8 Easy Ways to Spring Clean your Computer + Infographic

With sunny days ahead, you may be planning to do some spring cleaning around the house. Don’t forget to include cleaning your computer on that list of projects. Besides literally cleaning/dusting your keyboard, mouse, fan and monitor, you can also do these eight things internally to make your computer run faster and smoother.

Clean up your folders
- Delete programs and files you no longer need, find and delete any duplicate files and organize files you do still use.
  - To delete programs: Go to Control Panel > Programs and Features. Look through the list of programs and uninstall the ones you don’t use.
- Organize the files and documents you’re keeping into specifically named folders. For example, organize your photos in to separate folders and sub folders based on the place and year the photos were taken.
- Take the time to also organize your desktop and delete shortcuts you no longer use.
Scan for viruses and malware
- Check to make sure that your anti-virus software is up-to-date and set to perform regular scans.
- To check for malware: You can run Spybot, a free program that checks your system for adware and “other system invaders”.
Make sure your firewall is working
- For Windows: Go to Control Panel > Windows Firewall.
- For Mac: From the Apple menu, go to Security and Privacy > Firewall.
- Check to make sure Firewall is turned on.
Update your software
- Take the time to finally install all those software updates that appear on your screen every morning and reboot your computer. Then click to enable automatic patches and updates in the future.
Clear your cache of temporary files
- Every time you browse the internet, your browser saves small files in your Temporary Internet Files Folder. You can clear these files directly from your browser to open up some space and allow things to run faster.
- How to clear your cache in Chrome:
  - Windows: Ctrl + Shift + Delete. Then hit Clear Browsing Data.
  - Mac: Shift + Command + Delete. Then hit Clear Browsing Data.
- How to clear your cache in Firefox:
  - Mac or Windows: Click the menu button > Options > Advanced > Network. In the Cached Web Content section, click Clear Now.
Empty the Trash
- When you delete a file, it remains in your “Trash” or “Recycle Bin” folder and still takes up space on your hard drive. If you haven’t needed to access those trashed files in the last couple months, it’s probably safe to say goodbye.
Defrag your computer
- According to Windows, “fragmentation makes your hard disk do extra work that can slow down your computer. Removable storage devices such as USBs can also become fragmented. Disc defragmenter rearranges fragmented data so your disks and drives can work more efficiently.”
- Run the disc defragmenter by going to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Advanced Tools > Defragment and Optimize Drives.
Back up important files
- After clearing out files you don’t want, it’s a good idea to back up those important files you never want to lose. There are a few different ways to do this, but most agree that an online backup service is best. Many of these programs will automatically upload your files to the cloud. You can see a comparison of several storage options and how to choose one here.