10 Common Programs That Are Slowing Down Your Computer

It’s a common misconception that simply having more programs on your drive slows down the computer. That is a relic of the time when we used Hard Disk Drives (HDD), as more storage in use meant that the access arm had to physically move back and forth, slowing things down. No, more storage being occupied by files or programs is not a cause for concern in the SSD era. Some apps can even speed up your computer. That being said, running programs can slow down your PC by using too much RAM and CPU capacity on unnecessary processes.

It’s not even always clear which applications are doing so, since some programs can run in the background without displaying an icon in the taskbar. Some of these programs are also set to start up every time you boot up your computer. Now, these programs aren’t always malicious in nature, just resource-intensive. The answer for some is to uninstall them, while for others, you want to make sure that they only run when needed.

Of course, applications aren’t always to blame for a slow computer, either. Sometimes the slowdown is temporary, such as when Windows is installing a new update, or your internet is acting up. Occasionally, it can be a bug, too, that resolves itself over time, with no permanent impact. Always test things out before deciding to uninstall or block a useful program because of slow performance.

There are some apps you are advised to uninstall immediately, and one of the most important ones is a third-party antivirus. This is because these apps run constantly in the background, scanning every accessed file and process. This incurs a significant performance overhead, slowing your computer. The issue is exacerbated by the bloated design of most third-party antivirus applications today, packed with unnecessary features and advertisements. You may experience a noticeable performance drop with leading third-party antivirus programs like Norton or McAfee installed on your computer.

While the drawbacks of using a third-party antivirus are well known, many people still stick with them, because everyone needs security, right? Not quite. Gone are the days when third-party antivirus software was the only way of securing the mess that was early Windows. As of Windows 11 (or even Windows 10), the default Windows Defender has evolved into a full-fledged cybersecurity suite, performing all the actions of an antivirus program for free. Better yet, as a native feature of the operating system, it is integrated directly into its normal functioning and requires no installation or extra updates to function.

Even advanced features like firewalls and core isolation are built into Windows Defender, with newer hardware secured using the TPM module as well. This is why it is recommended to uninstall any third-party antivirus software on your computer. It is unnecessary, requires a subscription, and tends to slow your computer, with few additional benefits. 

Monitoring your hardware’s performance while playing a demanding game can be tricky, as most video games are full-screen, hiding other windows. That is where overlay apps come in. Applications like the Xbox Gamebar and the Nvidia app have an overlay mode that displays information like this over your current screen. This can be triggered with a hotkey, though you can also elect to keep the overlay up constantly, giving you a constant look at how your hardware is performing.

The problem is that this can sometimes slow down your computer. While these overlays are designed to run seamlessly without performance degradation, bugs can occur, especially when filters that operate on top of the visual pipeline are involved. The worst part is that you don’t even need to be actively interacting with the overlay UI to see this performance impact — as long as it is running in the background, it is consuming resources.

Does this mean you should uninstall every app with an overlay and never use them again? Of course not. Using an overlay to benchmark your PC’s performance is essential, and you need an app for it. What you can do is make sure you don’t keep the overlay running when you are not actively testing, or switch to a better-optimized tool. 

Recording your gameplay or streaming your screen sounds like a fun idea until you try it, and your PC starts stuttering. YouTubers and streamers make it look easy, but screen recording is a very demanding activity for a computer. The issue with recording is that it must process the output as well as record each frame at the same time. Unsurprisingly, this massively increases the workload and slows things down. This can happen whether you use a third-party app or the built-in screen recording tool by Microsoft.

You can always just shut the app down to fix things (and that’s what you should do if you were accidentally recording the screen and didn’t mean to), but what’s the solution to keep it running? There is no easy workaround. Recording your computer’s video output is an intensive task, and unless you have really powerful hardware to handle it. Professional streamers often install a dedicated capture card for this task, splitting the workload between the GPU and the card.

Without that, you will experience a slowdown when recording or streaming. This can be mitigated to some extent by investing in a better GPU and more RAM, and by lowering the graphical settings of the games you are running to keep overall load manageable. But if you cannot upgrade your PC, make sure not to leave any screen-recording applications up and running in the background.

Web browsers are perhaps the most-used application on any computer, and chances are that you keep one running at all times. The issue is that, while browsers have become much smoother, they have also become more resource-intensive. Google Chrome is well known for consuming gigabytes of memory, but it’s not a Chrome-specific problem. The problem is multi-tabbing. We have gotten used to leaving dozens (if not hundreds) of tabs open at once, since modern web browsers can handle it. But each tab needs to be allocated some RAM, which can cause your browser to consume almost all available memory to keep things smooth.

This isn’t a problem if you are solely using your browser, but when you leave it running in the background while you fire up another app, there isn’t always much memory left for the new application. And that’s before we get into the CPU usage. Tabs with videos playing in the background are still taking up processing power, as are any tabs playing music. Then there are browser extensions, which often have additional permissions and can be active without you knowing.

So either take the time to cut down the number of tabs and uninstall extensions you aren’t using, or remember to close the browser when you switch to another application. There are some other settings you can tweak to speed up your web browser as well.

Digital gaming storefronts like Steam and Epic have made it really easy to buy and download games, but with a catch — you need to keep their launchers installed on your PC. And there are a few of them, since multiple major video game publishers have their own platform. Blizzard-Activision has Battle.net, Riot has Riot Client, and so on. If you are an avid gamer, you will find your PC hosting a bunch of gaming launchers, slowing things down.

For one, these applications are usually set to autostart whenever you boot your computer. Some don’t even quit when you close the window, but just minimize to the system tray. And since they are usually downloading game updates in the background, they can slow down other applications. Not to mention the sheer visual clutter of multiple launchers operating at once, often with interfering shortcuts.

So what’s the solution? You cannot exactly uninstall the launchers, as they are how you access any games on your computer. What you can do instead is make sure they don’t keep running in the background, and optimize their settings to improve performance. Specifically, ensure the app quits when closed, and disable it on the Startup tab of Task Manager. This ensures that multiple launchers are not accidentally left running in the background. You can also turn off auto-updates to prevent usage spikes when it randomly starts updating an installed game.

Be it laptops or assembled computers, big brands like Dell or HP pack the systems with their own proprietary software. These companion apps offer to keep track of your PC’s health and manage important updates and bug reports, which sounds useful. Except for the fact that these functions are already performed by your operating system. Windows automatically keeps track of the drivers needed by your PC, and is responsible for fixing any bugs. Which makes the manufacturer’s applications essentially useless.

Software like this is a prime example of bloatware: applications consume system resources without providing any useful functionality. Worse, these apps can come installed with elevated permissions and autostart enabled, which means they quietly launch themselves at boot and keep running in the background. Unlike a random utility app, they are also packed with data collection capabilities, essentially turning these applications into spyware.

These apps will collect usage data and keep sending it back to the manufacturer, using up your internet, too. This is why a brand-new PC may show high CPU or GPU usage even when idling. Thankfully, the fix is simple: uninstall any such apps. Such applications might seem official and thus important, but they serve no practical purpose. Even if you do want to report an issue to the manufacturer or download their new drivers, you can just head to their website instead.

RGB lighting is the signature feature of gaming peripherals. Gaming keyboards come with RGB backlighting, gaming mice have RGB effects, and you can even outfit the PC cabinet with RGB lights and fans. But that’s just the hardware; To control these lighting profiles, you also need dedicated software. This often means downloading the official companion app from the manufacturer’s website, such as Razer Synapse.

And that’s where the problems start. For starters, some of these apps have developed a reputation for being unoptimized and poorly made. They do the job they are supposed to (controlling RGB lighting settings), but use up way too much CPU and RAM in the process. This is especially notable when playing games (which is probably why you bought gaming peripherals), since the framerate drops and the game stutters. Closing the RGB app resolves the problem.

But it is not just poor programming that creates these issues. Since controlling the RGB signals requires the software to interface with the specific hardware API, often including the GPU’s drivers, any mismatch can cause slowdowns. This is especially the case for dynamic profiles, where the lighting pattern is varied based on usage, creating a CPU overhead. Ultimately, you should keep your RGB lighting simple unless your PC is up to the task. Remove any RGB software and leave it at the default for maximum performance.

Cloud backup services like OneDrive or Google Drive are great at protecting your data against accidental deletion or file corruption, since they constantly keep track of what you save and store a copy on their cloud servers. But this also means that these services have to be running constantly in the background, scanning your hard drive for changes. And when any changes are found, a process to sync with the cloud backup, uploading the data through your internet connection. Obviously, this takes up system resources, though the exact impact depends on several factors.

If the number of folders covered by your cloud backup is low, there will be fewer files for the utility to track, reducing the performance overhead. But if you have entire partitions set to be synced, prepare to sacrifice system performance to keep that running. Usage also depends on the frequency of the changes. If you are actively editing and saving new files to a synced folder, the background process will show increased activity, which can slow other functions.

Fixing this type of slowdown is a matter of organizing things correctly. Only have key folders synced, reducing system load from monitoring that data and backing up larger files manually. You can also disable automatic syncing and schedule the action at fixed times.

Outside of gaming, the most intensive software you can run on your PC is a video editor. It is commonly known that video editing requires a powerful PC, and even then, it will slow down your computer while in operation. You don’t have to be actively editing videos, either; Even apparently simple actions like video conversion involve massive system usage. The video needs to be decoded, held in memory, and then re-encoded into the new format, which occupies CPU, GPU, and RAM. If you minimize the app and try doing something else, your computer will struggle to process everything at once.

Image editing can cause similar issues, though to a lesser extent. While individual images aren’t that large, image editing often operates on layers, which can add up to significant memory usage for high-resolution images. Add to that any smart functions that use up a lot of CPU, and you get another application that will slow down your computer while in use.

The fixes for these are simple: Don’t try to multitask while using these intensive applications. Video editing, especially, can be very computationally demanding, and even opening up a web browser on the side can cause performance dips. You can also try tweaking your video or photo editor settings to improve performance, or invest in a more powerful computer that can handle these workloads without stutter. Although that’s a costly proposition now, with AI making computers more expensive.

Most social networking apps are found on the phone, but there are some with powerful desktop versions for better communication. Microsoft Teams, for example, is a staple of professional collaboration, allowing co-workers to share screens and communicate in real time to work on a project. Then there are more casual platforms like Discord, that come with a mix of text and voice chatting features, along with streaming and screen sharing capabilities.

As you might expect, these aren’t exactly lightweight apps. Being in a VC or active server means the app is constantly updating with messages and streams from other members, which will continuously use up some processing and memory. These apps usually don’t even quit when closed, either, but just minimize and keep updating. While that makes them convenient to pull up again, it also makes them a constant drain on system resources. Even after Microsoft launched a faster version of Teams, performance issues remain. And that’s without the streaming or screen sharing, which obviously comes with a massive performance overhead, using up the GPU as well.

There is no easy fix, either. Of course, you can just uninstall the apps and save the headache, but that’s usually not an option, so you need to figure out a workaround. Ensuring the app closes when you are not using it is essential. You can also tweak the settings to reduce the performance impact of these apps, making them less resource-intensive.