Speed Up Your PC

Step 1: The “quick wins” (5 minutes)

Restart your PC

Yes, we’re starting here. A restart fixes an alarming amount of problems.
If your PC has been sleeping for 12 days straight, it’s basically running on vibes.

Do it: Restart once, then see if things feel better.

Check your storage space

When your C: drive is stuffed like a crawfish boil pot, Windows can’t breathe.

Goal: Keep 15–20% free space.

Check it:
Settings → System → Storage

Run Windows Update

Updates often include performance fixes. Also, they stop your computer from quietly plotting revenge.

Go to:
Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates

Step 3: Remove the “who invited you?” programs

Uninstall apps you don’t use

Old programs can run background services and slow things down—even if you haven’t touched them since 2019.

Do it:

• Settings → Apps → Installed apps

• Sort by Size or Date installed

• Uninstall what you don’t use

Clean up temporary files

Windows saves all kinds of leftovers. (It’s basically a digital pack rat.)

Do it:

• Settings → System → Storage → Temporary files

• Select what you want → Remove files

Optional: turn on Storage Sense to automate cleanup.

Step 4: Find the “resource hog” (the usual suspect)

Check Task Manager

If your PC is slow, something is usually eating your CPU, memory, or disk like it’s at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

How:

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc

• Go to Processes

• Sort by CPU, then Memory, then Disk

Common troublemakers:

• a browser with 47 tabs open

• cloud sync stuck syncing

• antivirus scan running at the worst possible time

• printer software doing… printer software things

Step 5: Make your browser stop acting like a needy roommate

Remove extra extensions

Extensions are great… until you have 19 of them.

Rule of thumb: If you don’t use it weekly, remove it.

Close tabs (I know, I know)

If you keep a mountain of tabs open “for later,” your PC is working overtime.

Suggestion: Bookmark it. Close it. Pretend you’ll come back (you won’t).

Step 6: Scan for malware (digital gremlins)

Run a malware scan

If you’re getting popups, weird redirects, or your PC suddenly feels cursed—scan it.

Go to:

• Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Quick scan

Step 8: The two upgrades that actually matter

If you did the steps above and your PC is still slow, this is where the real glow-up happens.

Upgrade to an SSD (biggest speed boost)

If your PC has an old-school hard drive (HDD), switching to an SSD is like going from a bicycle to a jet ski.

Check:

• Task Manager → Performance → Disk

• If it says HDD, an SSD upgrade will feel dramatic.

Add RAM (if you multitask)

If your PC slows down when you’ve got email + browser + QuickBooks + PDFs open, you may need more memory.

Good targets:

• 16GB = sweet spot for most business PCs

• 32GB = heavy multitasking / big spreadsheets / creative work

Step 9: Keep it fast (so you don’t end up here again)

Keep the desktop from becoming a storage unit

A desktop full of files can slow logins and syncing. Make folders. Future-you will be grateful.

Keep the PC cool (heat = slow)

Overheating makes PCs slow down to protect themselves.

• blow dust out of vents

• make sure fans are working

• laptops belong on hard surfaces, not blankets

When it’s time to call Coastal IT Care 

If your PC:

• freezes or crashes regularly

• sits at 100% disk usage all the time

• has constant popups or “weird behavior”

• makes your staff lose time every day

…that’s when a proper tune-up saves money fast.

Coastal IT Care helps Gulf Coast businesses get PCs running smoothly with cleanup, security checks, upgrades (SSD/RAM), and proactive monitoring—so “slow computer day” doesn’t become a weekly tradition.