There is nothing quite as a frustrating as a slow computer - especially for those working from home during the lockdown.

Staff at Hardware Associates have revealed a number of top tips to make your machine run faster.

Here's what you need to know.

Stop, clean and delete

Have a look at your task manager CPU processes. If there’s a load of programs which are hogging your computer’s memory that you only use occasionally, then disable them from running on start up. You can do this by using your system preferences.

Delete unused programs

Go into your control panel and uninstall anything which you no longer want or need – but be careful not to delete anything your system needs to function.

Put items into storage

An external hard drive means that you can keep all those photos, movies and documents safe without clogging up your system’s memory.

Clean old files

Your computer probably has lots of old files that you no longer need. Install something like CCleaner to look through all your temporary files and make recommendations of what to clean to make your system run less slowly. Then, defragment your files so that everything runs more smoothly.

Empty trash/downloads

It might sound fairly obvious, but having a lot of items in your trash/downloads will take up space.

Invest in more memory 

A cheaper option than purchasing a new computer, buying more memory (RAM) will help to increase the speed.

Scan for nasties

Make sure your computer is up to date with anti-virus software, as this may make a difference to how it functions.

Update software

Make sure you’re running the most up-to-date software for your Mac or PC. Lifewire lists a number of free software update programs to help you ensure you’re optimising your machine.

Is something wrong?

If your computer is extremely slow then there may be something wrong with it. Get it checked out.