You wouldn't cut a filet with a plastic knife, so why cut down a tree with a dull chainsaw? A sharpened chainsaw cuts back on time and energy spent on landscape projects.
Properly sharpening a chainsaw also prevents injury during saw use.
How to sharpen a chainsaw Sharpening a chainsaw can be viewed as a three-step process: 1) Sharpening the cutters, or teeth of the saw 2) Adjusting the depth gauge 3) Tightening the tension Chainsaw sharpening begins with the right tools.
Before explaining sharpening, let's look at the types of tools you will need:

• Round files
• Filing guide
• Flat file

Practice before you begin Practicing your sharpening skills will help you when your cutters become dull on an older blade.
It is ideal to practice on a new saw blade because the details of your depth gauge height and cutter angles will be similar to what you want to master.
Time to begin sharpening the cutters

• To begin, tighten your chain around the blade so there is no slack.
  This is ideal for sharpening, though impractical for actual saw use.
  
• Now, clamp your filing guide in the middle of the bar.
  
• Rotate the filing guide to match the angle of the cutter's edge.
  
• Oil your file before you begin filing.
  
• File each cutter with strokes that move toward the cutter's point.
  
• Repeat the same strokes on all cutters.
  

Ready to adjust the depth gauge This is a far easier task than the actual filing of cutters.
You should only need to adjust the depth gauge every three sharpenings.

• Place the depth gauge guide on the chains so that it mounts two of the top cutters.
  
• Remove any part of the depth gauge that sticks out beyond the slots in the guide with a flat file.
  
• Move around the saw until you have adjusted all depth gauges.
  

Adjusting the tension Now that you are done sharpening your chainsaw, it is time to adjust the tension.

• Loosen the chain by unscrewing the two nuts that anchor the bar.
  The chain should loosely hang.
  
• Slowly tighten the tension screw so that the chain slack tightens on the bottom of the saw.
  
• When the chain is nearly tightened with no slack, refasten the two anchor nuts.
  
• If your tension is correct, the chain should rotate freely.
  

If you properly follow these instructions, you should always have a chainsaw that is sharp and ready for the job at hand.
Check your chainsaw after every project and follow these steps.