> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.within.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Companion slows down your machine

> Close the apps and tabs you are not using before you start Companion. Then ask your IT team which app uses too many resources.

export const NeedHelp = () => <Note>
    <strong>Need help?</strong> Use the in-app chat — click the chat bubble in the bottom-right corner of Within (staffed 24×5) — or email <a href="mailto:support@within.ai">support@within.ai</a>.
  </Note>;

## Symptom

Your laptop becomes slow while Companion runs. Apps take longer to open. The screen becomes sluggish. A fan gets loud.

## Why this happens

Companion shares resources in your laptop with every other open app. A slowdown starts when the laptop runs out of resources.

## Fix

<Steps>
  <Step title="Close the apps and tabs you are not using">
    Do this before you click **Start session**.

    * Close every app you are not using.
    * Close every browser tab you are not using.
    * Close extra browser windows.
    * Close large files, such as a big spreadsheet or a slide deck.
    * Keep open only the apps that your work needs.

    <Note>
      This is about the apps you have open in your laptop. It is not about disk space or about files on your computer.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use Microsoft Teams in a web browser">
    **If your company uses Microsoft Teams:** the desktop app sometimes interferes with Companion. It also uses more resources than Teams in a web browser.

    You have two options:

    * **Best option:** use Teams in a web browser at [teams.microsoft.com](https://teams.microsoft.com). Close the Teams desktop app.
    * **Second option:** click **Pause** in Companion before you open the Teams desktop app. Click **Resume** when you finish the call.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## If that did not help, find the app that slows your computer

Some apps use more resources than others. This slows your computer down. Find that app. Close it if you can.

<Note>
  **Talk to your IT team first.**

  Ask your IT team which apps may slow down your computer. They can help you with the diagnosis. They also know which apps your company needs you to keep open.
</Note>

<Accordion title="Advanced: find the app yourself" icon="wrench">
  Use this only if you are comfortable with the built-in tools on your computer. Your IT team can do all of it for you.

  <Tabs>
    <Tab title="Windows">
      **Open Task Manager**

      1. Press **Ctrl + Shift + Esc** together. Task Manager opens.
      2. Click the **Processes** tab.

      **Read the two lists**

      1. Click the **CPU** column heading. The app that uses the most CPU moves to the top.
      2. Read the top 5 rows. Write down any app you do not need.
      3. Click the **Memory** column heading. The app that uses the most memory moves to the top.
      4. Read the top 5 rows again.

      An app near the top of either list is a problem. You do not need to know which list matters more.

      **Close the app**

      <Warning>
        Close only an app that you know. Do not close a row with the word Windows or the word System in the name.
      </Warning>

      1. Click the row of an app you do not need.
      2. Click **End task**.
    </Tab>

    <Tab title="macOS">
      **Open Activity Monitor**

      1. Press **Command + Space** together. The Spotlight search box opens.
      2. Type `Activity Monitor`.
      3. Press **Return**. Activity Monitor opens.

      **Read the two lists**

      1. Click the **CPU** tab. The app that uses the most CPU moves to the top.
      2. Read the top 5 rows. Write down any app you do not need.
      3. Click the **Memory** tab. The app that uses the most memory moves to the top.
      4. Read the top 5 rows again.

      An app near the top of either list is a problem. You do not need to know which list matters more.

      **Close the app**

      <Warning>
        Close only an app that you know. Do not close a row that you do not recognize.
      </Warning>

      1. Click the row of an app you do not need.
      2. Click the stop button in the toolbar. It is a gray octagon with an X in it.
      3. Click **Quit**.
    </Tab>
  </Tabs>

  **If Chrome is the app**

  Chrome shows as one app in Task Manager and in Activity Monitor. Chrome has its own tool. It shows you which tab uses the resources.

  On Windows:

  1. Click the Chrome window.
  2. Press **Shift + Esc** together. The Chrome task manager opens.
  3. Click the **CPU** column heading. Read the top 5 rows.
  4. Click the **Memory footprint** column heading. Read the top 5 rows again.
  5. Find a tab near the top of either list.
  6. Close that tab in Chrome.

  On macOS:

  1. Click the Chrome window.
  2. Open the **Window** menu in the menu bar.
  3. Click **Task Manager**.
  4. Click the **CPU** column heading. Read the top 5 rows.
  5. Click the **Memory footprint** column heading. Read the top 5 rows again.
  6. Find a tab near the top of either list.
  7. Close that tab in Chrome.

  Keep the Companion tab open. Close the other tabs.
</Accordion>

## Good habits for a smooth session

* Restart your laptop in the morning. A restart frees the resources that open apps hold.
* Close the apps and tabs you are not using first. Then start Companion.
* Share one screen, not two. Two screens use more resources.
* Run Companion in its own browser window.

## When to contact support

**Contact your own IT team first.** They can tell you which apps slow down your computer. They can also close or remove an app that your company does not need.

Contact Within support after that, when both of these are true:

* Your laptop is still slow after you close the apps you are not using.
* Your IT team says that Companion or Chrome is the cause.

## What to send Within support

Send us these items:

* Your workspace name.
* The session ID, or a link to the session.
* The date and the time of the session.
* Your operating system: Windows or macOS.
* What your IT team found.

## Related articles

* [Re-running Companion when a session fails](/user-docs/troubleshooting/re-running-companion)
* [Running your first Companion session](/user-docs/discover/running-your-first-companion-session)
* [Your privacy with Companion](/user-docs/discover/your-privacy-with-companion)

<NeedHelp />


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