Computer lags when switching between or after closing an application

Question

Hello,

I've noticed for the past couple of weeks that my computer will lag when I either try alt-tabbing or pressing the Windows key to switch to another application making it impossible to use the other applications. I've noticed it only really happens when I'm in a game and happens for every game I've tried, including games with very low requirements. If I can switch back to the game, I can wait 20 seconds and the lag goes away as long as I'm in that game but the lag will reappear if I try and switch out of the application again. If I close that game, the lag will still remain and I have to just hold down the power button to restart my PC, and then it's fine again until I load up another game. This happens with games I own outside of Steam and even with Discord and any other application I think might cause issues completely close.

My specs are good, I have a Ryzen 7 5800X and 32gb of RAM and running on Windows 11. If I open Task Manager, it is very slow and laggy but my CPU is at about 50% and my RAM is at about 30-40%, I can't see anything big running that'd be hogging my CPU or memory. I'm not full up on storage, my PC and all my graphics and peripheral drivers are up to date. I've run a scan in Windows Defender offline.

I've looked around and I've tried changing my settings in settings>system>multitasking and focus assist is off. When I've tried searching for the problem, it just comes up with mouse and keyboard input lag and talks about if they're wireless/ try changing ports. I did not believe this was my issue as my whole PC, including the graphics, was lagging. However, I tried changing the ports I'm using for my wired mouse and keyboard and unsurprisingly, it did not work.

If you need any more details, I'm happy to provide them! Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Many thanks,

Katie

Answer 1

Hello ,

Good to see you in Microsoft Community.

Firstly, could you let me know the specific system version (OS Build)? You can check it by pressing Win + X > System > Windows specifications*, click “Copy” and paste it in your next reply*.

Did this occur recently, or has it been going on for a while? If it was recent, did you have any special actions (such as installing system updates*,* hardware changes*, etc.*) before that?

You can follow the steps below:

1. You may Perform a clean boot to see if it is normal, this is a troubleshooting step. In this mode, we can further confirm whether it is caused by system problem or third-party software or personalized settings. So, please be patient. Disclaimer*: A “clean boot” starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It helps to determine whether a background program is interfering with your game or program and to isolate the cause of a problem.* 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 so that it will help you get you back on track.
2. Automatic virtual memory management You may set the virtual memory to be managed automatically by the system, which will optimize your system performance to some extent. Win + R to open "Run", type "sysdm.cpl", press Enter to open 'System Properties"> "Advanced" tab > "Performance" > "Settings"> "Advanced" tab"> "Virtual memory"> "Change" , check "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives", and press Enter to confirm.
3. Meanwhile, you may create a new local account to see if it is normal. This approach is taken because it's possible that the configuration of your current user account itself is causing the anomaly, leading to the problem.
   • Create a local user account
   1. Select Start> Settings> Accountsand then select Family & other users. (In some versions of Windows you'll see Other users.)
   2. Next to Add other user, select Add account.
   3. Select I don't have this person's sign-in information, and on the next page, select Add a user without a Microsoft account.
   4. Enter a username, password, or password hint—or choose security questions—and then select Next.
   • Change a local user account to an administrator account
   1. Select Start > Settings>Accounts.
   2. Under Family & other users, select the account owner name (you should see "Local account" below the name), then select Change account type.
   3. **Note:**If you choose an account that shows an email address or doesn't say "Local account", then you're giving administrator permissions to a Microsoft account, not a local account.
   4. Under Account type, select Administrator, and then select OK.
   5. Sign in with the new administrator account.
   Visit****Create a local user or administrator account in Windows - Microsoft Support****for more details. Note: If the new account is normal, please do not delete the old account before backing up the data of the old account to avoid any data loss.

If the problem still exits, you may in-place upgrade the system (which will not affect your data and applications, just update all the system files are the latest), I will provide the specific operation steps according to your repair result in the next reply.

If anything is unclear, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Best Regards,

Mosken_L - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist