Why the laptop slows down and how to fix it: a complete guide 2026

Has your laptop started to load slower, programs take forever to open, and the video in your browser constantly freezes? This is a familiar problem for millions of users - from owners of budget Lenovo IdeaPad up to bonus MacBook Pro. Brakes can appear either suddenly or gradually, turning work on the device into torture.

In 90% of cases, the causes of laptop brakes are not related to hardware failures - you can fix them yourself without contacting a service center. In this article we will look at all possible reasons, from a banal lack of RAM to hidden viruses in the system, and we will also give step by step instructions for diagnosing and troubleshooting problems for Windows 10/11, macOS And Linux.

1. Random access memory (RAM) overload

The most common cause of brakes is lack of RAM. Modern browsers (eg. Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge) can “eat up” 2–4 GB of RAM for each tab, and background processes of the system can eat up the same amount. If you have 4–8 GB of RAM installed, the laptop will begin to “choke” even when opening 5–6 tabs + document Word + messenger.

How to check?

• 🔍 On Windows: press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, open the “Performance” → “Memory” tab. If the graph is 80%+ full, the RAM is overloaded.
• 🍎 On macOS: Open System Monitor (Applications → Utilities → Activity Monitor) → “Memory” tab. Pay attention to the “Memory Pressure” column (if it is yellow/red, the problem is confirmed).
• 🐧 On Linux: enter the command in the terminal free -h and look at the line available (if the value is close to zero, memory is running out).

Solutions:

• ✅ Close unnecessary tabs and programs (especially Photoshop, AutoCAD or games).
• ✅ Add RAM (if your laptop has free slots). 16 GB is enough for office work, 32 GB for games/editing.
• ✅ Use “light” alternatives to programs: instead of Chrome — Firefox or Brave, instead Photoshop — GIMP.

2. Central processing unit (CPU) load

If laptop heats up and slows down even during simple tasks (for example, when watching a video on YouTube), an overloaded processor may be to blame. Reasons:

• 🔥 Overheating due to dust in the cooling system or dried out thermal paste.
• 🤖 Background processes (for example, updating Windows or indexing files for search).
• 🦠 Viruses or mining scripts that secretly use CPU resources.

How to diagnose?

OS	Command/tool	What to look for
Windows	Ctrl + Shift + Esc → "Performance" → "CPU"	Loading > 70% for no apparent reason
macOS	Activity Monitor → “CPU” tab	Processes kernel_task or unknown programs with high CPU %
Linux	top or htop in the terminal	Processes with %CPU > 50 (For example, kworker)

Solutions:

• 🧹 Clean your laptop from dust (especially ventilation grilles and cooler). To do this, use a compressed air cylinder or contact service.
• 🛠️ Replace thermal paste (if the laptop is more than 2-3 years old). For MacBook This is critical - Apple often uses low quality thermal paste.
• ⚡ Disable unnecessary background processes:
  • On Windows: Settings → Privacy → Background apps.
  • On macOS: System Settings → General → Background Processes.

3. Hard disk (HDD) instead of SSD

Laptops with HDDs slow down 3–5 times more than those with SSDs, even with the same CPU and RAM characteristics. Mechanical hard drives have read/write speeds of ~100 MB/s, while even a budget SSD shows 500–3000 MB/s. The difference is noticeable when:

• 🖥️ System boot (HDD: 30–60 seconds, SSD: 5–10 seconds).
• 📁 Opening heavy files (for example, projects in Adobe Premiere).
• 🔄 Multitasking (simultaneous work with several programs).

How to check disk type?

• 🪟 Windows: Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) → “Performance” tab → “Disk”. If it says “Hard Drive”, you have an HDD.
• 🍏 macOS: press Option → “System information” → “Storage”. The SSD will be labeled as "Flash Drive".

Solutions:

• 💾 Replace HDD with SSD (even budget Kingston A400 or Crucial BX500 will increase speed by 5–10 times). For laptops with one slot, the form factor is suitable 2.5" SATA or M.2 NVMe (if supported).
• 🔧 Move the system to an SSD, and use the HDD as additional storage (for example, for photos and videos).
• 🧹 Optimize your current HDD:

  Defragment the disk (Disk optimization in Windows)|Turn off file indexing|Empty the Recycle Bin and temporary files (%temp%)|Move the swap file to another disk (if there is a second HDD)-->

4. Viruses, mining scripts and malware

If your laptop starts to slow down suddenly, for no apparent reason (for example, after visiting dubious sites or installing pirated software), malware may be to blame. Modern viruses are not always noticeable - they:

• 🕵️‍♂️ Masked as system processes (for example, svchost.exe or WindowsHost).
• 💰 Cryptocurrency is mined in the background (using up to 100% CPU/GPU).
• 📊 They steal data or show advertisements (for example, pop-ups in the browser).

How to detect?

• 🛡️ Perform a scan two antiviruses:
  • Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool (free scanner).
  • Malwarebytes (will find mining scripts and adware).
• 🔍 Check the list of processes in the “Task Manager” (Windows) or “System Monitoring” (macOS). Look for unknown programs with high CPU/GPU load.

Signs of infection with a mining virus

- The laptop slows down even in standby mode (without running programs).

- The cooler operates at maximum speed constantly.

- In the “Task Manager” a process with the name of the type is visible msupdate.exe, servicehost.exe or a random set of letters (for example, kqwye32.dll).

- Increased network traffic (the virus can download updates or send data to the server).

Solutions:

• 🚫 Remove suspicious programs through the “Control Panel” (Windows) or "Launchpad" (macOS).
• 🔄 Restore the system from a backup (if you have one).
• 🛠️ Reinstall the OS (as a last resort if the virus is not removed).

⚠️ Attention: Some viruses block the installation of antivirus software. In this case, boot into safe mode (on Windows - hold Shift when rebooting, on macOS — Shift when turned on) and repeat the scan.

5. Disk fragmentation and junk files

Over time, the files on the disk fragmented - are broken into parts scattered across different sectors. This slows down reading/writing, especially on HDD. In addition, the system becomes clogged with temporary files:

• 🗑️ Browser cache (Chrome, Firefox).
• 🎮 Remains of deleted games (Steam, Epic Games).
• 📥 Downloads, cart, log files.

How to clean?

• 🪟 Windows:
  • Run Disk Cleanup (Win + R → enter cleanmgr).
  • Delete temporary files: go to C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Temp and empty the folder.
  • Defragment the disk: Disk optimization → select drive → “Optimize”.
• 🍎 macOS:
  • Use the utility Clearing storage (Apple Menu → About This Mac → Storage → Manage).
  • Delete browser cache: in Safari — Safari → Preferences → Add-ons → Manage site data.

For deep cleaning, use the following programs:

• 🪟 CCleaner (cleaning the registry and temporary files).
• 🍎 CleanMyMac (optimization for macOS).
• 🐧 BleachBit (analogue CCleaner for Linux).

6. Outdated operating system or drivers

If your laptop slows down after updating Windows or macOS, the culprits may be:

• 🔄 Driver conflict (for example, after updating NVIDIA or Intel).
• 🐛 Bugs in the new OS version (especially relevant for Windows 11 on old laptops).
• ⚠️ Lack of updates for hardware components (for example, for Wi-Fi adapter or touchpad).

How to check?

• 🪟 Windows:
  • Open Settings → Windows Update → Update history. Look for errors with the code 0x80070002 or 0x800F0922.
  • Check drivers: Device Manager → look for devices with an exclamation mark.
• 🍎 macOS:
  • Update the system: System Settings → General → Software Update.
  • Reset NVRAM: turn off MacBook, then turn on while holding Option + Command + P + R (10 seconds).

Solutions:

• 🔄 Roll back the driver:

  1. Откройте «Диспетчер устройств».
  2. Найдите проблемное устройство (например, видеокарту).
  3. ПКМ → «Свойства» → «Драйвер» → «Откатить».

• 📥 Install drivers manually from the manufacturer’s website (for example, for NVIDIA — nvidia.com, for Intel — intel.ru).
• ⚙️ Disable automatic driver updates in Windows:

  1. Win + R → введите sysdm.cpl.
  2. Перейдите на вкладку «Оборудование» → «Параметры установки устройств».
  3. Выберите «Нет, предоставить выбор».

⚠️ Attention: If after the update Windows 10→11 The laptop has started to slow down, check support TPM 2.0 And Secure Boot. Older laptops (pre-2018) may lack these features, resulting in lags. The solution is to roll back to Windows 10 or disabling checking through the registry.

7. Overheating and power problems

The laptop may slow down due to throttling — automatic reduction of CPU/GPU performance when overheated. This is protection against damage, but it makes the device practically unusable. Causes of overheating:

• 🌡️ Dust in the cooler or dried thermal paste.
• 🔋 Faulty battery (swollen or worn out).
• 🔌 Works from the network without a battery (on some laptops, for example, HP Pavilion, this limits performance).

How to diagnose?

• 🌡️ Use temperature monitoring programs:
  • HWMonitor (Windows).
  • iStat Menus (macOS).
  • sensors (command in terminal Linux).
• 🔋 Check battery wear:
  • On Windows: command line → powercfg /batteryreport (the report will open in the browser).
  • On macOS: System information → Energy saving → see the battery status.

Solutions:

• 🧹 Clean the cooling system (see section on CPU).
• 🔋 Replace the battery if its capacity drops below 50% of the original.
• ⚡ Set up your power plan:
  • On Windows: Control Panel → Power Options → High Performance.
  • On macOS: Disable "Optimized Charging" (System Settings → Battery).

8. Lack of space on the system disk

If on disk C: (Windows) or Macintosh HD (macOS) less than 10–15% of free space remains, the system will begin to slow down. Why?

• 📁 OS uses free space for swap file (virtual memory).
• 🔄 There is not enough space for temporary files and cache.
• 🚫 The system cannot update or install critical patches.

How to free up space?

• 🗑️ Remove large unnecessary files:
  • On Windows: Settings → System → Storage → Temporary files.
  • On macOS: About This Mac → Storage → Manage → Recommendations.
• 📁 Transfer files to an external drive or to the cloud (Google Drive, Yandex Disk).
• 🎮 Remove unused programs/games (for example, through Control Panel → Programs and Features).
• 🔍 Find “heavy” files using:
  • WinDirStat (Windows).
  • GrandPerspective (macOS).
  • ncdu (Linux, installed via terminal).

If the disk is still full:

• 💾 Replace the HDD with a larger SSD (for example, from 256 GB to 1 TB).
• 🔧 Expand the system partition with another disk (for example, through Disk management in Windows).

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about laptop brakes

❓ The laptop only slows down when running on battery power. What's the matter?

Most likely, the power saving mode is turned on. On Windows go to Control Panel → Power Options and select the "High Performance" scheme. On macOS Disable "Optimized Charging" in Battery Settings. Also check the battery for wear - if the capacity is below 60%, replace it.

❓ After updating the BIOS, the laptop began to slow down. What to do?

Roll back the BIOS to the previous version. To do this:

1. Download old firmware from the manufacturer's website (for example, for ASUS — asus.com).
2. Create a bootable USB flash drive with a utility for flashing the firmware (usually included in the archive with the BIOS).
3. Boot from the flash drive and perform a rollback. Important: do not turn off the laptop during the process!

If a rollback is not possible, reset the BIOS to factory settings (Load Default Settings).

❓ The laptop slows down in games, although the characteristics are good. Why?

Possible reasons:

• 🎮 Throttling due to overheating (check temperature via MSI Afterburner).
• 🖥️ Outdated video card drivers (update via GeForce Experience or AMD Adrenalin).
• ⚡ The power supply is insufficient (relevant for gaming laptops with two video cards).
• 🔧 Resource-intensive effects (for example, ray tracing) are enabled in the game settings. Try lowering the graphics.

❓ Can a laptop slow down due to antivirus?

Yes, some antiviruses (for example, Kaspersky or Avast) can load the CPU by 20–30% when scanning. Solutions:

• Add frequently used programs to your antivirus exclusions.
• Disable background scanning (in your antivirus settings).
• Replace your antivirus with a lighter one (for example, Bitdefender or built-in Windows Defender).

❓ Only the browser slows down. What to do?

Browser problems are usually related to:

• 🗑️ Full cache (clear via Ctrl + Shift + Del).
• 🔧 Too many extensions (disable unnecessary ones in chrome://extensions).
• 🕵️‍♂️ Malicious scripts on websites (use an ad blocker, for example, uBlock Origin).

If the problem persists, try a different browser (for example, Firefox or Edge in mode IE Mode for old sites).