Your computer is very slow
Uptime, disk space and browser tabs explain most slow machines. Work through these checks and, if it is still slow after a genuine restart, log a ticket — that pattern usually means something we need to look at directly.
Step-by-step troubleshooting
- 1
Restart properly
Choose Restart rather than shutting the lid or using Sleep. Many laptops go weeks without a true restart, and memory pressure builds the whole time.
- 2
Check free disk space
Under about 10% free will slow a machine badly. Empty the recycle bin, clear Downloads, and remove old local copies of large files that already live in OneDrive or SharePoint.
- 3
Close the browser tab pile
Dozens of open tabs consume memory continuously. Close what you are not using, or bookmark them. Restart the browser afterwards.
- 4
See what is using the resources
Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) or Activity Monitor and sort by CPU then Memory. Note the top two or three processes — that name usually identifies the culprit.
- 5
Let updates finish
A pending Windows or macOS update, or a running antivirus scan, will slow things down while it works. Install updates, restart, and retest before raising a ticket.
- 6
Check for heat and age
If fans run constantly or the case is hot, vents may be blocked. Sit the laptop on a hard surface rather than a soft one and clear dust from the vents.
Contact us straight away if…
- It is still slow immediately after a restart with plenty of free disk space.
- The machine freezes, crashes or restarts by itself.
- You hear clicking noises or see disk errors.
Include this in your ticket
- The device name and roughly how old it is
- What you were doing when it slowed down
- The top processes from Task Manager or Activity Monitor
- Free disk space and time since last restart
Still stuck? We'll take it from here
Log a ticket with what you already tried and our Australian help desk will pick it up. Anything urgent, phone 1300 904 635.
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