---
title: "How to Kill Memory Hogs Slowing Down Your PC"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/e42269f7-a572-4528-b63f-ac9b7d866d6d
source_url: "https://www.zdnet.com/article/apps-slowing-my-pc-how-to-kill-memory-hogs/"
stack: https://stacklist.com/c/technology/stack/bf7ba824-0025-419b-8f5d-40d645a4f580
summary: "This tutorial explains how to identify and disable the biggest memory-hogging processes on a Windows PC, including browser tabs, manufacturer bloatware, and the SysMain service. It walks through practical steps using Task Manager and Windows Services to stop unnecessary background processes and improve overall system performance."
tags: "memory-management, windows, performance, task-manager, sysmain, bloatware, browser-optimization"
key_entities: "Kyle Kucharski (person), SysMain (technology), Google Chrome (technology), Microsoft Edge (technology), Windows (technology), ZDNET (organization), Microsoft Office (technology), memory leak (concept), bloatware (concept)"
classification: "tutorial"
content_hash: "sha256:0bc44205e30da5b6f8fb0c07c5a1a8a6755f743636fc928f15c53f5663d0c93a"
acp_version: "0.2"
token_counts_approximate: 1792
visibility: public
agent_accessible: true
status: "final"
---

# How to Kill Memory Hogs Slowing Down Your PC

Tech Home Tech Computing I found the apps slowing down my PC - how to kill the biggest memory hogs 'SysMain' was draining my computer's background memory. Here's how to find the biggest culprits behind your sluggish PC. Written by Kyle Kucharski, Senior Editor Senior Editor April 16, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. PT Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET Follow ZDNET:  Add us as a preferred source  on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Dozens of processes run in the background on your PC, and each takes a bit of memory. Most are necessary and helpful, but some can be disabled to optimize performance.  Checking to see which ones load automatically is a good place to start.  PC feeling a little sluggish? There are myriad possible reasons, but one of the best places to start is checking what's tying up your memory.  If you open the task manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and sort the programs by memory usage, you'll find the usual culprits (your browser, Microsoft Office apps) at the top of the list, and a handful of others you probably can't identify. Also: How I disabled 'fast startup' on my Windows 11 laptop to stop overnight battery drain Unfortunately, many of these processes are necessary and/or inconsequential in terms of overall memory usage. But there are certainly some processes that can speed things up when killed -- especially if you're on a slower PC.  I recommend identifying the biggest culprits of memory leakage first: excessive browser tabs, bloatware from your PC's manufacturer, and applications that start up on their own (whether you use them or not). There's also a process called SysMain that preloads apps on your PC you may want to disable. Let's walk through them.  1. Your browser Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET I'm willing to bet the app at the top of the list is your browser. Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are notorious memory hogs, especially when you have dozens of tabs open. One thing you may not be aware of: Chrome has its own task manager, so you can see exactly which tabs are costing your PC the most memory.  In the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, go to More Tools > Task Manager. Sort by memory footprint, and you'll very quickly be able to see if there's a particular tab that's chewing through your RAM. Luckily, you can close them right here in the task manager.  Also: Google Chrome's vertical tabs are here: How to opt in and use the new Reading Mode Also, instead of making your PC manage dozens of tabs, utilize favorites and the reading list to save pages for later. Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of Chrome, go to Bookmarks > List > Reading List > Add to Reading List. Make sure you also click "Show Reading List" on that same menu. 2. SysMain If you do any Googling of this topic, you'll see some discussion of this one. SysMain (formerly known as Superfetch) is a Windows process that pre-loads programs it knows you use regularly. This results in tying up some memory, which could negatively impact performance on some PCs.  There is a lot of discussion on both sides. Some Windows users swear that disabling this process improved their PC's performance, while others cite that it should have no real impact at all. If you're looking for solutions, however, it's worth a try. Here's how.  Also: If Microsoft wants Windows 12 to succeed, it can't let history repeat itself - let me explain Press Win + R to open the Run command and type services.msc in the dialog box. This will display all background processes currently running on your PC, complete with descriptions to help identify what they do.  Scroll down to SysMain, and double-click it. It's currently running by default, so first click the Stop button. Then, locate the dropdown menu next to Startup Type, and select Disabled. Then click Apply, and OK. Windows will no longer preload apps, potentially freeing up some memory in the process.  3. Manage your startup apps Nearly every app you install wants to launch automatically when you start your PC. While this makes sense for some, there's no point in devoting system resources to programs you're not using.  We covered how to check what apps start automatically in Windows 10, and the process is the same with Windows 11. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open the Task Manager, then go to the Startup tab (you may need to click "More Details" to see it). This list shows you all the apps your PC launches automatically when you start your computer.  Right-click the column headings to add details about how much of an impact auto-starting programs have. Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNET You'll probably see a few apps that don't need to be there, and you can disable these simply by right-clicking. Note that this doesn't uninstall the programs; it simply relegates them to launching on your command.  Processes you disable should remain in this window, should you want to re-enable in the future. If you don't see it, however, you can re-enable it in a command prompt. From the start menu, type cmd, right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator. Type the following: sc config "SysMain" start=auto & sc start "SysMain" and then restart your computer. 4. Bloatware The previous step may have identified a few bloatware programs you've never used, but nonetheless have been running on your PC since you bought it. Most laptops come with proprietary apps that are often half-baked or not particularly useful, as manufacturers try to boost brand recognition and inflate the value of their PCs.  Also: This free tool installs Windows 11 on unsupported PCs - without any bloatware Fortunately, they can usually be easily removed, freeing up valuable space and memory. After removing them from the automatic startup menu, you'll find them in Windows' Add or Remove Programs menu, where you can uninstall them.  Featured reviews I walked 3,000 steps with my Apple Watch, Google Pixel, and Oura Ring - this tracker was most accurate After using the MacBook Neo for weeks, switching to the Air has been refreshingly sweet I bought an earwax camera for my toolkit and use it for everything but my ears LG G6 vs. Samsung S95H: I compared the best OLED TVs of 2026 and made a tough choice I walked 3,000 steps with my Apple Watch, Google Pixel, and Oura Ring - this tracker was most accurate After using the MacBook Neo for weeks, switching to the Air has been refreshingly sweet I bought an earwax camera for my toolkit and use it for everything but my ears LG G6 vs. Samsung S95H: I compared the best OLED TVs of 2026 and made a tough choice Editorial standards Show Comments Log In to Comment Community Guidelines Related Microsoft finally realized Windows 11 is too annoying. 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