Why is my computer running so slow?

You'll be able to: Diagnose and fix a slow computer

The steps

1. 1

   Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc on your keyboard. Task Manager opens on your screen, displaying your active applications.

   What makes a computer slow down suddenly?

   Computers usually slow down because a background process gets stuck in a loop and uses 100% of the processor (CPU) or memory (RAM), or because the system has not had a clean restart in days.

2. 2

   If Task Manager only shows a small window with a few app names, click More details (or the expand icon) at the bottom. The full table opens with columns for Name, CPU, and Memory.

   

3. 3

   Click the CPU column header once, then click the Memory column header if CPU is normal. The list rearranges to put whatever is consuming the highest percentage at the very top of the table.

4. 4

   If an app you are not currently using is consuming high percentages, click it and click End task. The unresponsive app closes immediately, releasing its processor load back to Windows.

   

5. 5

   Click the Start menu, click the Power icon, and click Restart (not Shut down). The computer reboots completely, clearing memory leaks and restoring normal responsiveness.

It looks different on my screen

If your computer is always sluggish for the first few minutes after turning it on, check which apps start automatically by following our guide to stop startup apps.

Updated 2026-09-13اقرأ بالعربية