The best Macs have incredibly long lifespans, but all computers tend to slow down over time. If you’ve had your Mac for a while and are getting slightly annoyed by its performance, upgrading to a shiny new computer is certainly tempting. But before you make that incredibly impulsive decision, there are certain things you can try first to speed up your Mac.
Some of the fixes we’ll discuss in this guide are obvious things that we often forget — updating macOS, closing unnecessary apps, etc. You’ll also find a lot of hidden tips and settings that work incredibly well for older Macs. Hopefully, you won’t end up buying a new Mac after you go through all the various fixes.
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Mac FAQs: How to fix common problems with macOS
Serious macOS issues sometimes require a simple fix.
1 Remove Login Items
Apps launching at startup can hog a lot of system resources
You’re probably used to all your favorite apps launching automatically as you boot up your Mac. It’s a helpful feature, sure, but having a lot of unnecessary apps launch at startup is a recipe for bad performance. This is especially true if you’re on an older Mac with 8 or less gigabytes of RAM. The more apps that launch at startup, the less available resources there are for the programs you’re actively using.
These apps are known as Login Items on macOS, and you can add or remove them by heading to System Settings> General> Login Items. Get rid of any apps that you don’t need as soon as you log in.
2 Free up storage
Remove unwanted apps, files, and photos
The correlation between storage and speed is a tale as old as time. When your Mac runs out of physical RAM, it needs to rely on a part of your storage to create swap memory. This memory serves as an extension of RAM and is often referred to as virtual memory as well. A full or nearly full storage drive means less space available for swap memory. The OS also needs a bit of free space for temporary files, caches, and logs to keep things efficient.
Go to System Settings> General> Storageand wait for your Mac to calculate how the remaining storage. From here, you can go through Applications, Documentsand Photos to see what’s hogging up all your storage.
3 Check CPU usage through the Activity Monitor
Finding the culprit
If your Mac doesn’t feel snappy or fluid, there’s a high chance that certain apps are heavily using the processing power. It’s important to check CPU usage through the Activity Monitor so you can identify these intensive applications. The Activity Monitor app will also give you a full breakdown of GPU, threads, and memory usage for each app.
If you find that certain apps are taking up more resources than they should, there’s a high chance there’s a bug that needs fixing. Try updating the application and see if that makes a difference. Creative applications such as Final Cut Pro or Blender will naturally consume more resources, so make sure you don’t have too many apps in the background while using them.
4 Reset NVRAM and SMC
Fix potential bugs and glitches
The NVRAM (non-volatile random-access memory) on a Mac stores information that relates to the startup disk, speaker volume, display resolution, time zone, and more. On the other hand, SMC (System Management Controller) manages components like fans, batteries, thermal performance, and even USB ports. If you’re experiencing issues with anything we’ve mentioned so far, resetting the SMC or NVMRAN can fix underlying issues that may be slowing down your Mac.
To reset the NVRAM:
- Shut down your Mac.
- Press and hold Option + Command + P + R until you hear the boot sound on your device.
- On Mac computers that feature Apple’s T2 security chip (most of these models are 2018 and later), keep holding the keys until the Apple logo appears and disappears twice.
To reset the SMC on Macs with a T2 chip:
- Shut down your Mac.
- Hold down the Right Shift + Left Option (Alt) + Left Control keys.
- Press the Power button.
- Keep holding the keys for seven to 10 seconds, then let go.
- Press the Power button to start your device.
To reset SMC on older Macs:
- Shut down your Mac.
- Hold down the Left Shift + Left Option (Alt) + Left Control keys.
- Press the Power button.
- Hold the keys for 10-15 seconds, then let go.
- Press the Power button to start your device.
5 Reduce visual effects
Get rid of unnecessary animations
Part of the charm of macOS is its snappy animations and visual effects. Most Macs can handle these fancy effects without many issues, but if you’re on a relatively older machine, turning them off could have a slight positive impact on performance. You might notice slightly better battery life, but this depends entirely on how old your Mac is and what the battery health is like.
To turn off certain effects, navigate to System Settings> Desktop and Dock. From here, you can turn off effects like Magnificationthe minimizing Genie or Scale effect, Automatically hide and show the dockand more.
6 Check disk and battery health
Something could be wrong with your hardware
You can usually fix unexpected battery issues by resetting SMC. However, if you’re using an older MacBook, there’s a high chance that the battery is either starting to degrade or has already degraded. You can check battery health by navigating to System Settings> Battery> Battery Health. If you want to see the battery cycle count go to Settings> General> About> System Report> Power> Health Information. Apple lists the maximum cycle count for each Mac model here.
While you’re at it, you should also check your drives and examine their health. Use Spotlight Search to look for the Disk Utility app, which is preinstalled on your Mac. Select your drives from the list, and click the First Aid button to examine disk health. If the utility finds severe problems with your drive, you might need to take your Mac in for repair. Similarly, if you found issues with the battery, you will have to replace it.
7 Do a clean reinstallation of macOS
Starting from scratch
If your disk drives and battery are fine, and none of the above fixes worked, a clean reinstallation is your last resort. However, in addition to all the fixes above, make sure you haven’t missed the obvious ideas — restarting and updating your Mac. It sounds silly, but these two aspects are easy to forget.
In the case you decide to go with a clean reinstall, make some precautionary measures first. To avoid losing anything important, back up everything you can either through iCloud or to an external drive. Once your satisfied with the backup, follow this guide on installing macOS on any Mac computer.
Take back control of your Mac
Few things are more annoying than a slow computer, especially considering how much our daily lives revolve around having one on hand. However, some devices are just beyond the point of saving. If your Mac has bad battery life, poor performance, and doesn’t receive updates, you’re more than due for an upgrade. Whenever you do buy a new Mac, make sure you install these must-have apps for a great experience.