Surface Pro 7 Extremely Slow with Basic PC Tasks

Question

My SF7 is very slow. YouTube is the worst. Videos lag like crazy. Sometimes the whole screen blacks out for a few seconds and it refreshes the page. My internet connection is solid so it's not that. Sometimes basic things like opening an app or typing are so slow the tablet is practically unusable. The tablet gets so hot it burns my hand slightly. Could this be what's causing the problem? They claim it has great cooling, yet it feels like it's on fire.

Answer 1

Hi Kramer,

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

I'm Hahn and I'm here to help you with your concern.

It sounds like your Surface Pro 7 is experiencing significant performance issues, especially with tasks like video streaming, app opening, and typing. The heat buildup and occasional screen blackout suggest there might be underlying hardware or software issues causing these problems. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially improve the performance:

• Check Task Manager: Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and check which processes are using a lot of CPU, memory, or disk. This can give you insight into what might be causing the slowdowns.
• Force a shutdown and restart your Surface: Force a shutdown and restart your Surface - Microsoft Support
• Run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit: Fix common Surface problems using the Surface app and Surface Diagnostic Toolkit - Microsoft Support
• A "clean boot" starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, so that you can determine whether a background program is interfering with your game or program. How to perform a clean boot in Windows - Microsoft Support

These steps of "clean boot" might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble for you, please follow them in order and step-by-step.

• Manually update Surface drivers and firmware: Download drivers and firmware for Surface - Microsoft Support
• Check for environmental conditions: Set up your device on a stable work surface that allows for adequate air circulation under and around it.  Use caution when operating your device on a pillow, blanket, or other soft material, because the material can block the airflow, and this may cause device overheating.
• Reset using the most appropriate choice. If you've tried basic troubleshooting options, you may need to restore or reset your Surface. If the issue occurs after a reset, then the root cause is very likely hardware related. Restore or reset Surface for Windows - Microsoft Support

I hope this helps. If there is anything not clear, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Your Sincerely

Hahn. W - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist