Home > CPU > CPU How To

Here’s how to reduce Slack CPU usage quickly and easily

Reduce Slack's CPU usage instantly!
Last Updated on April 22, 2024
Logo of "pc guide" next to a stylized graphic of a CPU chip on a blue gradient background.
You can trust PC Guide: Our team of experts use a combination of independent consumer research, in-depth testing where appropriate - which will be flagged as such, and market analysis when recommending products, software and services. Find out how we test here.

Wondering how to make Slack use less CPU? If yes, then you’ve landed on the right page.

Slack isn’t the type of application that consumes a lot of CPU resources. However, there are instances where certain issues may cause it to become a burden on the processor. This affects the overall performance of the system, and it gets frustrating when you can’t figure out what to do.

This is where we come in. In this guide, we’ll share a handful of methods that can help you reduce Slack’s CPU usage.


Top 5 Cyber Monday deals

This year's Cyber Monday has officially kickstarted, offering up huge discounts on some of the market's leading tech products. Below, we'll list the best Cyber Monday deals we can find.

Prices and savings subject to change. Click through to get the current deal prices.


Quick Answer

Clearing the cache, disabling hardware acceleration, ending duplicate processes, and resetting app data can help make Slack use less CPU.

How to fix Slack high CPU usage issue

If Slack’s been using more CPU resources than it should, you can try following these methods to resolve the issue.

Step

1

Clear cache

Slack’s cache can build up over time and take up a lot of storage space. If the cache overloads or gets corrupted, it will start putting pressure on the CPU. Thankfully, there’s a quick way to clear the cache in Slack.

  • Launch Slack on your PC.
  • Click on the three vertical lines in the top-left corner of the application.
  • Click on ‘Help.’
  • Select Troubleshooting.
  • Click on ‘Clear cache and restart.’

    Screenshot of a computer interface highlighting the 'reduce CPU usage' option under the 'troubleshooting' menu in the 'help' section of Slack.
    Clear Slack’s cache

Step

2

Disable hardware acceleration

Slack comes with the hardware acceleration feature, which basically transfers the workload from the CPU to another component, such as the GPU. However, sometimes, it fails to work properly and ends up increasing the burden on the processor. So, to disable it, follow these steps.

  • Launch Slack and click on the three horizontal icons to open the drop-down menu.
  • Click on ‘Help,’ select Troubleshooting, and click on ‘Disable hardware acceleration and restart.’

    Screenshot of a dropdown menu in Slack with the option "reduce CPU usage and restart" highlighted in red.
    Disable hardware acceleration option

After Slack loads again, check if the CPU usage has been reduced. If it’s the same as before, feel free to enable hardware acceleration again.

Step

3

End duplicate processes

Sometimes, there are multiple Slack processes running in the background. These can be quickly identified and removed through the Windows Task Manager.

  • Right-click on the Task Bar and select Task Manager.
  • Go to the Processes tab.
  • Find and select duplicate Slack processes.
  • Click on End Task to remove them.

    Screenshot of the windows task manager showing a list of running applications including Slack and other processes, with an arrow pointing to the "end task" button to reduce CPU usage.
    Task Manager

Step

4

Update Slack

If you haven’t updated Slack in a while, now would be the right time to do so as running an outdated version of the app can lead to different issues, including high CPU usage.

  • Click on the three horizontal lines in Slack.
  • Click on ‘Help,’ go to Troubleshooting, and select ‘Check for updates.’

    Screenshot of a software menu highlighting 'reduce CPU usage' with a red arrow pointing to it.
    Check for new Slack updates

  • If there are any new updates available, download and install them.

Step

5

Reset app data

If there’s a bug or glitch in the app that is causing it to use more CPU resources, then you’ll need to reset the app data to get rid of it.

  • Launch Slack and click on the three horizontal lines in the top left corner.
  • Select Help.
  • Go to Troubleshooting, and click on ‘Reset app data.’

    Red arrow pointing to "optimize Slack performance" option in a computer application menu.
    Reset Slack’s app data

Keep in mind that resetting the app data will remove your custom settings, and you’ll have to set up Slack from scratch.

Step

6

Check for malware or viruses

Sometimes, the high CPU issue usage occurs due to a virus or malware affecting your system instead of the application itself. To verify this, run a scan using Windows Defender or another reliable third-party antivirus software. If any viruses or malware are detected, the software will identify and eliminate them

Step

7

Reinstall Slack

If none of the solutions are effective, it likely indicates an issue with the files. Since Slack does not offer a built-in file repair feature, the best approach is to uninstall the application from your system and then reinstall it

Conclusion

This was how you can reduce Slack’s CPU usage. Make sure that you regularly check for the latest updates, as new updates bring fixes for issues that may be causing Slack to use more CPU resources than before. And if nothing seems to work, we recommend getting in touch with Slack support for further assistance.

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.