Top 5 Reasons Why Windows 10 Might Be Slowing You Down

As one of the world’s most popular computer operating systems, Windows has an impressive history of above-average performance and cutting-edge integrated tech and software which keeps users loyal to the brand. However, with all the positives this OS offers, there are always a couple of negatives.

Windows XP became wildly popular with businesses, but it was also plagued with security holes and software bugs. Windows Vista gave the operating system a completely visual makeover but lacked efficient driver support and privacy protection.

Fast forward to the 2015 release of Windows 10 and Windows users unanimously agree that the tenth installment has proven to be the best. So why is your computer still slowing down?

Too Much Of A Good Thing

In our digital age where everything is made accessible on our computers, we find ourselves downloading, uploading, streaming, and gaming more than ever before.

With all the high-speed multi-tasking you expect your computer to do, it is possible for it to be bogged down and cause more frustration than productivity. We’ll walk you through reasons why your OS has slowed down and our best tips on how to speed up Windows 10.

Why Is My Windows 10 So Slow?

There are a number of reasons why your computer’s operating system has slowed down over time, but signs always point back to one reason: using them!

Between clicking through all of your favorite programs, file downloading, and hard-drive heavy computing, it’s easy to neglect how much you are putting your OS through.

If you’ve found that your Windows 10 computer is functioning slower than usual, these reasons might explain why.

1. Your Hard Drive Is Too Full

When you download and install photos, videos, programs, and other files to your computer, everything is stored in your PC’s hard drive. If your hard drive’s capacity is headed into the 90% range, your computer could be performing 50% slower than its original speed.

Check your hard drive's capacity by following these three steps:

1. Open “File Explorer.” This is accessible by clicking the Windows key and E

2. Click “This PC” located on the left panel

3. Available free storage will be visible under Windows (C:)

2. Malware

Despite popular belief, not all viruses are the same. Malware affects your computer in a completely different way than a traditional virus. Malware, or malicious software, is designed to inflict damage on a computer’s operating system.

Typically malware infects your computer by corrupting general processes, effectively slowing down the functions that used to be completed with blazing speed.

3. You’re Out Of Memory

Before trying to figure out how to speed up Windows, you’ll need to evaluate your computer’s remaining RAM memory capacity.

Your computer only comes with so much RAM memory, so if you have any heavy duty photo-editing programs or complex HD games installed on your entry or mid-level PC, you could be overworking your computer into a state of constant lagging.

To check what programs are hogging your computer’s RAM, follow these steps:

1. Access your Task Manager by pressing CTRL+ALT+DELETE at the same time.

2. Look for the “processes” tab.

3. Within the processes tab, you’ll be able to see which programs take up the highest percentage of your CPU, memory, disk, and more.

4. You’re running Too Many Programs Or Opening Too Many Browser Tabs

The digital age is all about multi-tasking. In an effort to accomplish as much as possible in the shortest amount of time and with the fewest clicks, we tend to crowd our PCs with dozens of tabs while running Spotify, Netflix, Facebook Messenger, and Norton Antivirus in the background. Your computer can only handle so much at one time. With that many pages open, odds are you are overworking your RAM. Be careful of auto-refreshing sites like live blogs or video playlist pages that can cause sluggish processing.

5. Your Windows Startup Is Out Of Control

Newly downloaded programs come with the heavy cost of clogging your Windows Startup menu. Since each one wants attention, new installations typically try to finagle their way into starting up each and every time you power your PC on. If you did not manually un-check the permission box that disables the program’s self-startup, those sneaky programs could be adding minutes onto your complete startup time.

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