Why Is My Internet Slow on My Laptop but Not My Phone?
It's a common and confusing situation: your phone flies on WiFi but your laptop crawls, both on the same network. Since the network is clearly fine (the phone proves it), the laptop is the culprit. Here's how to fix it.
Why this happens
Laptops and phones handle WiFi differently — different adapters, drivers, power settings and background processes. A laptop has more that can go wrong.
Top causes and fixes
- Outdated WiFi driver — update your laptop's network adapter driver (Device Manager on Windows). This fixes a huge share of cases.
- Power-saving mode throttling the WiFi adapter — set your power plan to High Performance, or disable WiFi adapter power saving.
- Background downloads/updates — Windows Update, cloud sync (OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive) and app updates eat bandwidth.
- On 2.4GHz instead of 5GHz — connect the laptop to the 5GHz band.
- VPN or too many browser tabs/extensions slowing things down.
- Malware — run a scan.
Quick diagnostic
Run a speed test on the laptop, then the phone, on the same WiFi. The gap confirms it's the laptop. Then update the WiFi driver first — it's the most common fix.
Key takeaway: Laptop slow, phone fast = a laptop issue. Start with a WiFi driver update and disabling adapter power-saving — those two fix most cases.
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Run our speed test on both devices to confirm the gap, then work through the laptop fixes.
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