Macs are indeed fast and efficient computers, and these are some of the main reasons why so many people would choose a Mac over another computer.
However, as devices become older, Macs included, their speed and performance will likely drop. More to it, if you keep your computer cluttered up, it will happen faster.
Thus to help you improve your computer’s performance, today, we will share 11 simple yet effective tips to speed up your Mac.
Tip #1: Review Your Startup Items
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If the booting process of your Mac has become slow, you might want to review the list of items that start automatically right after your computer turns on.
To do so, click on the Apple icon in the top menu, go to the System Preferences, click Users & Groups, and go to the Login Items. Highlight the ones you want to remove and press the minus icon.
Tip #2: Clean the Desktop
The more shortcuts you have on your Desktop, the slower your Mac will perform. It’s because to display each icon on the screen, your Mac needs to use additional resources.
For a quick Desktop cleanup, you can click the View option in the upper menu and choose Use Stacks. This function will automatically sort files by their file type.
Tip #3: Track Free Storage Space
Free storage space is important if you want your Mac to be fast. Therefore, it is recommended to always keep track of how much free disk space you currently have.
It would help if you aimed to have at least 10% free storage space. To check if you do, click the Apple icon, then About This Mac, and choose the Storage tab.
Tip #4: Manage Storage: Store in iCloud
Once in the Storage menu, you can click Manage on the right side of the menu, and it will lead you to four options that can help free up some disk space.
The first option is called Store in iCloud. What it does is automatically storing most of your files in iCloud. However, it still keeps the most recent files on the computer.
Tip #5: Manage Storage: Optimise Storage
The second suggestion on the Manage Storage menu is called Optimise Storage. You can enable this one if you are using Apple TV regularly.
This function will remove all of the TV shows and movies that you have already watched.
Tip #6: Manage Storage: Empty Bin Automatically
If you have problems with remembering to empty the Trash Bin, the third option on the list can help. You should know that as long as you keep the deleted files in the Trash Bin, they take up storage space.
Choosing this suggestion will allow your Mac to automatically remove all of the items from your Trash Bin once 30 days after their original deletion has passed.
Tip #7: Manage Storage: Reduce Clutter
Reduce Clutter in the fourth option on the list, and it can be very helpful with its guidance through the largest files that you have on your Mac.
Once you click this option, you will see several tabs such as Large Files and Downloads. The option is only suggesting what files you should delete, but it’s up to you to make the final decision.
Tip #8: Start Using Streaming Services
To avoid downloading large files from the internet and forgetting to delete them afterward, try using such streaming services as Spotify for music and Netflix for movies and tv series.
Not only will this prevent you from forgetting to delete the episodes of tv series that you have already watched, but it will also provide you with such features as automatically turning on the next episode that is very convenient.
Tip #9: Uninstall Apps You Don’t Use
People like to download free apps and try them out, especially if those apps are games or a lot of apps of the same kind, like text editors. The problem is that they also forget to uninstall them once the apps are no longer needed.
Apps can take up more than half of your disk space if you don’t review them from time to time. To have a quick look at what you have installed, you can open the Launchpad from your Dock.
Tip #10: Check the Activity Monitor
If you notice sudden drops in speed and performance, open the Activity Monitor and check the CPU section to see if any apps are using significant memory resources.
To quickly access the Activity Monitor, use the key combination Command + Space and type in “Activity Monitor.”
Tip #11: Always Update the macOS
Lastly, to ensure the best possible performance and speed, always make sure that you update your macOS. If you skip an update, you can always find it in the System Preferences.
More to it, macOS updates often include security enhancements. Thus, if you want to keep your Mac safe and fast, take care of both having a good antivirus and updating the operating system often.
