Four Easy Laptop Maintenance Tips

If you want your laptop to stay in good working condition for as long as possible, a little maintenance goes a long way. Here are four easy cleaning and maintenance tips that will extend the life of your device.

Delete Old Files

Old files, like pictures, installer files, music, and video you no longer care to keep, can take up space on your hard drive and affect your laptop’s performance. Purge your system by going through all your files and folders, starting with the downloads folder and the recycling bin. Be careful about deleting any critical folders that contain files your system needs to run. If there are heavy files that you want to keep, consider using cloud-based storage or an external hard drive.

Declutter Your Desktop

Instead of doing this manually, try using automated organization tools. On Windows, right-click the desktop and visit the ‘Sort By’ option. This will open a menu with the options Name, Size, File Type, or Date Modified. Choose the one most convenient for you. On Mac, right-click on the desktop and choose the ‘Clean Up’ option.

Clean the Browser Cache and Cookies

Cookies from browsing the internet tend to crowd browser files, slowing your computer down significantly. Depending on what browser you use, cleaning them up is easy and takes no time at all. If you’re using Google Chrome, click the three dots at the upper right corner of the screen, click settings and Choose the Advanced option. This expands the menu. Scroll down until you see the Clear Browsing Data option. Clicking this will delete cookies, your browser cache, and your internet browsing history.

Keep Your Screen and Keyboard Clean

You can clean your hardware with the proper tools and cleaning products. Use screen wipes to get rid of streaks and dust on your screen. You could also use a microfiber cloth. Wipe the screen gently and in one direction. We recommend using a pressurized can of compressed air to clean your keyboard. This releases a blast of air that dislodges dirt, grime, and crumbs from between your keyboard keys without damaging the keys. You can clean your laptop ports with compressed air too.