As a Mac user, you would refuse to settle for anything less than a smooth and fuss-free user experience. After all, Macs are well-known for their performance and reliability.
However, unfortunately, a gradual decline is noticed in the responsiveness and speed of the Mac with time. Like any machine, Macs also encounter some problems after they have been used for a few years. But there’s no need to panic or feel helpless. Here are some things you can do to speed up your Mac and breathe new life into it.
Manage Startup items
Startup items are applications set to spin up the moment you start your Mac. Since these apps are activated in the background, you don’t have to find them frantically. But this accessibility and convenience is a double-edged sword. You might end up adding too many apps that hog system resources as soon as you switch on your Mac.
Applications set to launch at startup are one of the primary culprits of slowing down your computer’s boot time. Hence, you must review and change startup programs Mac. Disable the ones you don’t need and keep the ones you do.
Head to the Apple menu > click System Preferences > select Users & Groups > click Login Items and click the minus button to remove the apps you don’t need from the list.
Tidy Up the Hard Drive
A cluttered hard drive is one of the reasons behind a sluggish Mac. With time, unnecessary apps, cache, and temporary files accumulate. These occupy valuable space and impact system performance.
Declutter and organize your hard drive by removing unnecessary files. Go through the folders and delete the redundant documents, media files, and downloads. Uninstall the apps that are not needed anymore and clear the browser cache.
You can also send files and documents to iCloud or back them up on an external drive to reduce pressure on your Mac’s hard drive.
Enable Storage Optimization
Storage Optimization is an in-built macOS feature that aims to manage storage efficiently. Click Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage > Manage to enable the feature.
With this feature enabled, macOS automatically removes the downloaded TV shows and movies you have watched. Also, the Trash is automatically emptied after thirty days.
Update the Apps and macOS
One of the easiest and most effective ways of ensuring your Mac performs at its optimum is keeping the apps installed and the macOS version up-to-date.
Updates are regularly released by Apple, and you must leverage them. The updates come with security patches, bug fixes, and performance improvements.
You can update your Mac by going to System Preferences and clicking Software Update. As for updating apps, it can be done from the App Store.
Safari Browser Optimization
Assuming you use Safari for browsing the web, you can improve your browsing speed by trying the following tricks:
- Clearing browsing history and data accumulated over time
- Disabling extensions that are no longer required
If you use Chrome, it is recommended to switch to Safari. Chrome consumes too much resources and makes it difficult for Mac to perform speedily.
Management of Visual Effects
Do you love the aesthetically appealing interface of your Mac? It is hard to resist the effects and animations. But this comes at a cost. These graphical elements consume system resources and contribute to the computer’s sluggish performance.
Hence, reduce the visual effects by going to the System Preferences app > clicking Accessibility. Check the Reduce Transparency and Reduce Motion boxes under Displays to lessen the visual effects. This small change can go a long way in boosting your computer’s speed.
Keep track of Activities with Activity Monitor
It is impossible to know everything that is running and consuming resources on your Mac. But Activity Monitor is a tool that can help. This tool offers in-depth insights into how the system resources are being utilized. It allows you to identify the processes and applications hogging the resources.
You can quit those resource-hogging applications and processes to speed up your Mac.
Reset NVRAM and SMC
Resetting the SMC and NVRAM can help solve performance issues. You can reset NVRAM by shutting down your system and turning it on. Then immediately holding the Option + Command + P + R keys.
The SMC can be reset by shutting down the Mac. If your model has a T2 chip, hold the power button for ten seconds and then release it. For other Macs, disconnect the power cable and press the power button for fifteen seconds.
Increase the RAM
Is the performance still lagging? Have your optimization efforts not borne results? Consider upgrading the RAM.
The Bottom Line
Implement these optimization tricks and tips to speed up your Mac and enjoy a snappy user experience. By optimizing and tidying your Mac regularly, you can increase the system’s longevity.