Even if you are careful and keep your Macbook in check with regular maintenances and all that, the computer is bound to slow down sooner or later. And when that happens, quite a few individuals begin to panic, thinking that it will not be long before the whole thing stops working.
There is no reason for these worries at all. It may be something that you have missed and can be solved relatively quickly. This article will tell you everything you need to know when dealing with a slow mac.
Resource-Hungry Processes
Open your Activity Monitor and sort out all the processes that are running by the CPU usage. Those at the top should be the biggest worry and if you can, shut them off. Of course, that is not something that you can do for every single application running in the background. However, if you are looking to speed things up, you should definitely look to lessen the CPU’s burden.
There is another idea worth looking into. Some heavy hitters could be replaced by alternatives. Think of internet browsers and how much some of them require. Test some things out and you may end up with one that does not cause as many problems.
Startup Items
If you have most of your applications start together with the computer, doing so would not be recommended. Every item on the startup list adds up to the point where you have to wait for God knows how long for everything to load up.
Go to System Preferences, select Users and Groups, find your profile and click on Login Items. Uncheck boxes on everything you do not need. After all, you can always launch an app manually whenever you have to use it.
Browser Addons and Plugins
Given how much time you probably spend on the internet, a browser is very important. Some users tend to take things over the top a bit and install all kinds of extensions and plugins believing that it will enrich their surfing experience.
The reality turns out quite different since every new extension or plugin only slows everything down and makes the situation worse. So instead of adding in new things, take a more minimalistic approach and have only something that is absolutely necessary.
Too Much on Your Desktop
The habit of putting every single icon on the desktop is terrible. Not only do you appear as a messy person, but it also does not help if you are looking to use a well-optimized computer. Some people would go as far as to claim that cluttering desktop is one of the worst ways to treat your Macbook.
Do not be that person and take a more organized approach. Put everything in the folders and tidy things up.
Freeing up Storage Space
It might be that the biggest reason for a sudden drop in performance lies in the lack of storage space on your hard drive. If you have been getting warning messages, then the problem is quite clear.
Quite a few ways are out there to free up space. First and foremost, deleting temporary files, such as caches and hidden ones. Useless applications, as well as some media, should also not be there.
Services like iCloud and Dropbox are also something not to overlook. The former comes with a five-gigabyte plan, and if you want, you can always upgrade it for just one dollar per month. And there are no worries about your stuff getting delete from cloud-based software.
Finally, there is always an option to buy new hardware, which, in this case, would be an HDD or a few USB memory sticks.
Updates
While it is always recommended to run the latest version of both the OS and any applications you use, some people have found that the most recent updates are pretty bad in the sense that the computer suddenly starts to underperform.
It usually comes down to how old your Macbook is. If you have a newer model, there should not be any issues. However, something from 2013, 2014 or older will likely struggle. You can always go back to the previous version and see whether that will make a difference or not. If these tips didn’t work for you, maybe it’s just time to get a new Macbook. Visit Abunda to browse more laptops that fit your budget
Dust and Dirt
Not all problems are related to tech. If you have not had a chance to clean the dust and dirt that has accumulated over time, you will definitely want to get on it immediately. Overheating and loud fan noises are the best indicators that there is too much dirt inside the computer.
Getting an SSD
Speaking of upgrading your hardware, one of the most recent trends seen is replacing your hard drive with an SSD. Solid-state drives are wonderful because they make a massive difference in performance immediately, and you can find a decent model for a good price.