Troubleshooting SharePoint Slow Performance: A Comprehensive Guide
SharePoint performance issues can arise due to multiple factors, including high server load, network latency, database inefficiencies, and misconfigurations. Below is a step-by-step troubleshooting guide to diagnose and improve SharePoint performance.
1. Identify the Symptoms and Scope of the Problem
Before diving into technical fixes, determine the extent of the performance issue:
✅ Which SharePoint site or feature is slow? (Page loads, document retrieval, search, workflows, etc.)
✅ Is the issue affecting all users or specific users?
✅ When did the issue start occurring? (Sudden or gradual degradation)
✅ Is the issue consistent or intermittent?
✅ Check for patterns: Does the slowness happen at a specific time of the day?
Tools for Initial Diagnosis:
- F12 Developer Tools (Chrome/Edge) – Analyze page load times.
- SharePoint Health Analyzer – Detect potential issues in Central Administration.
- Fiddler or Wireshark – Capture network traffic for anomalies.
2. Check Server Resource Utilization
A high server load can severely impact SharePoint performance. Check the following:
2.1. CPU and Memory Usage
🔹 Open Task Manager (Windows) or Resource Monitor (resmon.exe).
🔹 Check CPU and memory usage of SharePoint-related services (IIS, SQL Server, Search).
🔹 If CPU is consistently high (above 80%) or memory usage is excessive, it indicates a resource bottleneck.
2.2. Disk Usage & IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second)
🔹 Run Performance Monitor (perfmon.msc) and check:
- Disk Queue Length
- Latency
- Read/Write Speeds
🔹 If disk latency is high, consider using SSDs or optimizing storage.
3. Database Performance Optimization (SQL Server)
Since SharePoint heavily relies on SQL Server, poor database performance can slow down the entire environment.
3.1. Check SQL Server Health
🔹 Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and run:
SELECT * FROM sys.dm_os_wait_stats ORDER BY wait_time_ms DESC;
🔹 Look for high wait times (e.g., I/O, CPU contention).
3.2. Reduce Database Bloat
🔹 Run DBCC CHECKDB to check for corruption.
🔹 Shrink log files cautiously using:
DBCC SHRINKFILE (N'WSS_Content_log', 1);
🔹 Clear unused indexes and fragmented tables:
ALTER INDEX ALL ON [dbo.AllSites] REBUILD;
🔹 Ensure SQL Server has sufficient RAM and properly configured Max Degree of Parallelism (MAXDOP).
4. Network Latency and Bandwidth Issues
Slow SharePoint performance can stem from poor network connectivity.
4.1. Test Network Speed
✅ Use ping to test response time from the client to the SharePoint server:
ping yoursharepointserver.com -t
✅ Use tracert to check for network hops and delays:
tracert yoursharepointserver.com
✅ Use iPerf to test bandwidth and packet loss.
4.2. Optimize Network Performance
🔹 Ensure users have a fast, low-latency network connection (preferably LAN or VPN for remote users).
🔹 Implement CDN (Content Delivery Network) to serve static files efficiently.
🔹 Optimize firewall rules and proxy settings to allow SharePoint traffic without throttling.
5. SharePoint Web Front-End (WFE) Performance Tuning
5.1. IIS Optimization
🔹 Open IIS Manager (inetmgr):
- Increase application pool recycling frequency.
- Enable HTTP compression for faster data transfer.
- Set Output Caching to reduce repeated page loads.
5.2. Enable BLOB Caching and Object Caching
🔹 Open web.config for SharePoint and enable BLOB caching:
<BlobCache location="C:\BlobCache" path=".*\.(gif|jpg|png|css|js|ico|woff|ttf)$" maxSize="10" enabled="true" />
🔹 Configure Object Cache in Central Administration to optimize frequently accessed data.
6. Search Service Performance Optimization
The SharePoint search service can become a performance bottleneck.
6.1. Reduce Search Indexing Load
🔹 Open Central Administration → Search Service Application → Crawl Settings.
🔹 Reduce the crawl frequency for less important content sources.
6.2. Optimize Query Execution
🔹 Check for long-running queries using:
SELECT * FROM sys.dm_exec_requests WHERE command = 'SELECT';
🔹 Use Query Throttling to prioritize queries based on user roles.
7. Optimize Page Load Performance
7.1. Minimize Large Lists and Libraries
🔹 Avoid exceeding 5,000 items per list view.
🔹 Use indexed columns and filtered views to manage large datasets.
7.2. Reduce Web Part Impact
🔹 Edit the page in SharePoint Designer or Modern UI.
🔹 Remove unnecessary web parts or convert them to lightweight alternatives.
7.3. Enable Lazy Loading
🔹 Implement lazy loading for large datasets to improve UI responsiveness.
8. Content Database Optimization
8.1. Reduce Content Database Size
🔹 Move old data to an archive database.
🔹 Remove unnecessary versions of documents by limiting versioning in libraries.
8.2. Optimize Database Indexing
🔹 Use SQL Profiler to analyze slow queries.
🔹 Rebuild fragmented indexes:
ALTER INDEX ALL ON [dbo.AllDocs] REBUILD;
9. User Experience Optimization
9.1. Browser Performance Enhancements
✅ Clear browser cache.
✅ Disable unnecessary browser extensions.
✅ Ensure users are using a modern, optimized browser (Edge, Chrome).
9.2. Client-Side Optimization
🔹 Minimize JavaScript execution time.
🔹 Reduce excessive DOM elements in SharePoint pages.
10. Regular Maintenance and Monitoring
10.1. Automate Performance Monitoring
✅ Use SharePoint Health Analyzer for proactive alerts.
✅ Set up PowerShell scripts for periodic health checks.
10.2. Patch SharePoint Regularly
✅ Ensure SharePoint is updated with the latest Cumulative Updates (CUs).
✅ Keep SQL Server and Windows Server updated to avoid security and performance issues.