Some tips for speeding up a Mac

Over time it seems that some computers begin to operate very slow. This can be due to several possibilities. One possibility is that an old computer’s hard drive is beginning to fail. Another is that there is insufficient RAM installed for RAM intensive apps which have been installed. The last, and most likely, is that an antivirus or Mac cleaner app has been installed. If so, it should be immediately removed as both are unnecessary and will slow down the Mac.

I hope the following tips are helpful to you in dealing with a slow computer. As noted, there is often a specific cause and other times any of the following actions may be helpful. They are “maintenance” steps which are often not done.

·      It is important to occasionally restart a Mac. Ideally, once a week or more often. This does some system cleaning.

·      Regularly clearing the history of your browsers can help as all the data is stored in RAM. Clearing frees up RAM for system use.

·      Some people seldom empty their trash. If you haven’t, then do so. Also empty your email trash.

·      Some programs use a lot of RAM. (Like many Adobe apps and the Chrome browser.) When using them, close any other apps not being used.

·      Doing a restart in the safe mode can clear a number of problems. This is done by holding down the Shift key at start up. This process can take up to ten minutes while the computer is doing its maintenance and cleans the cache. You may then restart normally.

·      It is also a good idea to periodically run the Disk Utility app. If it reports some issues, then rerun it repeatedly as needed until the final report is ok.

·      On some computers the problem may simply be that there is not enough RAM installed for RAM hungry programs that are being used. The very minimum amount of RAM I would recommend for computers running the Catalina or Big Sur OS is 16 GB. The information about how much RAM your computer has installed is found by going to the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the finder and clicking on About This Mac. Note; not all computers are able to have RAM user installed. Some upgrades must be done by a qualified Apple service specialist, and some of them may decline to do the installation. Such installations are not inexpensive.

·      Last, and most important, as noted, you should remove any and all maintenance and antivirus programs. They will cause problems and will significantly slow your computer.

·      It is also recommended that you download and install the free app EtreCheck. Be sure to enable full disk access and run it. Save the report. You can post the results here at the bottom of a posting page under “Additional text”. It will tell us exactly what you have installed which might be problematic.

I hope these suggestions are helpful and enable you to speed up your computer somewhat.