5 Ways You Could Be Unknowingly Slowing Down Your Windows 10 PC

If your Windows 10 PC is slower than usual, it may be something you're doing without even realizing it.

Does your Windows device constantly lag, freeze, and crash unpredictably? Or does it take forever to boot up, and your battery drains out in a few hours? If so, your computer is secretly wasting resources on processes that aren't very useful.

Therefore, finding such RAM eaters and disabling them may help reduce resource consumption, resulting in better computer performance. In this article, we will uncover different ways in which you unknowingly burden your computer and show you how to relieve some of its strain.

1. Not Closing Background Apps and Processes

Applications and processes that continue to run in the background, even when you close them or aren't actively using them, are called background apps. Since they are always in action, they occupy a lot of resources.

Furthermore, you cannot gauge their impact by not being aware of how many of these processes are running in the background. Hence, stopping them should be your priority so that you can allocate resources to other useful processes.

To do that, follow the below steps:

1. Right-click on the Windows Start button and go to Settings.
2. Navigate to Privacy.
3. Go to Background apps under App permissions in the left-sidebar.
4. Under Let apps run in the background, either turn off the master toggle or close down a few apps from the list below.
   

Besides turning off these applications, a few background processes should also be stopped. You can use the Task Manager to find and stop these processes.

To do that, follow the below steps:

1. Right-click on the Start button and go to Task Manager.
2. Navigate to the Processes tab.
3. Left-click on the View at the top and click on Group by type.
   

By following the above steps, the background processes will be grouped separately. As such, you can go through the list and close all the processes that consume a lot of resources on your computer. To end a particular process, right-click on it and select End Task.

You can also disable startup programs from the Windows Task Manager to reduce resource consumption at startup, thereby speeding up boot time. In Task Manager, all startup programs are listed under the Startup tab.

2. Keeping Third-Party Services Turned On

Windows users cannot escape trying out new third-party apps and tools every once in a while. As soon as they are installed and run for the first time, most of those tools start certain third-party services that continue to run even when the programs are closed.

This could be a browser service that checks for updates or a maintenance service that repairs specific programs periodically. You may never be aware that these services are in place.

Due to their fair share of the load on your computer, it becomes imperative to disable these services. Follow these steps to disable them:

1. Right-click on the Windows Start button and click on Run.
2. Type "msconfig" and hit OK.
3. Go to the Services tab in the System Configuration window.
4. Check the Hide all Microsoft services box to hide essential services required for system operation from the list.
5. Check the services to see if you want any of them to continue running.
6. Click Disable all, hit Apply, and then OK.
   

You can then restart your computer to end all third-party services that were overburdening it.

3. Running a Third-Party Antivirus Program Parallel With Microsoft Defender's Firewall

Microsoft Defender is a Windows operating system's built-in software application that prevents threats and viruses from entering the system.

Since Microsoft Defender Firewall already provides good protection for your system, running an antivirus program alongside it is not advisable. This would mean running two processes to accomplish the same task.

Many antivirus programs run continuously and require a lot of processing to keep up with scanning. Unless you've disabled the Microsoft Defender Firewall and are using only one antivirus for threat protection, that's another unnecessary load on your computer that you should remove.

Disabling the third-party antivirus software will significantly reduce resource consumption, allowing other Windows processes to run more smoothly.

Even if you have to use them at all costs to ensure your security, use them periodically, such as when you download files from unreliable sources or run a daily scan.

4. Over-Customizing Windows Graphics and Enabling Sound Enhancements

There is nothing wrong with customizing Windows to make it look better, have better audio quality, or enhance the user experience. But, over-customization can ruin it, and using third-party apps to accomplish the same task would make matters worse.

Therefore, do not use customized themes, keep the brightness low, and do not mess around with the color management, resolution, and scale settings. Also, if you're using third-party apps to control these customizations, it's best to abandon them.

Furthermore, since Windows allows you to control your graphics preference for all apps, it's best to let Windows take care of graphics preference rather than keep it on high.

Here's how you can change your graphics preferences:

1. Right-click on the Windows Start button and click on Settings.
2. Navigate to System.
3. Click on Display in the left-sidebar.
4. Click on Graphics settings in the right-hand pane.

As shown above, you can either change the graphics performance preference for Microsoft Store apps or browse any Desktop app, game, or software to add it here. To change the graphics preference of any app, click on Options and choose Let Windows decide, then click Save.

Similarly, disable all unnecessary sound enhancements and keep the audio sample rate low unless you want to enjoy every beat from your headphones. Moreover, it's not recommended to use third-party apps to customize your audio to avoid overburdening it.

5. Connecting Unnecessary Peripherals

Never leave unwanted peripherals connected to your laptop for extended periods. First, they keep some features active, such as Bluetooth for connecting Bluetooth devices, which consumes system resources. Moreover, by drawing massive power, they can quickly drain your laptop's battery.

Hence, you should unplug all such devices when you stop using them on your laptop and keep their usage minimum.

Lower the Burden on Your Windows 10 Computer

The tips provided in the article should help lower the burden on your computer. It will free up more resources for the essential processes, enabling your computer to run more smoothly.

Even though all of the above steps will help you decrease the battery consumption of your laptop, there are more ways to extend the battery life of a Windows PC that you should consider exploring.