How to Fix It When Windows 11 Is Slow

A computer that’s too slow, sluggish, sluggish – whatever you want to call it – is probably the most common nuisance reported by computer users. Below are some possible reasons why your Windows 11 PC is slow or unresponsive and what you can do about it immediately.

Why is Windows 11 so slow?

For starters, you should know that a slow PC a Yes, really common symptom. But it’s also very broad and can mean anything from faulty hardware to a software glitch, or even something completely unrelated like a bad internet connection.

There is no single cause for every slow computer. However, there are various reasons that might individually show up as a performance issue in Windows 11.

One of the following could be to blame:

• Too many programs are actively running
• One or more apps occupy the entire memory
• You have insufficient free disk space
• The operating system or a device driver contains an unresolved error.
• There is a problem with your internet connection
• Your hardware can’t keep up

These things could cause the following symptoms (this is not an exhaustive list):

• Programs take a long time to open (or won’t open at all)
• Menus or windows don’t feel as fast as they should
• Nothing works for a few minutes after logging into Windows
• Delayed mouse or keyboard actions
• Choppy audio or video streaming
• Downloads get stuck or websites don’t load completely

How to fix Windows 11 running slow

Since there are so many possible reasons why Windows 11 is slow, there are multiple angles to approach it from. Work through these tips in the order presented so that you can try the easier solutions first.

1. Restart your computer to end background programs that could be consuming valuable resources.

   The quickest way to do this in Windows 11 is through the Start menu: open it and use the power switch to find them Start anew Possibility.

   Restarting isn’t something you should do all the time to fix computer problems (if so, you have a bigger problem). However, restarting fixes many computer problems and might be the solution here.

2. Install Windows updates if available. Errors can cause performance issues, and the only way to fix OS-level errors is through Windows Update.

   
   

3. Delete junk files. Depending on how you use your computer and how often you delete these types of files, there could be one a lot of can you delete.

   Junk files are easily overlooked as something that takes up too much space on your PC. If you have many, they could take up so much space together that your hard drive is running out of free space.

   Or, depending on where the files are located, they might be blocking the ability of one or more apps to function normally and therefore present themselves as a slow computer. This is often the case with a web browser’s cache.

   Deleting the largest apps on your computer can free up a lot of disk space. However, remember that you can delete a program unless your hard drive is fairly full (90% or more). only Freeing up disk space probably won’t affect performance that much.

4. Disable unnecessary startup apps. These are programs that start automatically with Windows. Not you to need This is the case with most programs since you can just open them manually when you need to use them.

   With many programs trying to start at the same time, you’ll feel the sluggishness every time your computer boots. And if you don’t shut them down later, they will continue to take up vital resources like memory and CPU.

   
   

5. Disable unnecessary visual effects that could affect performance.

   Windows 11 shows animations when opening and closing windows, but they can be disabled if they affect performance. Go to settings > Accessibility > Visual effectsand disable animation effects.

   We also recommend changing the Performance Options visual effects setting to Adjust for best performance (Alternatively, you can choose which effects to disable on this screen). You can find this option by running this command from Run (WIN+R) or Windows search:

   SystemPropertiesPerformance
   

   
   

6. Quit services or apps that you aren’t currently using. The best way to do this is with Task Manager. Check out our article on how to force quit programs in Windows 11 for all the details.

   This might sound like a no-brainer – you’ve probably already shut down the apps you’re not using. But just click X it doesn’t always. Some things slow down Windows because they’re still running in the background.

   
   
   

7. Troubleshoot Windows 11 search not working if you really mean “slow computer”. seeks are slow. This article explains what you can try.

   
   

8. Use a driver updater tool to fix outdated or corrupt drivers. One of the drivers on your computer may be using too much CPU or RAM due to a bug.

   
   

9. Check your computer for malware. This is similar to an earlier step of shutting down unused programs, but instead of a legitimate app using system resources, it’s a malicious program Yes, really do not want!

   For example, you might have a worm or virus on your computer that transmits information over the Internet or replicates itself through your file system.

   
   

10. Restart your router. This isn’t really a solution for Windows 11, but if the router is to blame for a slow internet connection, it could be feeling like Windows is slow. For example, web pages may take longer to load or emails to be sent than you might think.

    Likewise, your distance from the router could be the reason for a weak Wi-Fi connection or other poor internet-related performance. For example, slow or stuttering video or audio streaming could have less to do with Windows 11 and more to do with your internet connection.

    
    
    

11. Update or reinstall Windows 11. This will reinstall Windows 11 so that it looks and feels like it did when you first installed it. If Windows is slow due to an OS or other software issue, it will undoubtedly fix it.

    
    

12. Downgrade Windows 11 to Windows 10. If applicable to your computer, you may be able to uninstall Windows 11, which could fix the slowdown if It is caused by running an incompatible version of Windows on your hardware.

    Not all computers can run Windows 11 – see Can I run Windows 11 on my computer? – so you might not really have the hardware required.

    
    

13. Update your hardware. If Windows 11 is still slow even after fixing all the above software fixes (especially the previous two steps), it’s just the hardware to blame.

    You can tell by the fact that Windows is slow regardless of the version installed and performance does not improve even after a clean install and fresh drivers.