If your Windows 11 laptop has started to feel sluggish, freeze randomly, or take forever to boot up, you’re not alone. Over time, laptops can slow down due to background apps, outdated drivers, too many startup programs, or even hardware limitations. The good news? You don’t need to buy a new laptop. With the right tweaks, optimizations, and maintenance routines, you can significantly improve your computer’s speed and responsiveness.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to speed up a slow Windows 11 laptop, from quick fixes to deeper performance optimizations. Whether you’re a beginner or a power user, these steps will help breathe new life into your device.

1. Restart Your Laptop Regularly

It sounds simple, but many people put their laptop to sleep instead of fully restarting it. A restart:

• Clears temporary files
• Resets system processes
• Fixes minor bugs
• Closes background apps that may be slowing things down

Try restarting your laptop before doing any major troubleshooting.

2. Check for Windows Updates

Windows 11 updates often include performance improvements and bug fixes.

How to check for updates:

1. Open Settings
2. Go to Windows Update
3. Click Check for updates

Install all pending updates, including optional ones related to drivers.

3. Disable Unnecessary Startup Apps

Too many startup programs slow down boot time and reduce overall performance.

How to disable startup apps:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
2. Go to the Startup apps tab
3. Right-click unnecessary apps → Disable

Disable apps like:

• Discord
• Spotify
• Steam
• Adobe apps
• Microsoft Teams (if not needed)

Keep essential items only.

4. Uninstall Unneeded Programs

Unused apps take up storage and run background processes.

How to remove unwanted apps:

1. Open Settings
2. Go to Apps → Installed apps
3. Uninstall apps you no longer need

Look out for bloatware like trial antivirus apps, pre-installed games, and OEM software.

5. Free Up Disk Space

Low disk space can make your laptop extremely slow.

Ways to free up space:

Run Storage Sense

1. Settings → System → Storage
2. Turn on Storage Sense
3. Click Run Storage Sense now

Use Disk Cleanup

1. Search Disk Cleanup
2. Select your drive
3. Clean temporary files, cache, and system files

Delete large unused files

Check your Downloads, Videos, and Desktop folders.

6. Optimize Power Settings

Switching to a performance mode can dramatically speed things up.

How to change power mode:

1. Settings → System → Power & battery
2. Under Power mode, choose Best performance

Useful especially if your laptop feels slow while plugged in.

7. Turn Off Visual Effects

Windows 11’s animations look great, but can slow down older hardware.

How to disable them:

1. Search Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows
2. Select Adjust for best performance
   or
   Manually disable effects like: 
   • Animations
   • Shadows
   • Transparency

This makes your system feel much faster instantly.

8. Disable Background Apps

Many apps run in the background even when you’re not using them.

How to stop background apps:

1. Settings → Apps → Installed apps
2. Click the app → Advanced options
3. Select Never under Background app permissions

Repeat for apps you don’t need running constantly.

9. Defragment or Optimize Drives

For HDD users, this is essential. SSDs are automatically optimized.

To defrag (HDDs only):

1. Search Defragment and Optimize Drives
2. Select your drive
3. Click Optimize

If you have an SSD, Windows will perform TRIM automatically when you optimize.

10. Scan for Malware or Viruses

Malware is one of the biggest causes of slow laptops.

Scan using Windows Security:

1. Settings → Privacy & Security → Windows Security
2. Open Virus & threat protection
3. Run a Full Scan

You can also use reputable tools like Malwarebytes.

11. Update Drivers

Outdated or corrupted drivers can lead to system lag.

Update through Device Manager:

1. Search Device Manager
2. Check drivers for:
   • Display adapters
   • Network adapters
   • Storage controllers
3. Right-click → Update driver

Or download from your laptop manufacturer’s website.

12. Increase Virtual Memory (Advanced)

If your laptop has low RAM (4GB–8GB), increasing virtual memory can help.

How to adjust virtual memory:

1. Search Advanced system settings
2. Click Performance settings
3. Go to Advanced
4. Under Virtual memory → Change
5. Uncheck automatic management
6. Set a custom size:
   • Initial: 1.5× your RAM
   • Max: 3× your RAM

Click OK and restart.

13. Add More RAM (If Possible)

If your laptop supports RAM upgrades, this is the single best performance boost.

• 4GB → Upgrade to 8GB (minimum)
• 8GB → Upgrade to 16GB
• 16GB → Future-proof for years

Check your laptop manual for compatibility.

14. Switch to an SSD (Major Speed Boost)

If your laptop still uses an HDD, upgrading to an SSD can make it feel like new.

Benefits include:

• Faster boot times
• Snappier app performance
• Better multitasking

SSD upgrades are affordable and massively improve Windows 11 responsiveness.

15. Reset Windows 11 (Last Resort)

If everything else fails, a fresh Windows installation can solve deep issues.

Reset steps:

1. Settings → System → Recovery
2. Click Reset this PC
3. Choose:
   • Keep my files
     or
   • Remove everything (clean reset)

A clean reset removes bloat and restores factory performance.

Final Thoughts

A slow Windows 11 laptop isn’t the end of the world. With the right optimizations—like disabling startup apps, clearing disk space, updating drivers, and improving power settings—you can bring back its original speed. For even more dramatic improvements, consider upgrading your RAM or switching to an SSD.

Follow these steps, and your laptop will feel faster, smoother, and far more enjoyable to use—without spending a fortune or replacing it entirely.