To run a scan, open your Settings and go to Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection. [2] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Click Quick scan or Scan now under “Current threats. " Another popular antimalware scanning tool is Malwarebytes, which has a full-featured free version that can do deep scans of your files.

Click the Windows menu and browse the apps that are installed. If you see any apps you don’t recognize or want to use, you can easily install them right from the Windows menu. [3] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Just right-click the app and select Uninstall. When you uninstall a third-party antivirus program, you’ll see a warning that says your PC won’t be protected. You’ll be prompted to enable antivirus protection with Windows Security or Windows Defender automatically.

Press Shift + Esc in a Chromium-based web browser like Chrome or Edge to see how much RAM is being consumed by each open tab. You might be surprised!

Depending on the update, you may notice some performance issues while Windows is downloading new updates in the background. If you have Windows updates set up to install automatically (the default option), moments of slowness could be the result of an update in progress.

Depending on the update, you may notice some performance issues while Windows is downloading new updates in the background. If you have Windows updates set up to install automatically (the default option), moments of slowness could be the result of an update in progress.

Depending on the update, you may notice some performance issues while Windows is downloading new updates in the background. If you have Windows updates set up to install automatically (the default option), moments of slowness could be the result of an update in progress.

Depending on the update, you may notice some performance issues while Windows is downloading new updates in the background. If you have Windows updates set up to install automatically (the default option), moments of slowness could be the result of an update in progress.

Depending on the update, you may notice some performance issues while Windows is downloading new updates in the background. If you have Windows updates set up to install automatically (the default option), moments of slowness could be the result of an update in progress.

The apps that are running currently appear under “Apps” at the top. You can close an app by selecting it and clicking End task. The tasks in “Background processes” are a mix of processes that launch automatically in the background to keep Windows and other apps running. Some of these tasks are important, while others may be less so. Before ending a task from this section,

The apps that are running currently appear under “Apps” at the top. You can close an app by selecting it and clicking End task. The tasks in “Background processes” are a mix of processes that launch automatically in the background to keep Windows and other apps running. Some of these tasks are important, while others may be less so. Before ending a task from this section,

The apps that are running currently appear under “Apps” at the top. You can close an app by selecting it and clicking End task. The tasks in “Background processes” are a mix of processes that launch automatically in the background to keep Windows and other apps running. Some of these tasks are important, while others may be less so. Before ending a task from this section,

The apps that are running currently appear under “Apps” at the top. You can close an app by selecting it and clicking End task. The tasks in “Background processes” are a mix of processes that launch automatically in the background to keep Windows and other apps running. Some of these tasks are important, while others may be less so. Before ending a task from this section,

You can reenable OneDrive syncing by clicking the OneDrive icon, selecting the three dots, and then clicking Resume syncing.

You can reenable OneDrive syncing by clicking the OneDrive icon, selecting the three dots, and then clicking Resume syncing.

If you have a laptop, you can use gentle bursts of compressed air to remove crumbs and dust from the ports.

Depending on your laptop manufacturer, you may not be able to change your power plan to something other than Balanced. [7] X Research source If you don’t see this option, click the battery icon near the system clock at the bottom-right corner, and then drag the slider over to “Best performance. "

Depending on your laptop manufacturer, you may not be able to change your power plan to something other than Balanced. [7] X Research source If you don’t see this option, click the battery icon near the system clock at the bottom-right corner, and then drag the slider over to “Best performance. "

Storage Sense automatically frees up space on your PC by deleting items you don’t need, such as the files in your Recycle Bin and old temporary files. In the Windows menu, go to Settings > System > Storage you can enable Storage Sense and reclaim some space. Disk Cleanup is another tool you can use to delete temporary files, thumbnails, and system files that are no longer needed. In the Windows Search bar, type disk cleanup, and click the Disk Cleanup tool to free up space. You can also delete the apps that you no longer use to free up space. In the Windows menu, go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features, select an app you no longer want, and click Uninstall to remove it.

Check with your PC manufacturer to find out if your PC’s RAM is upgradable. If you aren’t able to upgrade your PC, you can use ReadyBoost, a feature that lets you use a flash drive or SD card as extra RAM. This will only work if you have a traditional hard drive, not a solid-state drive (SSD).

Check with your PC manufacturer to find out if your PC’s RAM is upgradable. If you aren’t able to upgrade your PC, you can use ReadyBoost, a feature that lets you use a flash drive or SD card as extra RAM. This will only work if you have a traditional hard drive, not a solid-state drive (SSD).