Windows 10 Running Slowly

IS YOUR WINDOWS 10 COMPUTER RUNNING SLOWLY?
Often that is caused by programs or apps that open and run in the background. Or you may be finding that you are short on storage space although that is less likely since Hard Drive Storage is huge these days.

Here is how to check your Hard Drive Storage. 

1. Open up the Explorer, the icon on the bottom of your computer screen that looks like a folder.
2. Click on "This PC" on the left side of the window.

You will see a thermometer-like rectangle showing how much space total is on your computer and how much free space you have. In my experience it is always amazing how much space you have available. This may not be true for Geeks who tend to use up more computer space than the rest of us!

Here are a few ways that you can free up space if you think that is causing your problem.

1. Delete Junk Files - Windows 10 has something built in called Storage Sense. To get there click on Settings (the Gear Icon in the Start menu), then System, then Storage. You can set it so that Windows will automatically delete junk files to free up space when it is getting full.
2. Remove Temporary Files Using Disc Cleanup You get to this the same way as above: Settings, System, Storage, but this time you choose "free up space now" Your computer creates temporary file for many reasons. You may have run out of battery while working and after plugging in found that Word saved a temporary file for you. It can also make your internet faster to have temporary files.
3. Uninstall Apps and Games you do not need You may have noticed that lots of extra stuff (games and programs) came with your computer. If there are some that you never use or never will you can remove them. To do this go to System, Apps and Features
4. Free up space by storing files in OneDriveOneDrive is the cloud storage that Microsoft provides for anyone using Windows. If you put files there you can still access them to work on them or print them, but they will not take up too much space on your computer. 

Understanding what is taking up space on your computer can be really helpful. If you want to do this go to Settings, System, Storage and find the "thermometer" that tells you how much Storage Space is free. When you click on it the next window breaks down all of the items on your computer to show what is taking up the most space. When I looked at mine I was shocked to see that System and Reserved, Temporary Files and Apps and Games were taking up 69 Gigabytes of space!!

The information in this article was inspired by
https://www.windowscentral.com/best-7-ways-free-hard-drive-space-windows-10