When your computer is new, everything is shiny and fast. Loading files and opening programs happen in the blink of an eye. Then years pass, and your machine slows down.
It makes sense. As time passes, you accumulate many more programs and files that fill up valuable hard drive real estate. Pair that with processes that run in the background constantly, and your machine keeps getting slower.
One of the simplest ways to give a PC or Mac a boost is by clearing out some space and removing all the files you don’t need to store locally. Read on for the steps to take. This article is brought to you by our sponsor, IDrive.
Step 1: Clean out the junk
If you want to speed up your computer, it’s wise to run native Disk Cleanup or another similar utility on your desktop. Doing this removes unnecessary files, temporary files and other unneeded junk that’s lingering. This, in turn, speeds up your computer.
To run Disk Cleanup in Windows 10:
To delete temporary files:
- In the search box on the taskbar, type disk cleanup and select Disk Cleanup from the results list.
- Select the drive you want to clean up, and then select OK.
- Under Files to delete, select the file types to get rid of. To get a description of the file type, select it.
- Select OK.
To run a similar utility on your Mac:
Macs have storage management features built-in, but your best bet is a third-party app. Disk Clean Pro is a top-rated option. Tap or click here to download it on your Mac.
Step 2: Clean up space hogs
Your downloads folder can cause your computer to slow down significantly if you aren’t clearing it out regularly. Take the time to clear out your old downloads folder, files and other space hogs to speed up your computer.
Do it the old-school way: Open your downloads folder and sort by size. Find anything significant you don’t need anymore and start deleting.
Have more to comb through? This guide will give you a ton of information on how to find and remove old files on your PC, Mac and other devices.
Step 3: Back up what’s left
Now you’re left with the files you actually care about. Ask yourself this: Do you need them all stored on your desktop? There’s a good chance the answer is “no.”
Backing up all your files might sound daunting, but IDrive makes it easy. You can manage everything from a computer, tablet or smartphone, and all your files and folders are synced in real-time.
And even better, it is a bargain. Right now, you can get 5 TB of cloud backup for 90% off. That’s less than $8 for an entire year of secure, encrypted data storage.
Give it a try right now while you’re thinking about it. You’ll never go back to the so-called free services. Tap or click here to get 90% off a year of IDrive cloud backup.
