How to Clean Up a Slow Company Laptop in 8 Safe Steps

If you want to clean up a slow company laptop, start with the safe stuff: restart it, free up disk space, and turn off startup apps you do not need. Do not touch anything your IT team manages. That includes security tools, VPN clients, and device management agents.

Quick answer

  • Restart first, and close extra apps and browser tabs.
  • Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) to see what is eating resources.
  • Disable startup apps you know you do not need.
  • Free disk space with Storage Sense and by removing apps you installed and no longer use.
  • Leave security, VPN, and management software alone. Ask IT about those.
  • If it is still slow, send IT a short note with what you tried.

First, know what you can and cannot change

A work laptop is not like your home PC. Your company owns it, and your IT team may have rules on it. Some changes can break your access to email, files, or the VPN.

Here is the simple rule for this guide. Change things you installed or opened yourself. Do not change anything that looks like security, backup, VPN, or device management software. When you are unsure, ask.

This is general information, not a promise that it fits your company policy. Check your IT rules first.

Step 1: Restart and close what you are not using

It sounds boring, but a restart clears a lot of stuck background work. Save your files, restart, and open only what you need.

Microsoft also suggests closing unused apps and browser tabs. A browser with dozens of tabs is a common reason a laptop feels slow.

Step 2: Find what is slowing it down in Task Manager

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Microsoft points to the Performance and Startup apps tabs for finding heavy users.

  • Look at the Processes list and sort by CPU, Memory, or Disk.
  • If one app is always at the top, that app is your first suspect.
  • Write down the name before you close it. You will want it for IT later if the problem stays.

Do not end a process you do not recognize. Search its name first, or ask IT.

Step 3: Turn off startup apps you do not need

Apps that launch at sign-in slow down boot time and keep running in the background. Microsoft says to disable the ones you do not need to start automatically.

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
  2. Open the Startup apps tab.
  3. Right-click an app and choose Disable.

Task Manager shows a Startup impact column. Microsoft rates it Low, Medium, or High based on CPU time and disk use at startup. High means more than 1 second of CPU time or more than 3 MB of disk use. Start with the High ones.

Good candidates are chat apps, music apps, and game launchers. Leave anything from your company or from a security vendor enabled.

Step 4: Free up disk space

Microsoft lists limited storage as one cause of a slow PC. A nearly full drive makes everything drag.

  1. Open Start, then Settings, then System, then Storage.
  2. Select Storage Sense.
  3. Run it now, or use Clean now under Free up space now.

Then look at the Downloads folder. Old installers and big files pile up fast. Move files you need to your company cloud storage if your policy allows it. Do not delete work files unless you know they are saved elsewhere.

Step 5: Remove apps you installed and no longer use

Microsoft also recommends uninstalling apps you do not use. Go through Settings, then Apps, and remove the ones you added yourself.

Skip anything you did not install. If your company pushed it, removing it can cause trouble, and the tool may just come back.

Step 6: Stop apps from running in the background

Microsoft says you can turn off background activity for an app in Settings, under Privacy, then Background apps. Your Windows version may show this setting in a different place or not at all.

Step 7: Check for updates and hardware age

Outdated software is another cause Microsoft names. On a company laptop, updates are often controlled by IT. Check whether a restart is waiting, since pending updates can hold things up until they finish.

If your laptop is old, the hardware may simply be too weak for your apps now. Microsoft lists hardware that no longer meets modern needs as a cause. No cleanup fixes that.

Step 8: Tell IT what you tried

If the laptop is still slow, send a short, clear message. IT can help much faster when you give details.

  • Laptop model and how old it is, if you know.
  • When it is slowest: at startup, on video calls, or all day.
  • The app that uses the most CPU, memory, or disk in Task Manager.
  • What you already tried from this list.

Also tell IT if it got slow suddenly, or if you see pop-ups you do not recognize. That can point to a security problem. See how to recover a hacked business email account if you think an account was taken over.

Before any reset or replacement

Do not reset a company laptop on your own. Ask IT first. If a replacement is coming, read how to transfer data to a new computer so you do not lose files.

Quick decision guide

  • If it is slow only at startup, check Startup apps first.
  • If the drive is almost full, run Storage Sense first.
  • If one app is always high in Task Manager, close or update that app, then tell IT.
  • If everything is slow no matter what, it is likely a job for IT to fix or replace.

FAQ

Why is my company laptop so slow?

Microsoft lists limited storage, too many startup apps, outdated software, and old hardware as common causes. Company laptops can also run extra security and management software in the background.

Can I speed up a work laptop myself?

Yes, for the basics. Restarting, closing tabs, disabling your own startup apps, and clearing space are usually fine. Check your IT policy first.

Is it safe to disable startup apps?

Disabling an app in Task Manager only stops it from launching at sign-in. You can turn it back on. Still, leave security, VPN, and company apps enabled.

Should I factory reset my work laptop?

No, not on your own. A reset can remove company settings and files. Ask IT to do it or approve it.

When should I ask IT for a new laptop?

Ask when the basic cleanup does not help and the laptop is slow with normal work. That often means the hardware is too old for what you run.

Sources

I have not tested these steps on your laptop. Menu names can differ by Windows version and company settings.

Last updated: November 8, 2026

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