How to speed up the slow Mac that has become so because
of age or for not really appropriate use? The unpleasant feeling that the
computer - fixed or portable - loses performance perhaps shortly after
purchase. The reasons can vary and range from tired hardware - and
therefore improvement - to an internal space that is running out, suffocated by
useless programs. But nothing is unrecoverable with a little patience,
also thanks to features already prepared by the operating system or by third
parties.
We have compiled a collection of twelve tips to follow
to try to bring the Mac back to almost new, with minimal slowdowns and an
experience optimized to the best for personal needs. Dutiful premise:
speeding up a dated Mac is possible, but one cannot think that it can compete
with the latest models by supporting all the latest versions of the heaviest
programs.
1) Update the operating system
As already seen also for the advice for speed up iPhone, Android, and Windows,
the first and necessary step is to update the operating system to the latest
version available.
The latest OS release, in fact, optimizes performance, fixes bugs,
increases safety and decreases battery consumption.
As is natural, for a software update, space is required on the internal
memory and before carrying out the procedure it is always recommended (read
mandatory, to avoid risks) to proceed with a complete backup of all contents.
If you have not received (and ignored) the notification of the
availability of the new os, to update the Mac just click on the top left on the
apple and on Information on this Mac. At the bottom right of the window is a
Software update and the game is done.
You can set automatic updating from System Preferences> App Store and
tick Install OS X updates
2) Delete unnecessary software
The second step is to make a good purge of all software that is
not needed and that does nothing but take-up memory
unnecessarily. These are ballasts that must be canceled as soon as
possible.
From the Finder go to Applications and check the list
manually. Sincerely ask yourself "Do I need it?" And "How
many times have I used it in the last month and year"? Once you have
located the targets, highlight the folder with a click and choose the Move to
Trash option from the menu. Or drag the icon to the trash
directly. For some programs, the system password may be required.
You can be assisted by a free app (with in-app expansions) external
called App
cleaner & Uninstaller which facilitates everything and
which also deletes files and folders attached to the program.
3) Update software and applications
After cleaning, the same applies to update the remaining applications and
software. It is always better to go to the latest version available so as
to guarantee greater optimization and safety.
You can proceed from the App Store if they have been downloaded from
there or otherwise by opening the app, clicking on the name at the top left and
on Check for Updates.
Even for apps, you can always set the automatic update from System
preference> App Store with a tick on Install app updates. It does not
apply to those downloaded externally.
4) Check the running software and close the ones you don't need
How many software is running on your Mac right now? Hold down the
command key and the tab key and a window will open ( App Switcher )
with the icon list, in which you can move by holding down command and clicking
on the tab.
To close the unwanted ones, use the command and the "Q"
key. If you have any problem closing the apps you can perform a forced
shutdown from Apple and Forced exit.
5) Check for software that uses more memory
As an additional level of cleanliness of the software, at least on those
that remained during the gradual skimming, it is better to take advantage
of Activity Monitoring, which is found in the Applications>
Utilities or more easily is called from the spotlight with command + space bar
and starting to write the word monitoring.
From here, click on View> Processes with Window to thin out the list
to what is most urgent and least dangerous to stop. With a click on CPU
and on "% CPU," you will discover the most demanding software.
If you have identified one to close, you must highlight it with a click
and then pressing on the X. A heavy request for resources could be an indicator
of software that needs to be updated (see point 3).
6) Erase everything you don't need
A lean and light computer will benefit in speed consistently. In
addition to the useless apps, a good job of cleaning files must
also be done. You can click on the Apple and Information on this Mac and
then on the Archive tab to get a quick overview of the saved files and what
type.
Having seen the situation, it is advisable to move forward in
layers. The first is to open the Downloads folder and get your hands in
your hair for how much useless stuff you are keeping. It will take some
time, but it will serve. The second monster folder is Desk.
After the first manual pass, you can resort to the help of third-party
software that accompanies in the identification and elimination of the
ballast. Dr Micro
Cleaner by Trend Micro is a free solution (with in-app
expansions) to bet on because it easily discovers junk files, duplicates and
utilities that are no longer such.
At the same time, the program informs about the use of CPU and real-time
memory. The big files option, as the name suggests, highlights the
gargantuan documents that have taken root in the hard disk. Useful quick
links to clean email and browser caches and temporary iTunes files.
A possible alternative, free, very similar is Elite Version.
7) Save photos, videos, and documents to the cloud
As can be foreseen, photos and videos together with particularly heavy
documents can be felt on the scales of the GB. The advice is always to
keep only the files you really need going to make a constant and safe saving
on the cloud.
You can take advantage of the proprietary iCloud service that
offers 5gb of space for free. But just sign up for some other platform to
increase memory on the clouds. The names are always the same:
Microsoft's OneDrive, Google's Drive (if
you use an Android do not save your photos on the Mac but use Google Photos
which is unlimited up to 16 megapixels and full HD) as well as Dropbox.
8) Check for viruses or malware
Everyone says the Mac is safe from viruses or malware, but
that's not true at all. Speeding up the Mac is also possible to freeing it
from any unwanted presences that occupy important resources for illicit and
dangerous purposes.
There are several paid and free solutions. We highlight the light
and complete tool called Malwarebytes which scans and proposes
solutions to remove these uninvited guests.
9) Check System Preferences
Open System Preferences (the icon is the gear icon) and
check the bottom row. It is occupied by installed applications such as
Flash Player. If they are numerous and if they are rarely used, it would
be better to consider eliminating them since they only occupy important
resources for the system.
To do this, you will have to right-click and then select Remove from the
preferences panel.
10) Clear the caches
With the combination Command + Shift + G and typing ~ / Library / Caches
/ you will immediately have an eye on the situation of the cache or
of the memory that is used to quickly recover files and the software in anticipation
of imminent use.
Easily, there will be heavy numbers in correspondence with browsers
(Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.), music programs such as Spotify and iTunes
itself as well as Google Earth. You can go and delete these files,
especially for not very used apps.
11) Restrict programs that open on startup
The programs that open when the computer starts can
weigh it down, especially if you do not need it. To check which can have
this privilege you can open System Preferences> Users and Groups> Login
Items.
The list of programs enabled to open when the computer starts will
open. Simply highlight the unwanted element and click on the "-"
sign to remove it.
12) Install one SSD memory and multiple RAM
The privileges of flash memory compared to traditional
is soon said: there are no moving mechanical parts with the result that
performance increases, there is less overheating, wear and life is longer.
Replacing the storage medium is not cheap and not that simple. It
can be considered an extremely invasive (invasive) intervention. And it
can be accompanied by an increase in RAM if the Mac model allows it.
A corollary (or if the Mac is already equipped with SSD) you can
consider the idea of investing a few euros in the Trim Enabler 4 app which
constantly monitors the health of the memory, allows you to perform the test
benchmarks and improve performance.
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