6 tried and tested tricks to speed up a slow Windows laptop

Trim startup and scheduled background apps
Open Task Manager → Startup apps → Disable anything non-critical. Then in Settings → Apps → Advanced app settings → Background apps, set most to “Never”. This removes hidden wake-ups that consume RAM and I/O.

Turn on Storage Sense with aggressive rules
Settings → System → Storage → Storage Sense. Enable and choose “Every day” for cleanup cadence and set Downloads purge window to a short interval if safe for your workflow. This reclaims I/O headroom.

Move browser tabs to sleep and cap extensions
Modern browsers are the longest-running resident process. Enable tab sleeping and remove heavy extensions. Keeping browsers as the “only heavy thing” often surfaces a visible lift across the system.

Use per-app GPU/Power policy to de-stress thermals
Settings → System → Display → Graphics → per-app. Force non-critical apps to the integrated GPU and set their power mode to “Power saving”. Thermals improve, letting bursts clock higher for the foreground task.

Indexing scope cut and on-demand search
Settings → Privacy & Security → Searching Windows → Advanced indexing. Exclude large folders (Git repos, RAW media) and switch to Classic. This stops the indexer from grinding the disk.

Reset Windows Update queue without reset
A corrupt update queue slows the servicing stack. Use wuauserv + bits stop, delete SoftwareDistribution + Catroot2, then start services. This clears the spool without reinstall.