Since we launched in 2006, our articles have been read more than 1 billion times. Clutter spells disaster for any computer, yet most users don't clean up their computers often — if at all. These activities can slow down your system. Install it on a USB stick, start your Mac, and then run it. Click System Report, and then choose Storage. You are Using an Outdated MacOS. Your MacBook was never more streamlined than those first few times you fired it up. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot you can do to fix issues with the CPU or GPU. Don’t put up with it! And fast performance means it gets to use a lot of Mac’s CPU resources compared to other browsers. Send them to the trash. People just seem to love downloading videos! Then one day you open up your laptop and realize the sad truth that your MacBook is running slow. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to fix this, including: Because a slow startup is normal and expected after the installation of a new macOS version. How-To Geek is where you turn when you want experts to explain technology. This article is aimed directly at owners of an Apple MacBook laptop computer. Running FirstAid to Fix Volume Errors 11. You might be surprised at what is there, and removing some apps can have a dramatic impact on your startup speed. Update software to prevent a slow Mac Once in a while Apple releases software updates. If your Mac is running slowly, the problem can be with a particular application. If you’re not sure which app has crashed, or you think one crashed in the background, launch Activity Monitor. Go to Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Notifications to disable those notifications you don't need. Restart your MacBook. https://macmost.com/e-2187 Here are 10 ways you can speed up a slow Mac. From there, they should be able to recommend a fix for the problem. If your Mac has a problem with a particular component, the fix becomes more complicated. If you suspect an app crashed, right-click its icon in the Dock, hold the Option key on your keyboard, and then click Force Quit. If it says “Failing,” this could be the source of your problems. Processes that have completely crashed appear in red with the words “Not responding” next to them under Activity Monitor. By submitting your email, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Select a language, and then wait for the diagnostic tool to run. There might be disk images still hanging around from application installations that can be safely removed. This utility should give you more information than Apple claims it will. Note: If your MacBook Pro is slow only after updating to the latest macOS version (i.e. Whether this is due to system or user error, it can slow the performance of your system down to a crawl. Upgrading to a new OS may cause Finder to run slowly as Spotlight performs its file indexing functions. Take the time to organize your files within your Documents or other folders you create and get them off your Desktop. No wonder you’re confused why is my Mac so slow. Deleting the wrong files from within these folders could potentially cripple your machine, so proceed with caution. If you encounter repeated issues with the same apps, you might want to consider using something else (or drop the developer an email). In a worst-case scenario, you can always ask Apple to take a look. For example, you might discover there’s a problem the computer’s memory, but you won’t know which stick of RAM is faulty or what’s wrong with it. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Command+Option+Esc to force quit the current app. Simply download and install Disk Drill on your MacBook. 22. iCloud syncing (in 10.7.2 and later) can slow things down. There’s no way around it, though many have tried. It might be labeled a MacBook, MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro. A failing drive can also cause issues. If your OS is not the latest and greatest, it could lead to a slow MacBook. If your machine constantly crashes or is sluggish due to a failing hardware component, it’s time to consider purchasing a new one. You can then check the reference code in Apple’s database, but don’t expect to learn too much. If you’re encountering performance bottlenecks that prevent you from doing your job or doing the things you need a computer for, it’s time to upgrade. This usually happens when your Mac has updated to a … Navigate to the preferences of your chosen browser to see which extensions are currently installed. Click the “CPU” tab and view the “% CPU” column in descending order. This figure applies mostly to laptops with small drives. Applications and media files opened quickly and the performance lived up to all of your expectations. Your Desktop can quickly get out of control and slow down your machine. An iMac with a 3 TB drive requires a much smaller percentage to satisfy macOS requirements. Remember, it’s free to book an appointment at an Apple Store, find out what’s wrong with your machine, and how much it will cost to fix. Your hard drive gets full when there are so many files and folders saved on it. I had no problem with a slow MAC until installing Catalina. If your Mac has a dedicated GPU, you can test it with tools like Heaven or Cinebench. That’s because almost everything they do—from surfing the Web to checking email—requires Internet access. Notifications can slow Mac OS X 10.9 down. One way to glean more information is to benchmark it with an app like Geekbench. Discuss: Fix your slow Mac once and for all Sign in to comment. Moreover, … A newer operating system will always be faster than its predecessor. For many Mac users, a slow Internet connection is synonymous with a slow computer. But there are some things you can check yourself. If you want Apple to repair your machine, you have to pay out of pocket if the warranty’s expired, unless you have AppleCare. Sometimes, just the app that’s crashed exhibits this behavior; other times, misbehaving software might attempt to take your whole machine down with it. Chrome is famous for having fast performance. We would like to share some of the tips that you can use to fix Mac running slow and save your money from buying a new one. You can delete this file by locating com.apple.finder.plist in the ~/Library/Preferences/ folder. For ultimate peace of mind, be sure to back up your Mac with regularly Time Machine. 21. MacOS is a common reason for seeing a slowdown with your MacBook. If you’re thinking about selling your old Mac, here are some tips to help you out. For years now, Apple releases a new operating system for your MacBook each year. It usually makes more financial sense to just buy a new Mac rather than pay the premium to fix your old one. Cache files are temporary files that are used by the operating system and applications to store data for a variety of reasons. This can be caused by many things most commonly low hard drive space, updates to macOS and application problems. A heavy hard drive is the main reason for a slow Mac. To see the memory, click the “Memory” tab, and reorder the “Memory” column in descending to see similar results. You can restart your computer by going to the Apple menu > Restart. Your companion for deleted files recovery. Fixing this issue is really easy. There are many reasons why your Mac might have performance issues. It removes junk files from Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Opera all in one place, covering caches, cookies, browsing history, download history and sessions. A general rule of thumb is to keep 15 percent of your startup disk free at all times. There’s nothing worse than a slow Mac or the dreaded spinning beach ball of death when things get really bad. Hardware issues, though, are the exception. A quirk in the way Mac’s operating system handles graphics causes items that are stored on your desktop to take up more resources than expected. Hungry software, like Photoshop, open in the background. Click on Login items and you can select which of the programs that you want to execute on startup. It might be the result of small, incremental changes that are not noticeable when considered individually. Fix 5: Close Tabs and Windows This one is a simple fix that can make your computer speed up quickly. Press the power button to turn on your Mac, and then immediately press and hold D on the keyboard. There are also temp folders that contain system files that probably should be left alone unless there is an overwhelming and compelling reason to touch them. There’s not a lot you can do to test it, though. Follow the steps below to speed up your Wi-Fi. You will obtain a graphic display that indicates how much of your disk is in use and how much is available. In addition to speeding up your machine, it presents a more appealing experience to enjoy your background image without having to peer around numerous icons. Unfortunately, it seems we don’t have any working solutions here except restarting your Mac. Fixing them is a must because after all, they touch on the Mac’s basic and most-used functions. When you use a USB stick as the storage medium, you can test the RAM properly without the macOS overhead. Finder should revert to its usual performance characteristics. Learn the detailed Chrome (Mac) problems and solutions to fix slow Chrome on Mac (Google Chrome not working on Mac) now. Resetting the System Management Controller — or SMC — can fix everything from slow performance to startup issues and Wi-Fi hardware problems. To do that: As long as your hardware meets the specifications, you should go ahead and upgrade your OS. Hardware issues, though, are the exception. Follow the instructions in this article to reset your Mac’s SMC. Sometimes, performance issues are caused by memory leaks, where a particular task or process eats up all the available memory. To see how much free space you have on your Mac, click the Apple icon in the top-left corner, and then click About This Mac. Apple Diagnostics can only tell you so much in the form of a reference code. If you work with large files or create lots of temporary files (like for video or photo editing), you should keep as much free space on your drive as the total size of those temporary files. Problem 1. Click on the “FirstAid” button to fix the volume errors and fix them. Here are 6 easy ways to fix a slow Mac to get things running smoothly again. Of course, you won’t get detailed feedback about how to fix your Mac there, either. These aren’t prone to failing abruptly the way standard hard disk drives are. Few computers hold resale value like a Mac. One example of this would be if you use a web-based spreadsheet tool, like Google Sheets, to crunch a lot of data. If you switch to a Mac-optimized browser like Safari, it will help, but you still might need to curb your tab addiction. Even desktop computers like the iMac are notoriously difficult to repair yourself—Apple uses heavy amounts of glue and solder in its manufacturing process. There is no denying that trying to use a slow MacBook can be a frustrating experience, especially when you know how fast it can run. Apple’s software engineers are constantly striving to improve your MacBook’s operating system. Remember, your old Mac might still hold good resale value. Your Companion for Deleted Files Recovery in Mac OS X 10.8.5+ and for Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10, © 2020 508 Software, LLC, its affiliates and licensors, Useful Things You Need to Know about Your MacBook Air, Things You Need to Know about Yosemite OS X, Steps on How to Reset Your Mac Successfully, What Is Mac OS X? Spotlight is Indexing. Fix It When Your iMac is Slow after macOS Update A macOS update should improve system crashes and speed — but that’s not always the case. Free up some valuable disk space and speed up your MacBook at the same time. After deletion, close the folder and restart your computer. Slow WiFi problem. Downloading applications, creating documents, and storing digital media of all types can quickly start to eat up the free space on your hard disk. Run the application and easily create a map of a selected disk volume. Follow the steps below to check the health of your SSD: For a more detailed look at your drives, download DriveDx (it’s free to try). Some common tasks that might push your Mac over the edge are: If you have hundreds of tabs open in a browser like Chrome, don’t be surprised if you encounter memory issues. Tips & tricks to speed up a Mac. As your Mac ages, expect its performance to decline. Replacing HDDs with SSDs was the right decision as it improves the overall performance. 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