1. Too many apps start with Windows
Every app that starts with Windows adds to the wait before your laptop is ready, and many keep running all day. This is the most common cause of a slow start.
Do it yourself: press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager and choose Startup apps. Or open Settings > Apps > Startup in Windows 11. Turn off what you don't need the moment the PC starts. Keep your antivirus, touchpad and audio drivers.
With Revive: startup apps are ranked by how long each one really delays your boot, so you keep the useful ones and turn off the slow ones. Each change can be undone.
2. The drive is nearly full
Windows needs free space for updates, temporary files and memory it pages to disk. When the system drive is close to full, everything slows down and updates can fail. Keeping some space free is a good habit.
Do it yourself: open Settings > System > Storage. Turn on Storage Sense, and look at Cleanup recommendations and Temporary files. Empty the Recycle Bin and check your Downloads folder.
With Revive: a disk map shows what fills the drive, and a step-by-step guide helps you free a full drive. Revive says before it clears temporary files, because those can't come back.
3. Memory runs short, or an app freezes
A browser with many tabs, a video call and a big app at the same time can use all your memory. Windows then swaps to disk and the whole laptop stutters.
Do it yourself: in Task Manager, open Processes and sort by Memory. Close what you aren't using. If an app has stopped responding, select it and choose End task.
With Revive: it steps in when an app freezes or memory runs low, names what is using it, and offers to free it in one tap. Its on-device AI explains error messages in plain words (20 answers a day on Standard).
4. Services and background apps
Some apps install services that run all the time, even when you never open the app. Each one is small, but together they add up.
With Revive: third-party services that don't need to run all the time are set to start only when needed. Service changes are recorded in History and can be undone.
5. Heat and battery
A hot laptop slows itself down to stay safe. Dust in the vents, a soft surface like a bed or sofa, or an old battery can all make it run slower.
Do it yourself: use the laptop on a hard, flat surface and keep the vents clear. Open Settings > System > Power & battery and check Power mode: Best power efficiency saves battery but is slower; Balanced or Best performance is quicker when plugged in.
With Revive: it checks whether heat is slowing the PC, how worn the battery is, and which charging habits help, with a step-by-step guide for cooling a hot laptop.
6. Updates and drivers
Updates installing in the background can slow a PC for a while, and an out-of-date graphics or chipset driver can cause stutters.
Do it yourself: open Settings > Windows Update, install what's waiting and restart. Optional driver updates are under Advanced options > Optional updates.
With Revive: a read-only check of drivers and updates, with the right Windows page one click away. Revive never installs drivers itself.
7. Make sure protection is on
Unwanted software can slow a PC down. Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection and run a Quick scan. Revive is not an antivirus; it checks that real-time protection is on and up to date, and never turns it off.
Or do it all in one tap
Revive is an agentic PC companion for Windows 10 and 11. It lives in a small glass notch at the top of your screen, checks the whole PC in one click, fixes the safe things, and tells you straight what it can't fix. A restore point is made before system changes, and almost every change can be undone from History.
See what Standard does, compare plans, or read getting started.
Last checked 5 November 2026.
