Update & security >
Backup > Add a drive, and then choose an external drive or
network location to back up your files to.

2. On the Backup screen, select More options > Back up now.

This will back up all the files in your Users foldersincluding Desktop,
Documents, Downloads, Favorites, Music, Pictures, and more.

Note
It might take several minutes for the backup to finish. Your external drive or network location
needs to have enough free space for all the files that you want to back up.

To reset your PC

1. Go to Settings > Update & security > Recovery .

2. Under Reset this PC, select Get started.

For more info about resetting your PC, see Windows 10 recovery
options.

To restore your data

After you reset your PC, heres how to restore your data from your backup.
When you do this, all the personal files you backed up will be put back on
your PC.

1. Select the Start button > Settings > Update & security >
Backup > Add a drive, and then choose the external drive or
network location that you backed up your files to.

2. On the Backup screen, select More options > Restore files from a
current backup.

3. When the external hard drive or network location that you backed up
to is available, select the green circle at the bottom to start restoring
your files and folders.
It might take several minutes for Windows to restore your files.

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Article ID: 4002019 Last Review: Nov 30, 2016 Revision: 56

Applies to
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