Just like any day-to-day item, your Mac also needs a good cleaning once in a while. Getting rid of unnecessary files will help your Mac return to its excellence and speed. However, you might find it challenging to know where to start your Mac cleanup. Don’t worry! We have rounded some solid tips and tools to help you clean your Mac.
Below are the 9 tips to improve performance and keep your Mac running fast.
9 Steps To Make Your MAC Run Faster
The popularity of Macs has to do more with their ease of use than their design. Users can keep using their Mac for many years. If you want your device to perform at its best, you need to perform some functions and maintenance practices for Mac.
Here are 9 steps that will help improve the speed and performance of your Mac:
- Clean your Mac with a utility tool
- Clean malware from Mac
- Backup your Mac
- Stop Unnecessary utilities
- Close the applications you aren’t using
- Delete unnecessary files
- Update your software
- Restart or shutdown
Take a look at each of the above tips in detail.
1. Clean Your Mac With OnyX
OnyX is a reliable utility tool for Mac that performs maintenance and cleaning tasks. It deletes caches, removes certain problematic folders and files, and rebuilds databases and indexes. Also, it helps in maintaining the performance of your Mac and improving its speed.
With a simple interface, OnyX makes it easy to perform maintenance tasks. Each version of macOS has its specific version of OnyX. So, be careful while downloading the right version that’s compatible with your OS.
2. Clean Malware With Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes is the most popular anti-malware software available for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. It scans and removes malicious software such as rogue security software, adware, and spyware from your devices. Moreover, Malwarebytes has a clean interface, is easy to use, and is available in a free version. The free version scans and removes malware when started manually. Whereas the premium version provides scheduled scans, automatically scans, blocks IP addresses of malicious websites, and more.
Furthermore, Malwarebytes also includes protection against malware, exploits, and malicious websites. You can use Malwarebytes as an alternative to the antivirus software you may be using.
3. Backup Your Data
Backing up your data is a preventive maintenance step that everyone must take. Backing up your data on a regular basis can save you from the risk of lost data. A backup is not only helpful if your hard drive crashes, but it is also the only safeguard against ransomware attacks. Using a full-Time Machine backup is perhaps the best backup option for Mac users.
It is also advised to invest in a cloud backup solution. Cloud solutions offer you much greater safety since your data can be accessed from anywhere and on any device. If a file is mistakenly deleted or your hard drive crashes, it can be restored from anywhere.
4. Stop Non-Essential Utilities And Apps
Utilities such as Bluetooth, cloud-based services, home file-sharing networks, etc. that, run in the background. They are often the reason behind sluggish Mac computers. While these utilities are running in the background, they can slow down your computer. You can find out how many services are running in the upper right corner of your screen. The icons that are lined up along with your battery tell you all the services that are currently running. The more there are, the slower your Mac is likely to be. Closing the non-essential utilities will free up the RAM and improve your Mac’s performance.
6. Close The Apps When Not In Use
The main reason your Mac runs slow is due to too many apps running in the background. Some of them may not be needed, but they keep running in the background. The more apps you have running, the less RAM is available for the application that you actually need. All you have to do is close the unnecessary applications, and your Mac will run faster.
7. Delete Unnecessary Files
Keeping your Mac laptop free of unnecessary files seems like a no-brainer, especially if you have less hard drive capacity. Although the storage technology has improved in recent years, so has the size of files. It is common to see a drop in Mac performance when your storage exceeds 90% of the storage capacity. Regularly cleaning out unnecessary files frees hard disk space and ensures that your Mac runs smoothly. The best way is to have at least 10% of your hard drive space free to get better performance.
Another important point to keep in mind is to make your desktop clean. Most Mac users like to keep their frequently used applications, documents, and folders on their desktops. This causes your Mac to slow down because it fills up your RAM. For displaying each of the icons on the desktop, some amount of RAM is required. The more files you put on your desktop, the slower your machine will be.
8. Update Your Software
As we know, software and applications frequently receive updates or patches. These updates improve functionality and performance and fix security vulnerabilities. Thus, keeping your Mac updated is necessary to avoid bugs and increase speed. However, often Apple or other application developers release updates that may include unforeseen bugs or performance issues. So, unless it is a security update, it is best to wait a few days before updating your software.
9. Restart Or Shutdown Your Mac
Restarting your Mac is one of the first steps you should take if your Mac becomes slow. When you shut down your Mac, it clears out the RAM and frees up any excess usage. It also stops apps running in the background that you no longer need. Shutting down and restarting your Mac is an easy way to optimize slow systems. You will be amazed how often this simple step just works.
CONCLUSION
The next time you observe your Mac becoming sluggish or if you want to perform maintenance, follow the tips listed above. You will see a vast improvement in the performance of your computer. The best part is that you can do these steps in just a few minutes and for free.
