How to Speed Up Your Slow Mac with Simple Tweaks width

How to speed up a slow Mac

We use our Mac to serve different purposes and have our ways to operate it. However, it cant be denied that despite their popularity for rendering a faster and smoother experience, there can be odd days when you notice your Mac slowing down, especially if its old. In this article, I have shortlisted some simple ways to speed up your Macs performance.

However, before jumping to the solution, it is essential to understand the root causes to avoid similar glitches down the line.

Why is your Mac running slow?

There can be a range of reasons behind it. The most common reasons are negligence from our side or hardware and software issues. With passing years and new upgrades, Macs tend to slow down irrespective of the model you own or the amount you have spent over them.

However, a few workarounds may help you save your day.

22 Ways to speed up your Mac

Here, Ive shortlisted some simple ways to speed up your slow Mac.

1. Close unnecessary apps on Mac

We often leave the n number of apps open on our Mac. Eventually, this slows down the system. As cliche as it sounds, more often than not, this is the reason thats holding your Mac back.

It is recommended to close the unused apps that may be running in the background. These can be done in the following ways;

1. On the Dock, youll notice a tiny dot beneath some apps. This represents that the app is open. Right-click (or ctrl + click) on the app, and click on Quit to close the applications that arent in use.
2. If you see the force quit option for any program, that is likely the one thats hogging your speed. Right-click on the app icon and select force quit. This will open a popup window with the list of running programs. Click on the app you wish to close and select force quit.

Alternatively, you can also press option+command+escape to force quit an app.

Note: This step should only be used when your app doesnt respond, or the first step fails to help.

2. Restart your Mac regularly

Most of us have the habit of pulling down the screen after using it rather than shutting it down. While initially, this might seem helpful, it may negatively impact your Mac over time.

If not daily, it is recommended to restart your Mac at least once in two days. It works like a power nap. This helps it revive and serve you again with its full potential.

1. Go to the Apple menu Select Shut Down.
2. Click Shut Down.

Also, you canschedule your Mac to sleep or shut downonce every two days.

3. Use Activity Monitor to identify resource hogs

If you recently installed an app and your MacBook suddenly runs slow, it could be because the app is power-hungry and consumes much of your Macs system resources.

OpenActivity Monitorto check which apps and programs are hogging your Macs resources:

1. LaunchFinderGo SelectUtilities.
2. ChooseActivity Monitor.

Activity Monitor shows different resources: CPU, Memory,Battery usage, Disk, and Network. If your Mac is lagging, check the CPU section. Power-hungry apps will be at the top. To make your Mac run faster, select the app or process Click X in the Activity Monitor toolbar.

4. Uninstall unused apps

Another possible culprit behind a Mac running slow is a stack of unused apps on your device. This may come as a surprise, but dragging an app to the Trash isnt enough. You still have to take care of the junk it leaves behind.

1. Trash the app Go to Bin.
2. Control-click the app Select Delete Immediately.
3. Open Finder Click Go Go to Folder on the menu bar.
4. Head to each following destination and delete the uninstalled app files:
   • /Applications/
   • ~/Library/Application Support
   • /Library/Caches/and~/Library/Caches/
   • ~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/
   • ~/Library/Preferences/
   • ~/Library/Application Support/CrashReporter/
   • ~/Library/Saved Application State/

Also, you should remove incompatible apps that may not run on your macOS or processor.

5. Free up storage space on Mac

All computers slow down as their storage drive reaches total capacity. Ideally, it is recommended to maintain between 5 to 20% of empty space on your Mac to increase speed and maintain its optimal performance.

To free up space on Mac, you can move files you dont need to another disk or an external hard drive. First, check how much storage space is left on your hard drive and which things are consuming storage.

1. Click theApple menuGeneral.
2. SelectStorage ClickStorage Settings.

macOS can also help optimize your storage by identifying the files you no longer need and storing others in the cloud. To do this, go toStorage Settingsand see theRecommendationssection.

6. Reduce your startup items

As mentioned above, too many apps running simultaneously can slow down your Mac. If your Mac is set up to auto-launch apps upon startup, booting your Mac will be a dragging process. It would be a good idea to review the startup items list and remove those you dont need.

1. Go to theApple menuSystem Settings.
2. SelectGeneral ChooseLogin Items.
3. Select an item Click theRemove (-) icon.

7. Update your macOS

If youve been putting off an update, its a sign that you should have done it already. OS updates fix bugs and improvements, which can help optimize your Macs performance and make it run faster again. To update your Mac,

1. Click theApple menuSystem Settings.
2. SelectGeneral Navigate toAbout.
3. Click theUpdatebutton.

8. Clear your Mac cache

Cache files are temporary data kept on your device after visiting a website or an app for the first time. This aims to speed up load times, providing a better experience. Over time, this accumulates and may eventually slow down your Mac.So, its best to clear the cache to speed up your Mac.

1. Open Finder Click Go in the menu bar.
2. Select Go to Folder.
3. Type ~/Library/Caches/.
4. Now, select all files and move to trash.

9.Close unwanted browser tabs

Lets admit it: some individuals love keeping hundreds of tabs open in a single window. Each tab runs a process in the background. If theres active content, it uses up CPU and memory. Opening too many tabs will overtax your computer memory and drain your battery.

So be sure to close the browser tabs you dont need now. Remember, you can always open up one when you already need it. If you want to close all tabs except the current one:

1. Open Safari Right-click the current tab.
2. Click Close Others Tabs.

10.Remove some browser extensions from Safari and Chrome

Most of us do our work inside browsers, especially with the added functionalities provided by browser extensions. However, too many browser extensions can negatively affect your Macs speed due to the heavy demand on the CPU.

To delete a browser extension on Safari:

1. OpenSafari Click Safari on the menu bar.
2. ClickSettings.
3. Choose theExtensionstab.
4. Deselect the extensions checkbox to turn it off.
5. To remove it, click the extension Select Uninstall.

To do this on Google Chrome:

1. OpenGoogle Chrome.
2. Select Chrome on the menu bar ClickSettings.
3. ClickExtensions.
4. Select an extension ClickRemove.

11.Clean up your Mac desktop

Placing a file on the desktop is convenient, but this could soon clutter your view. Worse is having too many files on your desktop. It will slow down your Mac since it needs to create preview thumbnails for the desktop.

To fix this slow Mac, you must clear your desktop. Delete the files you dont need and place the rest in their appropriate folders. Also, you can hide desktop icons to declutter and organize your Mac desktop.

12.Check for malware

Macs rarely get infected by malware. But if your Mac runs slow all of a sudden, it might be dealing with one. Malicious apps can slow things down and even operate stealthily in the background. Unsure how to diagnose? Heres everything you need to know to protect your Mac from viruses.

13. Rebuild the Spotlight Index

If Spotlight is acting up and isnt showing the results you need or is taking too long to show results, then reindexing Spotlight might do the trick. To do this:

1. Go toApple menuSystem Settings.
2. ChooseSiri & Spotlight SelectSpotlight Privacy.
3. Click the plus (+) icon Add your hard drive to thePrivacy List. Once added, remove it by clicking the minus (-) button.
4. Click Done and exit System Settings.

Doing this will force Spotlight to reindex, which will help fix your Spotlight searches. Note that this may take a few hours.

14. Turn off visual effects on Mac

Is your Mac lagging when playing games? Visual effects, like the Genie effect and the bouncing effect apps, can impact your Macs speed and performance. Here are some visual effects and features you can turn off:

1. Go toSystem SettingsDesktop & Dock.
2. Disable Automatically hide and show the Dock and Animate opening applications.
3. Also, select Scale effect forMinimize windows using.
4. Next, go toAccessibilityDisplay.
5. ToggleReduce Motionon.

15. Set a default Finder folder

If you find Finder sluggish, it might be searching a large default folder. Assign a smaller folder as the default search location to lighten its load and increase your Macs speed. To do this:

1. OpenFinder.
2. Go to the menu bar. ClickFinderSettings.
3. Tap General ClickNew Folder windows showdropdown Select the new default folder.

16. Disable iCloud syncing on your MacBook

The iCloud syncing feature transfers your files and keeps them up to date between your Apple devices. So, changing data on one device reflects on your other Apple devices, too. This happens in the background, so it can slow down your Mac. If you want to turn it off:

1. Go to the Apple menu.
2. OpenSystem SettingsClick yourApple account.
3. SelectiCloud.
4. Turn off apps underApps Using iCloudto stop them from iCloud syncing.

If youre manually syncing files using iCloud or other cloud services like Google Drive, do not send too many items simultaneously because this will likely slow down your Macs performance.

17. Turn off File Vault Encryption

When enabled, File Vault encodes every single file on your Mac so that it cant be read unless you enter the login password. This utilizes numerous process cycles to encrypt and decrypt the files. Consider turning it off on your Mac:

1. OpenSystem SettingsPrivacy & Security.
2. SelectFile Vault ClickTurn Off.
3. Enter your Mac password Click Unlock.

18. Fix issues using Disk Utility

Computer components are bound to break down and stop working. Hardware failure can cause your Mac to run slowly. This can happen even if the element is still partially working but begins to degrade. So, double-check if your Macs hard drive or SSD works appropriately.

1. Open Disk Utility.
2. Select a volume on the sidebar ClickFirst Aid.

If Disk Utility reports that your disk appears OK or has been repaired, you dont have to do anything. You may clickShow Detailsto learn more about the repairs. Meanwhile, if it states that theres already a fatal hardware problem and asks to replace your disk, your SSD or hard disk is already damaged beyond repair.

19. Run Apple Diagnostics

Aside from using Disk Utility, you can alsorun Apple Diagnosticsto see if theres a hardware issue causing Mac to run slow. It checks for any anomalies in your internal hardware.

20. Reset your Macs SMC and PRAM/NVRAM

The System Management Controller (SMC) is a chip that manages most power-related functions. Meanwhile, NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random Access Memory) or PRAM (Parameter Random Access Memory) controls things like startup disk, volume, mouse, and date and time.

If your Mac is sluggish and the functions above are acting up, you canreset your Macs SMC and PRAM. Note that this is only applicable to Intel-based Macs. Macs powered by Apple Silicon dont have a SMC. You must shut down your Mac for 30 seconds before restarting it.

21. Replace your HDD with an SSD

If youve exhausted all our suggestions and your Mac remains slow, consider swapping out the conventional HDD for an SSD. Research your options to determine thebest SSD for your Mac. Before making any changes, remember to back up all your data and seek professional help.

22. Get more RAM

RAM, simply called memory, is a temporary memory bank that allows your Mac to access data immediately. If your RAM fills up, your Macs performance will slow down drastically. Programs may crash, freeze, or take longer to open. This is because your processor is swapping to your hard disk, which is much slower to access.

Unfortunately, this isnt possible with newer Macs since their RAMs are soldered onto their motherboards. You can, however, do this on some older MacBook Pro models.

Wrapping up

Macs are known for their speed and efficiency, so working with a Mac running slow can be very frustrating. We hope the above ways to speed up Mac helped your issue. Feel free to share which troubleshooting tip worked for you in the comment section!

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