iMac becoming very slow

Question

iMac becoming very slow

My Mac is getting very slow especially with Mail every time when it wakes up

I have already started it up in SAFE mode to clear the caches etc but very little difference

Also I have loads of space etc. as I use it mainly for the internet and some spreadsheets and a bit of word processing but very minimal as I am retired and only a home user.

My Mac is now just over 4 years old - I purchased it on the 3rd December 2014 and I currently run the latest version macOS Mojave 10.14.2

Is there any help out there please

Justin

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Jan 23, 2019 2:28 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

John Galt

Level 10

155,162 points

Jan 23, 2019 7:09 AM in response to Justin-Isobel

Try rebuilding Mailboxes according to Rebuild mailboxes in Mail on Mac - Apple Support.

I currently run the latest version macOS Mojave 10.14.2

Update macOS according to Keep your Mac up to date - Apple Support. macOS 10.14.3 is the current release.

I have scanned for malware

With what? Most of those products are scams that can only cause trouble. Remove whatever it is you installed according to its instructions, because it cannot possibly fix either a slow wake time or launching Mail. It is far more likely to be the direct cause of those problems.

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Answer 2

Jan 23, 2019 5:04 AM in response to Justin-Isobel

Sorry to hear your situation. I'll share with you what I have done when I face the same issue.

Use Activity Monitor

If you want to see what apps are using up your system, open the Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder.

Activity Monitor shows all the processes on your Mac (some of which you can’t or shouldn’t close) so click on View and Windowed Processes. Now click on the CPU button and the CPU column to list all programs by the amount of CPU they are using.

You can also use this to see what memory, disk and network processes are using up resources. A new feature in Mavericks is Energy that enables you to see which apps and processes are using up the most amount of energy from your battery.

You may also try with

Manage your startup items

Turn off visual effects

Clean up your hard drive

*****

[Link Edited by Host]

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Answer 3

Dogcow-Moof

Level 8

36,821 points

Jan 23, 2019 3:12 AM in response to Justin-Isobel

Download and run EtreCheck. It's an excellent tool and completely safe.

Post the output results here.

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Answer 4

Jan 23, 2019 8:16 AM in response to John Galt

I have found the 'rebuild' option as the very last item on the drop down menu - thank you
I have managed to safely uninstall the MalwareBytes software and the system response immediately improved and also my mail - so I have not rebuild anything but thanks for the tip which I may use in the future

Justin

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Answer 5

Jan 23, 2019 7:33 AM in response to John Galt

I cannot find the option to 'Rebuild' on my drop down menu
I am in the UK and have 'Automatic Updates' set - I also checked manually and the latest version here is definitely 10.14.2
The Malware software I have on my Mac is called 'Malware Bytes' and it was recommended on the forum by another member - although I have recently set it to scan only once a day and also to only look for updates once a day - but it has not made any significant difference
Do you still think I should remove it as I have been running it since the end of October and it has never found anything whatsoever to Quarrantine

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Answer 6

John Galt

Level 10

155,162 points

Jan 23, 2019 8:18 AM in response to Justin-Isobel

Great! Thanks for the update.

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Answer 7

Jan 23, 2019 5:00 AM in response to subin_v_s

My hard drive is almost empty so I see no reason to do that, and using activity monitor only shows that very little CPU etc is used - so that is definitely not the reason - I have scanned for malware and none found - the main issue seems to be with the Mail server.

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Answer 8

John Galt

Level 10

155,162 points

Jan 23, 2019 8:11 AM in response to Justin-Isobel

In the Mail app on your Mac, select a mailbox in the Mail sidebar.
Choose Mailbox > Rebuild.

In Step 1 you can choose any number of Mailboxes, one or more, including all Mailboxes. If the Rebuild option does not appear in Step 2 I have no explanation.

The "MalwareBytes" product is unrelated to using Mail and won't affect its operation. As with any similarly categorized product, if you choose to use it, do so for its intended purposes and within its limitations. Mac malware does not get installed on its own—you have to explicitly grant permission, although it relies upon deception to accomplish that.

The macOS update will eventually appear in Software Update. Until it does you can use ⌘ R to check for updates manually.

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iMac becoming very slow

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