With the new year upon us, I'm trying to digitally declutter my devices, including my Acer Chromebook that I've had for about three years. I've been diligent about deleting unneeded files, but it still feels slow. I'm looking for advice on how to properly declutter and speed it up. Also, if the issue isn't file overload, I'd like to understand what else could be causing the slowdown. Additionally, I occasionally use my laptop for streaming shows, so I'm also looking for tips on avoiding viruses, especially since I sometimes visit questionable sites. I'm currently using the Pie chrome extension to block ads, too. Any guidance would be much appreciated!
2 Answers
It sounds like your Chromebook's slowing down might be due to Chrome itself. Over time, Chrome updates tend to increase RAM usage, which can bog down your system. To help improve performance, consider backing up your important files and reinstalling Chrome OS to give it a fresh start. You can also explore using a lightweight Linux distro if you want more optimized apps instead of just Chrome.
You should check the specific model of your Chromebook. It was made in 2021, so that gives some context about the hardware. If it’s older hardware, you might start to see performance dips over time. This could be part of why it’s feeling sluggish even with fewer files.
Thanks for checking! I’ll look out for how old the model is and see if that might be a factor.
That's a good point! If you're interested in trying a Linux distro, I recommend looking into GalliumOS or Xubuntu. They’re both friendly for beginners and should run much smoother than Chrome OS for general tasks.