Optimize Windows for better performance

Here are some tips to help you optimize Windows 7 for faster performance.

Try the Performance troubleshooter

The first thing that you can try is the Performance troubleshooter, which can automatically find and fix problems. The Performance troubleshooter checks issues that might slow down your computer’s performance, such as how many users are currently logged on to the computer and whether multiple programs are running at the same time.

Open the Performance troubleshooter by clicking the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type troubleshooter, and then click Troubleshooting. Under System and Security, click Check for performance issues.

Delete programs you never use

Many PC manufacturers pack new computers with programs you didn’t order and might not want. These often include trial editions and limited-edition versions of programs that software companies hope you’ll try, find useful, and then pay to upgrade to full versions or newer versions. If you decide you don’t want them, keeping the software on your computer might slow it down by using precious memory, disk space, and processing power.

It’s a good idea to uninstall all the programs you don’t plan to use. This should include both manufacturer-installed software and software you installed yourself but don’t want any more—especially utility programs designed to help manage and tune your computer’s hardware and software. Utility programs such as virus scanners, disk cleaners, and backup tools often run automatically at startup, quietly chugging along in the background where you can’t see them. Many people have no idea they’re even running.

Even if your PC is older, it might contain manufacturer-installed programs that you never noticed or have since forgotten about. It’s never too late to remove these and get rid of the clutter and wasted system resources. Maybe you thought you might use the software someday, but never did. Uninstall it and see if your PC runs faster.

Limit how many programs run at startup

Many programs are designed to start automatically when Windows starts. Software manufacturers often set their programs to open in the background, where you can’t see them running, so they’ll open right away when you click their icons. That’s helpful for programs you use a lot, but for programs you rarely or never use, this wastes precious memory and slows down the time it takes Windows to finish starting up.

Decide for yourself if you want a program to run at startup.

But how can you tell what programs run automatically at startup? Sometimes this is obvious, because the program adds an icon to the notification area on the taskbar, where you can see it running. Look there to see if there are any programs running that you don’t want to start automatically. Point to each icon to see the program name. Be sure to click the Show hidden icons button so you don’t miss any icons.

Even after you check the notification area, you might still miss some programs that run automatically at startup. AutoRuns for Windows, a free tool that you can download from the Microsoft website, shows you all of the programs and processes that run when you start Windows. You can stop a program from running automatically when Windows starts by opening the AutoRuns for Windows program, and then by clearing the check box next to the name of the program you want to stop. AutoRuns for Windows is designed for advanced users.

Defragment your hard disk

Fragmentation makes your hard disk do extra work that can slow down your computer. Disk Defragmenter rearranges fragmented data so your hard disk can work more efficiently. Disk Defragmenter runs on a schedule, but you can also defragment your hard disk manually.

Clean up your hard disk

Unnecessary files on your hard disk take up disk space and can slow down your computer. Disk Cleanup removes temporary files, empties the Recycle Bin, and removes a variety of system files and other items that you no longer need.

Run fewer programs at the same time

Sometimes changing your computing behavior can have a big impact on your PC’s performance. If you’re the type of computer user who likes to keep eight programs and a dozen browser windows open at once—all while sending instant messages to your friends—don’t be surprised if your PC bogs down. Keeping a lot of e‑mail messages open can also use up memory.

If you find your PC slowing down, ask yourself if you really need to keep all your programs and windows open at once. Find a better way to remind yourself to reply to e‑mail messages rather than keeping all of them open.

Make sure you’re only running one antivirus program. Running more than one antivirus program can also slow down your computer. Fortunately, if you’re running more than one antivirus program, Action Center notifies you and can help you fix the problem.

Turn off visual effects

If Windows is running slowly, you can speed it up by disabling some of its visual effects. It comes down to appearance versus performance. Would you rather have Windows run faster or look prettier? If your PC is fast enough, you don’t have to make this tradeoff, but if your computer is just barely powerful enough for Windows 7, it can be useful to scale back on the visual bells and whistles.

You can choose which visual effects to turn off, one by one, or you can let Windows choose for you. There are 20 visual effects you can control, such as the transparent glass look, the way menus open or close, and whether shadows are displayed.

To adjust all visual effects for best performance:

Open Performance Information and Tools by clicking the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type Performance Information and Tools, and then, in the list of results, click Performance Information and Tools.

Click Adjust visual effects. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Click the Visual Effects tab, click Adjust for best performance, and then click OK. (For a less drastic option, select Let Windows choose what’s best for my computer.)

Restart regularly

This tip is simple. Restart your PC at least once a week, especially if you use it a lot. Restarting a PC is a good way to clear out its memory and ensure that any errant processes and services that started running get shut down.

Restarting closes all the software running on your PC—not only the programs you see running on the taskbar, but also dozens of services that might have been started by various programs and never stopped. Restarting can fix mysterious performance problems when the exact cause is hard to pinpoint.

If you keep so many programs, e‑mail messages, and websites open that you think restarting is a hassle, that’s probably a sign you should restart your PC. The more things you have open and the longer you keep them running, the greater the chances your PC will bog down and eventually run low on memory.

Add more memory

This isn’t a guide to buying hardware that will speed up your computer. But no discussion of how to make Windows run faster would be complete without mentioning that you should consider adding more random access memory (RAM) to your PC.

If a computer running Windows 7 seems too slow, it’s usually because the PC doesn’t have enough RAM. The best way to speed it up is to add more.

Windows 7 can run on a PC with 1 gigabyte (GB) of RAM, but it runs better with 2 GB. For optimal performance, boost that to 3 GB or more.

Another option is to boost the amount of memory by using Windows‌ ReadyBoost. This feature allows you to use the storage space on some removable media devices, such as USB flash drives, to speed up your computer. It’s easier to plug a flash drive into a USB port than to open your PC case and plug memory modules into its motherboard.

Check for viruses and spyware

If your PC is running slowly, it’s possible that it’s infected with a virus or spyware. This is not as common as the other problems, but it’s something to consider. Before you worry too much, check your PC using antispyware and antivirus programs.

A common symptom of a virus is a much slower-than-normal computer performance. Other signs include unexpected messages that pop up on your PC, programs that start automatically, or the sound of your hard disk constantly working.

Spyware is a type of program that’s installed, usually without your knowledge, to watch your activity on the Internet. You can check for spyware with Windows Defender or other antispyware programs.

The best way to deal with viruses is to prevent them in the first place. Always run antivirus software and keep it up to date. Even if you take such precautions, however, it’s possible for your PC to become infected.

Check your computer’s speed

If you try these tips and your computer is still too slow, you might need a new PC or some hardware upgrades, such as a new hard disk or faster video card. There’s no need to guess the speed of your computer, however. Windows provides a way to check and rate your PC’s speed with a tool called the Windows Experience Index.

The Windows Experience Index rates your computer on five key components and gives you a number for each, as well as an overall base score. This base score is only as good as your worst-performing component subscore. Base scores currently range from 1 to 7.9. If your PC is rated lower than 2 or 3, it might be time to consider a new PC, depending on what tasks you want to do with your computer.

Change the size of virtual memory

If you receive warnings that your virtual memory is low, you’ll need to increase the minimum size of your paging file. Windows sets the initial minimum size of the paging file equal to the amount of random access memory (RAM) installed on your computer, and the maximum size equal to three times the amount of RAM installed on your computer. If you see warnings at these recommended levels, then increase the minimum and maximum sizes.

Open System by clicking the Start button , right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties.

In the left pane, click Advanced system settings . If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

On the Advanced tab, under Performance, click Settings.

Click the Advanced tab, and then, under Virtual memory, click Change.

Clear the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives check box.

Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file you want to change.

Click Custom size, type a new size in megabytes in the Initial size (MB) or Maximum size (MB) box, click Set, and then click OK.

Note: Increases in size usually don’t require a restart for the changes to take effect, but if you decrease the size, you’ll need to restart your computer. We recommend that you don’t disable or delete the paging file.

Tips to improve PC performance in Windows 10

If your PC is running slowly, the following suggestions might help speed things up. The tips are listed in order, so start with the first one, see if that helps, and then continue to the next one if it doesn’t.

One of the best ways to get the most out of your PC is to make sure you have the latest version of Windows 10 installed. When you check for updates, your PC will also search for the latest device drivers, which can also help improve your PC’s performance.

To check for updates

Select the Start button, then select Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates.
Check for Windows updates

Do one of the following:

If the status says «You’re up to date,» go to the next tip.

If the status says «Updates are available,» select Install now.

Select the updates you want to install, then select Install.

Restart your PC and see if it seems to run better.

For more info about updates, including how you can have them installed automatically, see the Windows Update FAQ.

If your PC still runs slowly, continue to the next tip.

Having many apps, programs, web browsers, and so on open at once can slow down your PC. Having a lot of browser tabs open at once can also slow it down quite a bit. If this is happening, close any apps, browser tabs, etc., that you don’t need and see if that helps speed up your PC. If it doesn’t seem to help, restart your PC and then open just the apps, programs and browser windows you need.

To restart your PC

Select the Start button, then select Power > Restart.

After your PC restarts, open just the apps you need, then close them when you’re done.

Sometimes apps that were made for an earlier version of Windows will still run on Windows 10, but they might slow down your PC. If this happens after you open a certain program, check the software company’s website for an updated version, or run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter.

To run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter

In the search box on the taskbar, type troubleshoot, then select Troubleshoot settings, which has System settings listed underneath it.

In the list of troubleshooters, select Program Compatibility Troubleshooter > Run the troubleshooter.

Select the program that you’re having problems with, then select Next and continue through the troubleshooter.

PC still running slowly? Continue to the next tip.

ReadyBoost lets you use a removable drive, like a USB flash drive, to improve your PC’s performance without opening your PC and adding more memory (RAM). To use ReadyBoost, you’ll need a USB flash drive or a memory card that has at least 500 MB free and a high data transfer rate.

To use ReadyBoost

Insert the USB flash drive into a USB port on your PC.

Select File Explorer from the taskbar.

Press and hold (or right-click) the USB flash drive (or SD card if you used one instead), then select Properties.

Select the ReadyBoost tab, then select Use this device.
Windows determines if the device can use ReadyBoost. If it can’t, it’ll let you know.

After Windows determines how much free space to use to optimize memory, select OK to reserve this space so ReadyBoost can use it.

When you look at the contents of the USB flash drive in File Explorer, you’ll see a file named ReadyBoost.sfcache on the flash drive. This file shows how much space is reserved for ReadyBoost.

Note: ReadyBoost can’t be used if Windows is installed on a solid state drive (SSD). An SSD is already fast, and ReadyBoost won’t be able to improve its performance.

The paging file is an area on your hard disk that Windows uses like memory. There’s a setting in Windows 10 that manages the page file size automatically, which can help improve your PC’s performance.

To make sure automatic page file management is turned on

In the search box on the taskbar, type advanced system, and then select View advanced system settings, which has Control panel listed underneath it.

In System Properties, select the Advanced tab, then select Settings in the Performance area.

In Performance Options, select the Advanced tab, then select Change in the Virtual memory area.

Make sure the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives check box is selected. If it is, continue to the next tip. If it’s not, select it and then restart your PC by selecting the Start button > Power > Restart.

Use your PC and see if it’s running better. If it’s not, try the next tip.

You may improve performance if you free some disk space on your PC.

To check for low disk space

Select the Start button, then select Settings > System > Storage .
Open Storage settings

Your drives will be listed in the Storage area. Note the amount of free space and total size for each drive.

Note: If your PC is not low on space, try the next tip.

You can use Storage Sense to delete unnecessary or temporary files from your device, which can also free up space.

If you turn on Storage Sense, Windows will automatically free up space by getting rid of unnecessary files—including files in your recycle bin—when you’re low on disk space or at intervals you specify. The instructions below show you how to delete temporary files and how to turn on and configure Storage Sense.

If you can’t find Storage Sense on your device using the following steps, see the «Free up space with Disk cleanup» section below instead.

Note: You may not want to delete temporary files to improve performance. While these files may not be used at the moment, they help your apps load and run faster.

To delete temporary files with Storage Sense

Select the Start button, then select Settings > System > Storage .
Open Storage settings

Select Temporary files in the storage breakdown. Note: If you don’t see Temporary files listed, select Show more categories.

Windows will take a few moments to determine what files and apps are taking up the most space on your PC.

Select the items you want to delete, and then select Remove files.

To see what’s in your Recycle Bin before you empty it, open it from your desktop. If you don’t see the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop, in the search bar on the taskbar, type recycle bin, then select Recycle Bin from the list of results.

Note: Windows moves files you delete to the Recycle Bin in case you change your mind and need them again in the future. You might be able to free up a significant amount of space by deleting Recycle Bin files to permanently remove files you’ve previously deleted.

To turn on and configure Storage Sense

Select the Start button, then select Settings > System > Storage .
Open Storage settings

In the Storage area, turn on Storage Sense.

Select Configure Storage Sense or run it now.

In theStorage Sense area, choose how often you want Storage Sense to run.

In the Temporary Files area, select Delete temporary files that my apps aren’t using.

Select which files you want Storage Sense to delete (your choices are files in your Recycle Bin and in your Downloads folder), then select the corresponding time intervals.

Scroll down and select Clean now.

Windows will take a few moment to clean up your files, and then you’ll see a message indicating how much disk space has been freed up.

If your system doesn’t have Storage Sense, you can use the Disk Cleanup tool to delete temporary files and system files from your device.

To run Disk Cleanup

In the search box on the taskbar, type disk cleanup, then select Disk Cleanup from the list of results.

Select the checkbox next to the type of files you want to delete. (To view a description of each type of file, select the name.) By default, Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Internet Files, and Thumbnails are selected. Be sure to clear those check boxes if you don’t want to delete those files.

To free up even more space, select Clean up system files. Disk Cleanup will take a few moments to calculate the amount of space that a can be freed up.

Note: If it’s been fewer than 10 days since you upgraded to Windows 10, your previous version of Windows will be listed as a system file you can delete. If you need to free up drive space, you can delete it, but keep in mind that you’ll be deleting your Windows.old folder, which contains files that give you the option to go back to your previous version of Windows. If you delete your previous version of Windows, this can’t be undone. (You won’t be able to go back to your previous version of Windows.)

Select the types of files you want to delete, select OK, then select Delete files in the confirmation window to start the cleanup.

If your PC still runs slowly, try uninstalling apps you don’t use anymore.

To uninstall apps you don’t use anymore

Select the Start button, then select Settings > Apps > Apps & features.
Open Apps & features settings

Search for a specific app or sort them to see which ones are using the most space.

When you find an app to remove, choose it from the list and select Uninstall.

Restart your PC and and see if performance has improved.

If your PC still runs slowly, try moving files to another drive.

If you have photos, music, or other files that you want to keep but don’t use often, consider saving them to removable media, like a USB drive. You’ll still be able to use them when the drive is connected, but they won’t take up space on your PC.

To move files to another drive

Connect the removable media to your PC.

Select File Explorer from the taskbar and find the files you want to move.

Select the files, go to Home, then select Move to > Choose location.

Select your removable media from the location list, then select Move.

Restart your PC and see if performance has improved.

If your PC still runs slowly, try the next tip.

Windows 10 includes many visual effects, such as animations and shadow effects. These look great, but they can also use additional system resources and can slow down your PC. This is especially true if you have a PC with a smaller amount of memory (RAM).

To adjust the visual effects in Windows

In the search box on the taskbar, type performance, then select Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows in the list of results.

On the Visual Effects tab, select Adjust for best performance > Apply.

Restart your PC and see if that speeds up your PC.

If your PC still runs slowly, continue to the next tip.

Your PC settings let you choose where files will be saved by default. You can save files on your PC or to OneDrive by default and sync files between the two locations. This lets you get to your files from any device that can connect to the internet, and it helps make sure your files are backed up in case your PC is ever damaged or lost. However, files must sync between your PC and OneDrive, and syncing can slow down your PC. You can pause OneDrive syncing temporarily and see if it helps improve your PC performance.

To pause syncing to OneDrive

On the taskbar, look for OneDrive near the notification area.

Select OneDrive > More > Pause syncing, and then choose how long you want to pause syncing your files.

Restart your PC and see if your performance issues have improved with syncing paused.

To resume syncing your files, select OneDrive > More > Resume syncing.

You can also visit Fix OneDrive sync problems to check for any sync issues.

If you have Window 10 version 1709 or higher, you can use OneDrive Files On-Demand to choose which files you want to sync and always keep on your PC. This can help improve PC performance if you reduce the number of files that are synced to your PC. To see which version of Windows 10 your device is currently running, select the Start button, then select Settings > System > About.
Open About settings

For more info on OneDrive Files On-Demand, see Learn about OneDrive Files On-Demand.

When you turn on your PC, some programs start automatically and run in the background. You can disable these programs so they don’t run when your PC starts.

Many programs are designed to start automatically when Windows does. You don’t realize they’re running, but they’ll open quickly when you go to use them. This is helpful for programs you use a lot, but not for programs you don’t use often because it increases the time it takes Windows to start.

Find the programs that start automatically

Sometimes you can determine which programs start automatically by looking at the program icons in the notification area on the far right of the taskbar. Check there first to see if there are any programs running that you don’t want to start automatically. To try to find out the name of the program, point to the icon with your mouse pointer. Make sure you select Show hidden icons , so you don’t miss any programs.

Notification area with mouse pointing to show hidden icons

Even after you check the notification area, you might still miss some programs that run automatically at startup. Here’s how you can find all the programs that start automatically, and stop the ones that you don’t want to start automatically when Windows starts.

To stop a program from starting automatically

Select the Start button, then select Settings > Apps > Startup .
Open Startup Apps settings

In the Startup Apps area, find the program you want to stop from starting automatically and set it to Off.

If you turn off a program and it continues to start automatically when Windows starts, you should scan for viruses and malware. See the next section for more info.

To use the procedure above to stop a program from starting automatically, you need to have Windows 10 (Version 1803 or higher) installed. To see which version of Windows 10 your device is currently running, select the Start button, then select Settings > System > About.
Open About settings

If you have Windows 10 (Version 1709 or earlier) installed, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete, select Task Manager, select Startup, select the program you want to stop from starting automatically, then select Disable.

A virus, malware, or malicious software could cause your PC to run slowly. Other symptoms include unexpected pop-up messages, programs that unexpectedly start automatically, or the sound of your hard disk constantly working.

The best way to handle viruses and malicious software is to try to prevent them by running antimalware and antivirus software and keeping it up to date. However, even if you take precautions, your PC can still become infected.

You can scan your PC for viruses or other malicious software by using Windows Security (formerly Windows Defender Security Center), which is included in Windows 10. For more info, see How to protect your Windows 10 PC.

If you’re using other antivirus or anti-malware software, see the documentation for that program to learn how to scan for viruses. Also, make sure multiple antivirus programs aren’t running at the same time. If they are, choose the one you want to run, and then disable or uninstall any others.

If you have another antivirus program installed and turned on, Windows Security will be turned off by default.

To scan for viruses using Windows Security (Windows 10 Version 1809 or later)

Select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security and then select Open Windows Security.
Open Windows Security settings

Select V irus & threat protection, then select Check for updates under Virus & threat protection updates.

On the Protection updates screen, select Check for updates to make sure you have the most recent updates.

Select Virus & threat protection, then select Quick scan.

Wait for Windows Security to finish scanning for viruses and malware.

Do one of the following, depending on the results of the scan:

Run the recommended advanced scan. This scan takes longer but searches more extensively for threats on your PC.

If Windows Security finds a virus or malware and can’t remove or quarantine it, contact Microsoft Support for help.

If no viruses are found, restart your PC and try to reproduce the performance problem you were having with your PC.

If Windows Security doesn’t open, can’t update the definition file, or can’t finish scanning for viruses, try running Windows Defender Offline, which is explained below in To scan for malware and viruses with Windows Defender Offline (Windows 10 Version 1809 or later).

To see which version of Windows 10 your device is currently running, select the Start button, then select Settings > System > About.
Open About settings

To scan for viruses using Windows Defender Security Center (Windows 10 Version 1803)

Select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security and then select Open Windows Defender Security Center.
Open Windows Security settings

Select Virus & threat protection, then select Virus & threat protection updates > Check for updates to make sure you have the latest definition file.

Select the Virus & threat protection tab, then select Scan now.

Wait for Windows Defender Security Center to finish scanning for viruses and malware.

Do one of the following, depending on the results of the scan:

Run the recommended advanced scan. This scan takes longer but searches more extensively for threats on your PC.

If Windows Defender Security Center finds a virus or malware and can’t remove or quarantine it, contact Microsoft Support for help.

If no viruses are found, restart your PC and try to reproduce the performance problem you were having with your PC.

If Windows Defender Security Center doesn’t open, can’t update the definition file, or can’t finish scanning for viruses, try running Windows Defender in Offline Mode, which is explained below in To scan for malware and viruses with Windows Defender Offline (Windows 10 Version 1803).

To see which version of Windows 10 your device is currently running, select the Start button, then select Settings > System > About.
Open About settings

To scan for malware and viruses with Windows Defender Offline (Windows 10 Version 1809 or later)

Save any documents or anything else you might have open on your PC.

Select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security and then select Open Windows Security.
Open Windows Security settings

Select Virus & threat protection, and then under Current threats, select Scan options > Windows Defender Offline scan > Scan now.

Your PC will restart, and Windows Defender Offline will run and scan for viruses and malware. The scan might take 15 minutes or so, and your PC will restart again after that.

Try to reproduce the performance issue.

If your PC still runs slowly, continue to the next tip.

To scan for malware and viruses with Windows Defender Offline (Windows 10 Version 1803)

Save any documents or anything else you might have open on your PC.

Select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security and then select Open Windows Defender Security Center.
Open Windows Security settings

Select Virus & threat protection, then select Run a new advanced scan > Windows Defender Offline scan > Scan now.

Your PC will restart, and Windows Defender Offline will run and scan for viruses and malware. The scan might take 15 minutes or so, and your PC will restart again after that.

Try to reproduce the performance issue.

If your PC still runs slowly, continue to the next tip.

Restoring your PC undoes recent changes that might be causing problems. If you think a recently installed app, driver, or update for Windows could be causing problems, you might get things running normally again by restoring your PC to an earlier point, called a restore point.

Restoring from a restore point won’t affect your personal files, but it will remove apps, drivers, and updates that were installed after the restore point was created.

System restore works for changes made in the last 7 to 14 days.

To restore your PC from a restore point

In the search box on the taskbar, type restore point, then select Create a restore point from the list of results.

On the System Protection tab, select System Restore.

Select Next, then choose the restore point related to the app, driver, or update that might be causing the problem. Then select Next > Finish.

Restart your PC and see if performance has improved.

If you don’t see any restore points, it might be because system protection isn’t turned on.

To turn on system protection

In the search box on the taskbar, type restore point, then select Create a restore point from the list of results.

On the System Protection tab, select Configure.

Select Turn on system protection > OK.

If your PC still runs slowly, try the next tip.