It’s reported that 78 percent of households in America have at least one computer. And this makes sense considering how much we rely on our devices. Whether we’re trying to manage our personal, work, or social lives, we need our computers to be running at top performance all of the time.
And this is what makes it so frustrating when our computers suddenly start slowing down and lagging. Not only can a slow computer make it harder for you to enjoy your life, can also cost you productivity at your job.
If you want to know how to make your computer faster, then you’ve come to the right place. Continue reading and we’ll walk you through everything you need to know!
1. Stop Programs From Automatically Running When You Start Your Computer Up
This is one of the most overlooked ways to make your computer run faster. You might not realize it but your computer is probably running programs in the background. When it does this, the programs are going to use up your computer’s memory and cause it to slow down.
While some programs, like firewall and antivirus software, should be running automatically in the background, others can be turned off. For example, you probably don’t need Dropbox or Adobe’s Creative Cloud running all of the time when you’re just looking something up on Google.
2. Update Your Apps, Drivers, and OS
You probably know that keeping your software up to date is a good way to keep your security up. But did you know that updating your software will improve your computer’s speed and performance overall?
Your computer will most likely send you a notification when an update is available. You just have to make sure that you don’t keep forgetting to install it. You might even be able to set up automatic updates so that you don’t even have to worry about it.
You shouldn’t just update your operating system, though. You should update all of your applications and drivers too. This will further improve your security as well as the speed and performance of your computer.
If your computer starts acting up, you should see what updates you can install.
4. Delete Any Unnecessary Files
Just like drawers and cabinets, computers can also get cluttered. While you might not be able to see it, you’ll be able to know it’s there. And when your computer becomes too cluttered, your computer is going to start slowing down significantly.
This is especially true if you often deal with a bunch of large files, such as high-quality videos, audio files, and images.
Obviously, deleting files can be a risky move. Nobody wants to start decluttering their computers only to find out that they just deleted a big presentation they’re supposed to show next week.
Because of this, it’s important that you backup your computer at least once a week. After you back everything up, you should delete everything that you don’t need on the actual computer. And always remember to empty the recycle bin too!
If you don’t empty the recycle bin, then the files will still be taking up space, although you won’t be able to access them.
5. Figure Out Which Files Are Taking Up the Most Space
Oftentimes, people see that their computers are low on memory but can’t figure out why. Applications and files have a sneaky way of hiding within your computer and being difficult to find. By downloading some kind of task manager or disk sweeper, you’ll be able to sweep your whole computer and see which files are taking up the most space.
Then, all you have to do is locate those files and delete them.
6. Optimize Your Wifi Options
There’s a good chance that your computer is taking a long time to load webpages because your Wifi setup is less than ideal. There are two main wifi bands that you need to know about: 2.4GHz and 5GHz.
While the 5GHz band is a lot faster than the 2.4GHz band, the 2.4GHz is able to reach further distances. So if you’re on a 5GHz band setup but you’re far away from the router, then you’re probably going to have a slow internet connection.
By knowing how to use the best wifi channel, you’ll be able to speed up your web browsing significantly.
7. Adjust Your Power Options
Your computer most likely comes with various “power plans” to suit your specific needs. The default option is usually set to “Balanced.” This setting takes energy consumption and power into account.
However, if you’re computer is plugged in, then energy consumption shouldn’t be much of a big deal. And if you choose something like “Power Save,” then you’ll be compromising power even more.
If you really need your computer to speed things up, then you want to choose the “High Performance” option in order to give your computer a turbo boost.
The Importance of Knowing How to Make Your Computer Faster
Computers are absolutely amazing devices. But when they start slowing down, they can suddenly become extremely annoying. By knowing how to make your computer faster, you can avoid a lot of this frustration and become more productive as well.
The important thing to take away is that your computer needs to be constantly looked after. You should always be updating and making sure that you don’t have any unnecessary files installed on your computer. After you do that, you should be good to go!
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