How Often Should You Restart Your PC? Here's What Users Say

Old operating systems weren't built to run for months without shutting down like those of the 2020s. While there was no set rule for when you should restart them, you'd notice the system becoming sluggish if you hadn't done it in a while. For instance, programs would take longer to load, and software would become progressively unresponsive. One of the major problems was memory leaks – the slow buildup of unused memory due to programs "forgetting" to free the memory they no longer need.

Modern operating systems handle problems like these better, and it's become more common to just put the PC to sleep or into hibernation to avoid dealing with the startup process constantly. While users have varying opinions on how often you should restart your PC, the general consensus is that you should do it at least once a week. Some suggest that you should restart your computer at the end of each day if you're a heavy user.

If you are a light user, then you might not need to restart your computer ever. But no matter when you decide to do it, restarting your PC is good for performance optimization and security. It's considered one of the best ways to speed up your computer, especially when the system starts to feel sluggish. But if you do restart it regularly, you might not run into a scenario where you need to reboot it at an inconvenient time.

While Reddit users like to debate every question, after reading enough comments, a consensus emerged. One user suggested that those who feel like rebooting their computer is a chore should do it at least once a week. This helps free up temporary memory (also known as RAM) that apps and processes have been consuming, as well as refresh network and hardware connections, giving your computer a fresh start. It's especially useful if you tend to run memory-intensive apps known to slow down computers, such as web browsers, video editing apps, and 3D design software. 

Another user agreed, saying rebooting once a week is optimal, especially when you see an update is ready. An update means your computer might get the latest features, performance improvements, and security patches installed. A comment from another user suggested that it's best to just shut it down if it won't be used for days (e.g., over the weekend). For laptop users, shutting down the computer might be better than sleep mode since it still consumes power when sleeping. 

An interesting comment from another user stated that "very low-end PCs" should be shut down every day. It also suggested that if a computer can run "heavy games," it doesn't need to be restarted at all since it has enough resources to handle any "misbehaving processes."