You don’t need new software. Just tweak these five settings. They work on Windows and macOS.

Before you start

  • Plug in the charger. Performance drops on battery saver modes.

  • Close big apps. Changes apply faster.

  • Optional: create a quick backup of important files.

1) Pick Performance Power Mode

Why: Your laptop may be throttling to save battery.

Windows

  • Settings → System → Power & battery.

  • Set Power mode to Best performance.

  • Under Battery saver, turn it Off for testing.

macOS

  • System Settings → Battery.

  • Turn Low Power Mode Off (Battery and Power Adapter).

  • In Displays, turn True Tone off if it flickers performance.

2) Stop Apps from Auto-Starting

Why: Fewer background apps = more CPU and memory for you.

Windows

  • Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc → Startup apps.

  • Disable anything non-essential (messengers, updaters, toolbars).

macOS

  • System Settings → General → Login Items.

  • Select extras and click – to remove.

  • In Background Items, Turn Off unnecessary helpers.

3) Reduce Fancy Visual Effects

Why: Pretty animations can slow old GPUs.

Windows (quick way)

  • Settings → Accessibility → Visual effects.

  • Turn Transparency effects Off. Turn Animation effects Off.

  • Optional: System → About → Advanced system settings → Performance → Settings → Adjust for best performance (then re-enable Smooth edges of screen fonts).

macOS

  • System Settings → Accessibility → Display.

  • Turn on Reduce motion and Reduce transparency.

4) Free Space and Auto-Clean

Why: Low disk space makes everything sluggish.

Windows

  • Settings → System → Storage.

  • Turn on Storage Sense.

  • Click Temporary files → Remove.

  • Aim for 15–20% free space.

macOS

  • Apple menu → About This Mac → Storage → Manage.

  • Enable Optimize Storage and Empty Trash Automatically.

  • Delete old downloads and large videos you don’t need.

5) Trim Your Browser

Why: Browsers eat RAM fast.

Any browser

  • Remove heavy extensions you don’t use.

  • Close or pin unused tabs; avoid dozens at once.

  • Clear cache if it’s huge.

  • Turn on hardware acceleration (Chrome/Edge: Settings → System).

After you tweak

  • Restart the laptop. It clears leftovers from memory.

  • Test your normal tasks: a call, a spreadsheet, and a few tabs.

If it’s still slow (optional, cheap wins)

  • Add RAM (if upgradable).

  • Swap to an SSD if you’re on a hard drive.

  • Dust the vents and update drivers/OS.

Make these five changes first. In most cases, your old laptop will feel noticeably snappier—without spending a dime.

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