Restore from a system restore point

This option takes your PC back to an earlier point in time, called a system restore point. Restore points are generated when you install a new app, driver, or Windows update, and when you create a restore point manually. Restoring won’t affect your personal files, but it will remove apps, drivers, and updates installed after the  restore point was made.

Right-click (or press and hold) the Start button, and then select Control Panel.

Search Control Panel for Recovery.

Select Recovery > Open System Restore > Next.

Choose the restore point related to the problematic app, driver, or update, and then select Next > Finish.

Note:

If you’re not seeing any restore points, it might be because system protection isn’t turned on. To check, go to the Control Panel, search for Recovery, and then select Recovery > Configure System Restore > Configure and make sure Turn on system protection is selected.

Reset this PC

Resetting lets you choose whether to keep your files or remove them, and then reinstalls Windows. To get started, go to Settings > Update & security > Reset this PC > Get started and choose an option.

Note:

If you can't open Settings, you can get to reset by restarting your PC from the sign-in screen. Press the Windows logo key Windows logo key  +L to get to the sign-in screen, then hold the Shift key down while you select Power  > Restart in the lower-right corner of the screen. After your PC restarts, select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.

Option	What it does
Keep my files	Reinstalls Windows 10 and keeps your personal files. Removes apps and drivers you installed. Removes changes you made to settings. Removes any apps your PC manufacturer installed. (If your PC came with Windows 10, apps from your PC manufacturer will be reinstalled.)
Remove everything	Reinstalls Windows 10 and removes all your personal files. Removes apps and drivers you installed. Removes changes you made to settings. Removes any apps your PC manufacturer installed. (If your PC came with Windows 10, apps from your PC manufacturer will be reinstalled.) If you're planning to donate, recycle, or sell your PC, use this option and choose to fully clean the drive. This might take an hour or two, but it makes it harder for other people to recover files you've removed.
Restore factory settings	Reinstalls the version of Windows that your PC came with (either Windows 8 or Windows 8.1) and removes your personal files. Removes apps and drivers you installed. Removes changes you made to settings. Reinstalls any apps your PC manufacturer installed on your PC. This option isn't available on all PCs.

Note:

If you reset your PC within 10 days of your upgrade to Windows 10, the option in Settings that lets you go back to your previous version of Windows will no longer be available.

Use a recovery drive to restore or recover your PC

If your PC won’t start, you can use a recovery drive to restore from a system restore point or reset your PC. For info on how to create a recovery drive on a working PC, see Create a recovery drive.

If you're using a recovery drive created on Windows 10:

Connect the recovery drive and turn on your PC.

On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot, and then select an option. If you don’t see the Choose your option screen, your PC might not be set up to boot from a drive. Check your PC manufacturer’s website for info on how to change your PC’s boot order.

Restore from a system restore point by selecting Advanced Options > System Restore. This will remove recently installed apps, drivers, and updates that might be causing your PC problems, but it won’t affect your personal files.

You can also Recover from a drive. This will reinstall Windows 10 (unless your PC came with Windows 8/8.1 and a recovery partition from your PC manufacturer, in which case it'll reinstall the version of Windows that came with your PC). It'll also remove your personal files, apps and drivers you installed, and changes you made to settings.

Note:

If you chose not to back up system files when you created your recovery drive, Recover from a drive won't be available.

Use installation media to restore your PC

If your PC won't start and you haven't created a recovery drive, download installation media and use it to restore from a system restore point.

On a working PC, go to the Microsoft software download website.

Download the media creation tool and then run it.

Select Create installation media for another PC.

Choose a language, edition, and architecture (64-bit or 32-bit)

.

Follow the steps to create installation media, and then select Finish.

Connect the installation media you created to your nonfunctional PC, and then turn it on.

On the initial setup screen, enter your language and other preferences, and then select Next. If you're not seeing the setup screen, your PC might not be set up to boot from a drive. Check your PC manufacturer's website for info on how to change your PC's boot order, and then try again.

Select Repair your computer. On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore.

This will remove recently installed apps, drivers, and updates that might be causing your PC problems. Restoring from a restore point won’t affect your personal files.

Use installation media to reinstall Windows 10

Before you follow these steps, try resetting your PC using installation media. If that doesn't work, you can use the same installation media to reinstall Windows 10 (also called performing a clean installation of Windows).

Warning

This will remove all your personal files, apps and drivers you installed, apps and customizations from your PC manufacturer, and changes you made to settings.

On a working PC, go to the Microsoft software download website.

Download the media creation tool and then run it.

Select Create installation media for another PC.

Choose a language, edition, and architecture (64-bit or 32-bit).

Follow the steps to create installation media, and then select Finish.

Connect the installation media you created to your non-functional PC, and then turn it on.

On the initial setup screen, enter your language and other preferences, and then select Next. If you're not seeing the setup screen, your PC might not be set up to boot from a drive. Check your PC manufacturer's website for info on how to change your PC's boot order, and then try again.

Select Install now.

On the Enter the product key to activate Windows page, enter a product key if you have one. If you upgraded to Windows 10 for free or bought and activated Windows 10 from the Windows Store, select Skip and Windows will automatically activate later. For more details, see Activation in Windows 10.

On the License terms page, select I accept the license terms (if you agree to them), then select Next.

On the Which type of installation do you want? page, select Custom.

On the Where do you want to install Windows? page, select a partition, select a formatting option (if necessary), and then follow the instructions.

When you've finished formatting, select Next.

Follow the rest of the setup instructions to finish installing Windows 10.

Go back to your previous version of Windows

You'll be able to go back to an earlier version by going to Settings  > Update & security  > Recovery  The time you have to go back depends on what version of Windows 10 your PC is running after the upgrade. For example, if your PC is running Windows 10 Version 1511, you have a month to go back to your previous operating system. If your PC is running the Windows 10 Anniversary Update (Version 1607), you have 10 days to go back. (To see what version of Windows 10 your PC is running after you upgrade, select the Start  button, then select Settings  > System  > About )

To go back, you'll need to:

Keep everything in the windows.old and $windows.~bt folders after the upgrade.

Remove any user accounts you added after the upgrade.

Know the password you used to sign in to Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 (if you used one).

Have the USB drive you used to upgrade to Windows 10 (if you used one).

Note:

If you go back to Windows 8.1, some apps that came with Windows, like Mail and People, might not work anymore. To fix them, reinstall them from the Store.

If go back isn't available

Check to see if you can restore your PC to factory settings. This will reinstall the version of Windows that came with your PC and remove personal files, apps and drivers you installed, and any changes you made to settings. Go to Settings > Update & security > Recovery > Reset this PC > Get started and look for Restore factory settings.

If you have a product key for your previous version of Windows, use the media creation tool to create installation media for Windows 8.1 or Windows 7, and use it to do a clean install.

Info for Windows Insiders

If you’re an Insider and the current preview build isn’t working for you, go to Settings > Update & security > Recovery > Go back to an earlier build. This won’t remove your personal files, but it’ll remove recently installed apps and drivers, and change settings back to their defaults.

Going back to an earlier build won’t remove you from the Insider Program. When the next preview build is ready, it'll be installed on your PC.

Check for and remove viruses and malware

A virus, malware, or other malicious software could cause your PC to run slowly. Some other symptoms include unexpected pop-up messages, programs that unexpectedly start automatically, or the sound of your hard disk constantly working.

The best way to handle viruses and malicious software is to try to prevent them by running antimalware and antivirus software and keeping it up to date. Even if you take precautions, your PC can still become infected.

You can scan your PC for viruses or other malicious software by using Windows Defender, which is included in Windows 10. For more info, see Protect your PC.

Note

If you’re using other antivirus or antimalware software, check the documentation for that program to learn how to scan for viruses. Also, make sure multiple antivirus programs aren’t running at the same time. If they are, pick the one you want to run, and then disable or uninstall any others.

To scan for viruses using Windows Defender

1. Select the Start button > Settings > Update & security > Windows Defender > Open Windows Defender.

2. Select the Update tab > Update Definitions to make sure you have the latest definition file.

3. Select the Home tab > Scan Now, then wait for Windows Defender to finish scanning for viruses and malware.

4. Do one of the following, depending on the results of the scan:

• If Windows Defender finds a virus or malware and can’t remove or quarantine it, contact Microsoft Support for help.

• If no viruses are found, restart your PC and try to reproduce the performance problem you were having with your PC.

Note

If Windows Defender doesn’t open, can’t update the definition file, or can’t finish scanning for viruses, try running Windows Defender in Offline Mode, which is explained in the following procedure.

To scan for malware and viruses with Windows Defender Offline

1. Save any documents or anything else you might have open on your PC.

2. Select the Start button > Settings > Update & security > Windows Defender > Scan Offline.

Your PC will restart, and Windows Defender Offline will run and scan for viruses and malware. The scan might take 15 minutes or so, and your PC will restart again after that.

3. Try to reproduce the performance issue.

If your PC still runs slowly, continue to the next tip.

Disable unnecessary startup programs

When you turn on your PC, some programs start automatically and run in the background. You can disable these programs, so they don’t run when your PC starts up.

Many programs are designed to start automatically when Windows starts. Software manufacturers often set their programs to open in the background, so you don’t see them running, but so they'll open quickly when you go to use them. This is helpful for programs you use a lot, but not for programs you don’t use often because it slows down the time it takes Windows to start.

Find the programs that start automatically

Sometimes you can figure out which programs start automatically by looking at the program icons in the notification area that’s on the far right of the taskbar. Check there first to see if there are any programs running that you don’t want to start automatically. To try to find out the name of the program, point to the icon with your mouse pointer. Make sure you select Show hidden icons , so you don’t miss any programs.

Notification area with mouse pointing to show hidden icons

Even after you check the notification area, you might still miss some programs that run automatically at startup. Here’s how you can find all the programs that start automatically, and stop the ones that you don’t want to start automatically when Windows starts.

To stop a program from starting automatically

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete, then select Task Manager.

2. In Task Manager, select More details in the lower-left corner, then select the Startup tab.

3. To stop a program from starting automatically, select the program, then select Disable.

If you have questions about a specific app or program, see the program’s support page for more info.

4. Restart your PC and do what you were doing before, then see if you’re still seeing the same performance problems.

Note:

If you disable a program and it continues to start automatically when Windows starts, you should scan for viruses and malware, which is explained in the next section.

Restore your PC from a system restore point

Restoring your PC is a way to undo recent changes to your PC that might be causing problems. If you think an app, driver, or an update for Windows you recently installed might be causing problems, you might be able to get things running normally again by restoring your PC to an earlier point in time. This is a called a restore point.

Notes:

• Restoring from a restore point won’t affect your personal files, but it will remove apps, drivers, and updates that were installed after the restore point was created.

• System restore works for recent changes that were made to your PC more recently—changes in the last 7 to 14 days.

To restore your PC from a restore point

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type restore point, then select Create a restore point from the list of results.

2. In the System Properties box, on the System Protection tab, select System Restore.

3. Select Next > choose the restore point related to the app, driver, or update that might be causing the problem > Next > Finish.

4. Restart your PC and do what you were doing before and see if that makes things better.

If you don’t see any restore points, it might be because system protection isn’t turned on.

To turn on system protection

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type restore point, then select Create a restore point from the list of results.

2. In the System Properties box, on the System Protection tab, select Configure.

3. In the Restore Settings area, select Turn on system protection > OK.

If your PC still runs slowly, try the next tip.

Check for low disk space and make some room if necessary

Your PC might slow down if your hard disk is almost full and you don’t have a lot of free space. In this case, freeing up disk space can help make your PC run better.

To check for low disk space

1. Select the Start  button > Settings  > System  > Storage .

2. Under Storage, select your hard disk, and then see what’s taking up space.

3. Do one of the following:

• If your PC isn’t low on space, go to the next tip.

• If you’re running low on disk space, go through each section and remove stuff you don’t need.

To remove temporary files and downloads, and empty the recycle bin

Another way to free up disk space is to delete temporary files and downloads, and empty the recycle bin.

1. Select the Start  button > Settings  > System  > Storage .

2. Under Storage, select This PC, which has a drive letter for your hard disk next to it.

3. Under Storage usage, select Temporary files.

4. On the Temporary files screen, select the Temporary files check box > Remove files.

5. On the taskbar, select File Explorer, then select the Downloads folder under This PC.

The Downloads folder is the default file location for most web browsers.

6. See which files are in the Downloads folder, and move the downloads you want to keep to another drive.

7. Go back to the Temporary files screen in Settings, select the Downloads folder check box > Remove files.

8. Go to your desktop, and then open Recycle Bin.

9. Move any files you want to keep, and then select Empty Recycle Bin.

10. Restart your PC, and then see if it’s running better.

To move files to another drive

If you have photos, music, downloads, or other files that you want to keep but don't use very often, consider saving them to removable media, like a USB flash drive. You'll still be able to use them when the flash drive is connected, but they won't take up space on your PC.

1. Plug a USB flash drive into a USB port on your PC

2. Select File Explorer on the taskbar, and find the files you want to move.

3. Select the files, go to the Home tab, and then select Move to > Choose location.

4. Select your flash drive from the location list, and then select Move.

To uninstall apps you don't use anymore

Another way to free up space is to remove apps and programs that you don’t use.

1. Select the Start  button > Settings  > System  > Apps & features .

2. Search for a specific app or sort them to see which ones are taking up the most space.

3. When you find an app you want to remove, select it from the list, then select Uninstall.

4. Restart your PC, and then do what you were doing before to see if your PC’s performance has improved.

Check your memory and memory usage

When it comes to memory, one of the first things to do is find out how much memory (RAM) you have and how much of it is currently being used. You can find out these things and much more in Task Manager.

To check memory and memory usage

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete, and then select Task Manager.

2. In Task Manager, select More details > the Performance tab > Memory.

First, see how much you have total, and then check the graph and see how much RAM is being used.

 1. Total amount of memory (RAM)

2. Memory in use

If you find that a lot of your RAM is regularly in use, you might want to consider adding more RAM if you can—especially if your PC only has 1 or 2 gigabytes (GB) of RAM. To learn more about what kind of RAM your PC model uses, first look at the memory information in Task Manager, and then visit the PC manufacturer’s website for more specific info.

1. Type of memory (RAM) PC uses

2. RAM speed

3. Memory slots used

Here’s some info about the minimum memory requirements for Windows 10:

• Windows 10 (32-bit) can run on a PC with 1 GB of RAM, but it runs better with 2 GB. For better performance, add memory so you have 3 GB or more.

• Windows 10 (64-bit) can run on a PC with 2 GB of RAM, but it runs better with 4 GB. For better performance, add memory so you have 6 GB or more.

For more info about the system requirements for Windows 10, see the Windows 10 Specifications page.

Use ReadyBoost to help improve performance

Like previous versions of Windows, Windows 10 has ReadyBoost. ReadyBoost lets you use a removable drive, like a USB flash drive, to improve your PC’s performance without opening your PC and adding more memory (RAM). To use ReadyBoost, you’ll need a USB flash drive or a memory card that has at least 500 MB free and a high data transfer rate. For more info about ReadyBoost, see ReadyBoost in Windows 10.

To use ReadyBoost

1. Insert the USB flash drive into a USB port on your PC.

2. On the taskbar, select File Explorer.

3. Press and hold (or right-click) the USB flash drive (or SD card if you used one instead), then select Properties.

4. Select the ReadyBoost tab, then select Use this device.

Windows determines if the device can use ReadyBoost. If it can’t, a message appears to let you know.

5. After Windows determines how much free space to use to optimize memory, select OK to reserve this space, so ReadyBoost can use it.

When you look at the contents of the USB flash drive in File Explorer, you’ll see a file named ReadyBoost.sfcache on the flash drive. This file shows how much space is reserved for ReadyBoost.

Note

If Windows is installed on a solid state drive (SSD), ReadyBoost can’t be used because the SSD drive is already fast and you won’t get better performance by using ReadyBoost.

Change the paging file size to improve performance

The paging file is an area on your hard disk that Windows uses like memory. Increasing the paging file size can help improve your PC’s performance.

1. Right-click the Start button, then select System.

2. Select Advanced system settings on the left side.

3. In System Properties, select the Advanced tab > Settings in the Performance area.

4. In Performance Options, select the Advanced tab > Change in the Virtual memory area.

5. Clear the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives check box.

6. Select Custom size, then enter an initial size (in MB) and maximum size in the corresponding boxes.

7. Select Set > OK.

8. Restart your PC by selecting the Start button > Power > Restart.

Use your PC then see if it’s running better. If it’s not, try the next tip.

Restart your PC and open only the apps you need

Having more open apps, programs, web browsers, and so on can slow down your PC. If this is happening to you, restart your PC, then close the apps, programs, and windows you’re not using.
To restart your PC

1. Select the Start  button > Power  > Restart.
2. After your PC restarts, open just the apps you need, then close them when you’re done.

Sometimes apps that were made for a previous version of Windows will still run on Windows 10, but they might slow down your PC. If you notice this is happening after opening a certain program, check the software company’s website for an updated version, or run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter.

To run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter
1. In the search box on the task-bar, type troubleshooting, and then select Troubleshooting, which has Control Panel listed underneath it.
2. In Troubleshooting, select Run programs made for previous versions of Windows.
3. In the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter, select Next to run it.
4. Select the program that you’re having problems with > Next, and continue through the troubleshooter.

PC still running slowly? Continue on.

Make sure you have the latest updates for Windows and device drivers

One of the best ways to get the most of your PC is to make sure you have the latest version of Windows 10 installed. When you check for updates, your PC will also search for the latest device drivers, which can also help improve your PC’s performance.

To check for updates

1. Select the Start button, then select Settings > Update & security > Windows Update > Check for updates.

2. Look under Update status, and do one of the following

• If the status says your device is up to date, go to the next tip below.
• If the status says Updates are available, select Install now, and go to the next step in this procedure.

3. Select the updates you want to install, and then select Install.
4. Restart your PC, do what you were doing before, and see if your PC is running better.