Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Close unnecessary programs
• Method 2 of 3: Restart Windows Explorer
• Method 3 of 3: Other adjustments

If too many programs run at the same time and consume your RAM (Random Access Memory), your system may become less and less responsive. Follow the guide below to free up system memory of clutter lying around so that your computer can run as smoothly as before.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Close unnecessary programs

1. How Programs Use RAM. Programs store their temporary data in the computer's RAM while the program is running. The more programs that run, the more RAM is required. The easiest way to free up RAM is to close programs you are not using.
2. Close unnecessary windows. If you have multiple programs on the screen at the same time, close the programs you are not using. For example, if you have a chat program open but you are not chatting, close this program.
   • Web browsers with multiple tabs open can take up a lot of system memory; Close tabs you're not using to help free up RAM.
3. Close the background programs. Some programs will continue to run even though you have closed their windows. Most of them can be discovered by looking in the System Tray, which can be found at the bottom right of the desktop, next to the clock. Hover over the icons to see which programs are still running.
   • Right click on the icon to open the menu of each program. You can close most programs completely by means of such menus. Some programs, such as anti-virus programs, often cannot be closed completely via the context menu.
4. Prevent programs from starting at Windows startup. If too many programs start when Windows starts, it can have a serious impact on system performance and boot speed. There are several ways to prevent programs from starting with Windows:
   • Change the settings of a program. Most programs that start with Windows have options to disable this. Open the options or preferences of the program; usually you will find this option in the General section. For example, right clicking on the Google Drive icons will open a menu. If you click on Preferences ... a new window will appear. In the Misc. you will find a checkbox “Start Google Drive automatically when you start your computer”.
   • Turn off the startup services. Open the Run command by pressing Windows key + R. Type “msconfig” in the box and press Enter. This will open the System Configuration window. Click the Startup tab to get a list of programs that start at the same time as the computer. Uncheck the boxes next to the programs you want to disable.
5. Force close background programs. There are programs that run in the background where no icons are shown in the system tray and that are not in the system configuration. To exit these programs, go to the Task Manager. The fastest way to do this is with the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Del, after which you select Start Task Manager in the menu.
   • Determine which programs you want to stop. Open the Processes tab. This will show every process running on your computer. At the bottom of the window you can see the percentage of RAM that is used in total. Click Memory to sort the programs in order of RAM used.
   • Select the program you want to close and click End Process. A window will open asking if you want to quit the process, along with a warning that closing processes may adversely affect your system. Only close programs you are sure you want to close.Closing certain programs can cause your system to become unstable until you restart it. Programs with the username “SYSTEM” are generally required for the system to run properly.

Method 2 of 3: Restart Windows Explorer

1. Open the Task Manager. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del and select the Task Manager from the list of options. The Task Manager opens. Click on the Processes tab.
2. Search Explorer. Windows Explorer is the file explorer in Windows. Restarting it pulls it out of RAM and reloads it, basically freeing up memory. Search for explorer.exe and press End Process. You can sort by program name by clicking the Image Name category. If done correctly, the taskbar and desktop will now disappear from the screen.
3. Restart Windows Explorer. Click the "Applications" tab, then click "New Task ...". In the window that now opens, type “explorer.exe” in the text field and then click OK. Explorer will now open and the taskbar and desktop icons will reappear.

Method 3 of 3: Other adjustments

1. Turn off Windows Defender. If you already have an anti-virus / anti-spyware program running, Windows Defender is unnecessary and can be turned off. You do this by opening Windows Defender from the Control Panel. Then click on Tools, and select Options. Under Administrator, uncheck “Use this program” and click Save.
2. Disable Windows Aero ut. Windows Aero is the graphics theme used by Windows in Vista and 7. Open the Control Panel and select Performance Information and Tools. In the left menu, click on “Adjust visual effects”. This will open the Performance Options window, where you can set the Windows display. To turn off Aero, select “Adjust for best performance” and click Apply. The screen will go gray for a moment while the settings are being changed.
3. Add more RAM. Memory doesn't cost much more these days, so upgrading the memory of an older computer can be a lot cheaper now than it was a few years ago. Consult your computer's documentation to determine which type of RAM is compatible with your system. Check out the articles on wikiHow for instructions on installing RAM on your desktop and notebook.
4. Free up some memory on your Mac computer. OS X is quite efficient when it comes to memory usage, but sometimes programs that require a lot of memory can reserve memory, after which the program will not release it when it is stopped. To free up your Mac's memory, start the Terminal first. This can be found in the Utilities folder, in Applications.
   • In the terminal, type "purge" and then press Enter. The system will take a while to process the order.
   • You can find out how much system memory is used before and after a particular process by opening Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder.