2017 IMac with 8GB memory. No heavy use (no videos, graphics or games), only Microsoft office programs for Mac and programs that came preloaded on the device. Always challenged on memory to the point that the device is almost not usable. Spinning beach ball and overall slow performance is the norm. Any ideas?
iMac 21.5" 4K, macOS 10.15
This one is pretty simple to diagnose, please uninstall CleanMyMac (considered malware by experienced users) and the McAfee AV app. Mac OS is extremely secure and does not require nor does it benefit from ANY third party antivirus, cleaning or any other "maintenance" apps. Please locate the developers uninstall instructions for both and please uninstall.
Once these have been uninstalled, if you want to improve performance add an external SSD and then clone the internal HD to the SSD and use the SSD as your primary drive and use the internal drive for storage.
You have a basic iMac, the bottle neck is the extremely slow 5400 RPM HD. Using an external SSD will replace the HD and dramatically improve performance.
This one is pretty simple to diagnose, please uninstall CleanMyMac (considered malware by experienced users) and the McAfee AV app. Mac OS is extremely secure and does not require nor does it benefit from ANY third party antivirus, cleaning or any other "maintenance" apps. Please locate the developers uninstall instructions for both and please uninstall.
Once these have been uninstalled, if you want to improve performance add an external SSD and then clone the internal HD to the SSD and use the SSD as your primary drive and use the internal drive for storage.
You have a basic iMac, the bottle neck is the extremely slow 5400 RPM HD. Using an external SSD will replace the HD and dramatically improve performance.
Run etrecheck from https://etrecheck.com
and see what is running under the hood.
Un-install
Uninstalled both anti-virus software programs. Will need to do some operations to see if performance improves.
You do not need any antivirus app(s) on a Mac and you have more than one.
I suggest you uninstall all your antivirus accordingly.
They're the one running in the background slowing your Mac.
FYI, your modern macOS only needs to be up to date and it will then take care of itself.
You do not need any cleaner, optimiser, antivirus, ...
As you can see/experience it only slow your Mac down and worst case will make your Mac unusable.
Please post the entire report, no personal information is on the report and it is wise to let multiple sets of eyes examine it.
I have found that sometimes some of the caches can get filled up and need to be cleared. I would try clearing your browser history and then doing a restart of the computer in a safe mode. It sometimes takes a while, so be patient. It may be cleaning things out. See if that helps. Otherwise the EtreCheck app can give the pros here some information with which to help you.
I ran EtreCheck entry level scan and it came up with two issues. Neither issues seem to be contributing to slow and unresponsive performance. Any ideas?
Major Issues:
Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention.
No Time Machine backup - Time Machine backup not found.
More than one antivirus app - This machine has multiple antivirus apps installed.
Minor Issues:
These issues do not need immediate attention but they may indicate future problems or opportunities for improvement.
Unsigned files - There are unsigned software files installed. They appear to be legitimate but should be reviewed.
Low performance - EtreCheck report took an unusually long time to run.
32-bit Apps - This machine has 32-bits apps will not work on macOS 10.15 “Catalina”.
Limited drive access - More information may be available with Full Drive Access.
See entire report attached
iMac Slow
