How to speed up an old laptop or PC

A slow laptop or PC is usually busy, full, hot or held back by a power setting, and most of that can be fixed for free. What to check first, which upgrades help, and how to measure whether anything actually changed.

Computers rarely get slower on their own. The processor in an old laptop can still do the same work it did when it was new, if it is allowed to. What changes is everything around it: more programs starting with the computer, a fuller drive, dust in the fan, a power setting nobody remembers changing. Most of that can be fixed for free, roughly in the order below.

First, measure it

Before changing anything, run the test and note three things: the CPU score, the 1% low, and whether the throttling flag appeared. Run it again after each change. That turns “it feels faster” into something you can check — with one limit worth knowing: DeadTier measures the processor and drawing speed, not the drive. A change that mainly speeds up opening files and programs can make the computer much nicer to use without moving the score.

Test the same way every time. A laptop usually runs faster on the charger than on battery, so a before-and-after comparison only means something if both runs were made the same way — the site suggests on battery, and says when it can see a charger.

Restart it properly

Restarting clears out programs that have piled up in memory and finishes updates that were waiting. On Windows, shutting down with fast startup switched on does not fully reset the system, but choosing Restart does.

See what is using the processor

On Windows, open Task Manager — Ctrl, Shift and Esc together — and sort by CPU. On a Mac, open Activity Monitor. If something is using a lot of the processor while you are doing nothing, look it up before you remove it. Browsers with dozens of tabs open and programs that sync files in the background are the usual suspects.

Stop programs starting with the computer

Many programs set themselves to start at login and stay running in the background. On Windows, Task Manager has a Startup apps page where you can switch them off; on a Mac, look in System Settings under General and Login Items. Switching a program off there does not uninstall it — it only stops it running until you open it yourself.

Uninstall what you do not use

Trial software, old games and extras that came with the computer take up space and sometimes run services in the background. Remove them from the Apps section of Windows Settings, or on a Mac by moving them to the Trash.

Free up space on the drive

A nearly full drive slows a computer down, because the system needs free space for temporary files and updates. Empty the recycle bin or Trash, clear out the Downloads folder, and use the built-in storage tools — Storage in Windows Settings, Storage in the Mac’s System Settings — to find what is taking the room.

Update the system and the drivers

Updates fix bugs that make systems slow or unstable, and graphics driver updates can make a real difference to smoothness. Install whatever is waiting, then restart.

Scan for unwanted software

Unwanted programs can run constantly in the background. Windows includes Windows Security, which can run a full scan. Be wary of “speed up your PC” programs that promise miracles: they rarely do more than the steps on this page, and some add background software of their own.

Check the power setting

Laptops trade speed for battery life, and a setting decides how much. On Windows 11, go to Settings, then System, then Power & battery, and look at Power mode: “best power efficiency” slows the processor, while “best performance” lets it run freely. On a Mac, check that Low Power Mode is off in the Battery settings.

Clear the dust from the vents

Dust blocks the air a laptop needs to cool itself, and a hot processor slows itself down to stay safe. If the fan is loud and the underside is hot, clearing the vents can make a real difference. A tell-tale sign in the test is the throttling flag together with a speed chart that drops sharply partway through the run. Opening a laptop to clean it inside is best left to a repair shop if you are not comfortable doing it.

Upgrades that help

• A solid-state drive. If the computer still has a spinning hard drive, replacing it with a solid-state drive is usually the biggest improvement you can buy for an old machine: it starts up and opens programs far faster. It changes the drive, not the processor, so expect the computer to feel much quicker without the DeadTier score moving much.
• More memory. If Task Manager or Activity Monitor shows the memory nearly full in normal use, adding more helps — where the laptop allows it, since many thin laptops have memory fixed to the board.
• A fresh install. Reinstalling Windows or macOS clears out years of accumulated software. Back everything up first; this is a last resort, not a first step.

When it is time to replace it

If the computer is clean, cool, up to date and still too slow for what you need, the processor itself is the limit. That is where a benchmark is most useful: test the old machine and a newer one with the same test, on the same scale, and you can see how big the jump would really be before you spend anything.

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