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How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer

Learn how to clean up a slow performing computer with clear steps, practical context, and useful troubleshooting guidance.

Table of Contents

This updated guide examines How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer and organizes the essential facts, background, and practical takeaways in clear American English.

Method 1

Cleaning up the Disk on Windows

  1. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 1 Open StartHow to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 2. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
  2. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 3 Type indisk cleanup. This will search your computer for the Disk Cleanup program, which is a utility that finds and deletes unnecessary files on your computer.
  3. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 4 ClickDisk Cleanup. It's a flash drive-shaped icon at the top of the Start menu. Disk Cleanup will open in a separate window.
    • If you have other windows open, you'll need to click the flashing Disk Cleanup icon at the bottom of the screen before proceeding.
  4. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 5 ClickClean up system files. This option is in the bottom-left corner of the Disk Cleanup window. Doing so allows Disk Cleanup to find even more files to delete.
  5. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 6 Check every box on the page. Every item on this page can be deleted to free up space on your computer.
    • You will have to scroll down to see all available boxes in the main window.
  6. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 7 ClickOK. It's at the bottom of the window.
  7. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 8 ClickDelete Fileswhen prompted. Disk Cleanup will begin deleting your computer's unnecessary files. This can take a while, so be patient.
  8. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 9 Uninstall unnecessary programs. If you have any applications or programs which you don't want to keep on your PC, deleting them will clear up some space and help your computer run faster overall.

Method 2

Cleaning up the Disk on Mac

  1. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 10 Open the Apple menuHow to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 11. Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
  2. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 12 ClickAbout This Mac. It's near the top of the drop-down menu. The About This Mac window will open.
  3. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 13 Click theStoragetab. This option is at the top of the window.
  4. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 14 ClickManage…. It's in the upper-right side of the window. Doing so opens a new window with storage options.
    • Depending on your Mac version, you may instead click Details... here.
  5. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 15 ClickOptimize…. You'll see this to the right of the "Optimize Storage" heading. Doing so will prompt your Mac to get rid of any temporary or unnecessary files, as well as move your watched movies and TV shows into iCloud.
  6. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 16 Uninstall unnecessary programs. If you have any applications or programs which you don't want to keep on your Mac, deleting them will clear up some space and help your computer run faster overall..

Method 3

Emptying the Recycle Bin on Windows

  1. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 17 Open the Recycle Bin. Double-click the Recycle Bin app icon, which resembles a white bin with a blue recycling icon on it. It should be on your desktop.
  2. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 18 Restore any items you don't want to delete. If you find an item that you wish to place back on your computer, double-click the item, then click Restore in the resulting pop-up menu.
  3. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 19 Click theManagetab. It's in the upper-left side of the window. A toolbar will appear near the top of the window.
  4. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 20 ClickEmpty Recycle Bin. You'll find this on the left side of the toolbar.
  5. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 21 ClickYeswhen prompted. Doing so will delete all files in the Recycle Bin.

Method 4

Emptying the Trash on Mac

  1. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 22 Open the Trash. Click the Trash icon in your Mac's Dock. The Trash window will open.
  2. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 23 Restore any items you don't want to delete. If you want to move an item from the Trash back to your Mac, click and drag the item from the Trash window onto your Mac's desktop.
  3. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 24 Click and hold the Trash icon. Doing so will prompt a pop-up menu after a second.
  4. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 25 ClickEmpty Trash. It's in the pop-up menu.
  5. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 26 ClickEmpty Trashwhen prompted. This will cause the Trash folder to empty.

Method 5

Adjusting Open and Startup Programs on Windows

  1. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 27 Open StartHow to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 28. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
  2. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 29 Type intask manager. This will search your computer for the Task Manager, which is a program that can close troublesome programs.
  3. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 30 ClickTask Manager. It's at the top of the Start menu. The Task Manager app will open.
  4. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 31 Click theProcessestab. You'll see this in the upper-left side of the Task Manager window.
  5. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 32 Close a program if necessary. If you see any high memory usage apps which don't need to be running right now, click one app's name, click End task in the lower-right corner of the window, and repeat until you've closed every app or program that you want to close.
    • This process is easier if you click the Memory tab to sort the programs from greatest to least in terms of memory use.
  6. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 33 Click theStartuptab. It's at the top of the Task Manager window.
  7. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 34 Review the list of startup programs. Every program on this list will start up with your computer by default, which can slow down your computer's performance.
  8. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 35 Disable a startup program. Click a program for which you want to revoke startup access, then click Disable in the lower-right side of the window.
    • If the button in the lower-right side is Enable instead, the program is already disabled.
    • You can repeat this process for as many startup programs as needed.
    • When you're done here, feel free to close the Task Manager. Your settings will be saved.

Method 6

Adjusting Open and Startup Programs on Mac

  1. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 36 Open SpotlightHow to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 37. Click the magnifying glass-shaped icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
  2. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 38 Type inactivity monitor. Doing so searches your Mac for the Activity Monitor program, which allows you to review and quite high-memory programs. EXPERT TIPHow to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 39Apple Repair Specialist & President, CleverTech Gonzalo Martinez is the President of CleverTech, a tech repair business in San Jose, California founded in 2014. CleverTech LLC specializes in repairing Apple products. CleverTech pursues environmental responsibility by recycling aluminum, display assemblies, and the micro components on motherboards to reuse for future repairs. On average, they save 2 lbs - 3 lbs more electronic waste daily than the average computer repair store.How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 40Gonzalo Martinez Apple Repair Specialist & President, CleverTech

    Use 'Activity Monitor' to track your running applications. Gonzalo Martinez, an Apple repair specialist, says: "Activity Monitor is a built-in application on your Mac that shows all the running applications. If something is running in the background that you aren't aware of, or if your web browsers are taking up processing speed, you can force quit the applications.'

  3. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 41 Double-clickActivity Monitor. This option is in the Spotlight results. Doing so opens Activity Monitor.
  4. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 42 Click theCPUtab. It's at the top of the Activity Monitor window.
  5. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 43 Select a program to quit. Click a high-memory program to do so.
    • Make sure you don't select a program which you're currently using (e.g., your browser).
  6. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 44 ClickX. It's in the upper-left side of the window.
  7. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 45 ClickQuitorForce Quitwhen prompted. Clicking Quit will allow the program to attempt to create a recovery save if you have work open, while clicking Force Quit will immediately close the program in question.[1]XResearch source
  8. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 46 Open the Apple menuHow to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 47. Click the Apple logo in the upper-left side of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
  9. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 48 ClickSystem Preferences…. It's in the drop-down menu. Doing so opens the System Preferences window.
  10. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 49 ClickUsers & Groups. You'll find this option in the System Preferences window.
  11. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 50 Select your name. Click your username on the left side of the window.
  12. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 51 ClickLogin Items. It's a tab at the top of the window.
  13. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 52 Disable startup programs. Uncheck any item's box on this page to disable the item at startup.[2]XResearch source
    • You may have to click the lock icon in the bottom-left corner of the page and enter your password before you can edit this menu.

Method 7

Defragmenting Your Hard Drive

  1. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 53 Understand what defragmenting does. Defragmenting a hard drive is only necessary on heavily used Windows computers. As the hard drive ages, pieces of data become scattered throughout it, thus increasing the amount of time it takes for that data to be retrieved. Defragmenting the hard drive places all of the "fragments" back in the same general part of the hard drive.
    • If your computer uses a solid-state drive (SSD), you should never defragment it.
    • If your computer's hard drive is almost full, defragmenting it may not have much of an effect.
  2. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 54 Open StartHow to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 55. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
  3. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 56 Type indefragment and optimize drives. This will search for the Disk Defrag app.
  4. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 57 ClickDefragment and Optimize Drives. It's at the top of the Start window.
  5. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 58 Select your hard drive. Click the hard drive that you want to optimize. On most PCs, the main hard drive's name is OS (C:) .
  6. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 59 ClickOptimize. You'll find it on the right side of the window. Disk Defrag will begin running.
  7. How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer — contextual image 60 Allow Disk Defrag to run. It may take several hours for your computer's disk to finish defragmenting, so just make sure that the computer is plugged in and free of external interruptions.

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