There could be a few different scenarios for you to be interested in boosting your Mac’s performance. You have probably owned your Mac for a few years now, and it has become a little slow.
However, the Mac may also be new, but without proper care and maintenance work, it became cluttered and possibly infected with malware. Also, it is possible that you saved up for a new computer and now want to learn how to take care of it properly to have the best possible Mac’s performance in the future.
Therefore, in the post that we are sharing with you today, we are going to talk about eight different methods that can and will improve your Mac’s performance. Check out the tips below.
Table of Contents
Method #1: Quit Apps in the Background
No matter if you own an older Mac or a completely new one, make sure that you only keep those apps open that you are using. This way, you will ensure that the apps that you currently use have enough system resources to perform at their best.
To check which apps you have launched, look at the Dock that is located at the bottom of the screen. If there is a dot under the app icon, it means that the app is open. To close it, right-click on the icon and choose the option Quit.
Method #2: Look Out for Resource-Hungry Apps
Once you have closed the apps you are currently not using, have it in mind that each app will use a different amount of the system’s resources. Therefore, even if you have only two items open, one of them might be slowing down the overall performance and speed of your Mac.
To identify these resource-hungry apps, open the Spotlight Search and type in “Activity Monitor.” Then, go to the CPU tab and close the most resource-hungry apps. If you use these apps for work, consider finding alternatives for these apps.
Method #3: Edit Your Login Items
Login items are the applications that will start automatically right after your Mac has finished booting. This means that if you have many login items, they will immediately start using significant system resources and slow down the entire startup process.
Luckily, this issue is easily fixable. First of all, click the Apple icon and go to the System Preferences. Then, click on the Users & Groups option, and open the Login Items. Highlight the ones you want to remove from the list and click the minus icon.
Method #4: Use Safari as Main Internet Browser
Even though other internet browsers such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox might be just as great as the Safari browser, for Mac users, it is recommended to use the default browser, which is Safari.
This is because both your device and the Safari browser are made by Apple and constantly improved by its developer team. Thus, the Safari browser is the most optimized to be used on a Mac.
Method #5: Clear Browser Cache
If you are experiencing slow browser issues, then your internet connection might be at fault. But not necessary. Just as it is with apps, the same goes for browser tabs. Once there are too many, they will affect the overall performance of the browser and Mac itself.
More to it, you should clear the browser cache from time to time. Technically, these temporary files are needed to load websites faster, but after a while, you should remove these files because they will pile up.
Method #6: Clean the Desktop
The more icons you have on your desktop, the more it will slow down your computer. It happens because macOS has to use the system’s memory resources to display desktop shortcuts.
Therefore, the more memory resources are used to display items on your desktop that you may not even need, the more your Mac’s performance will drop.
Method #7: Check Storage Space
Storage space is a crucial factor for Mac’s speed and overall performance. Macs are fast computers; however, they come with SSDs that can fill up quickly. Thus it is only smart to keep an eye on your computer’s free storage space.
To see how much free storage you still have, click the Apple icon, open the About This Mac menu, and choose the Storage tab. Once the data is calculated, you will see what types of files are taking up the most of disk space.
Method #8: Use an Antivirus
No matter how much you have heard about Macs being one of the safest computers because of its Gatekeeper, you still need a proper antivirus to protect your device and your personal data.
To choose the best option for you, read some antivirus app reviews online and download the app from the App Store. Do not trust suspicious websites that suggest you download the app from their page. If an app is trustworthy, you will be able to find it in the App Store.