Mac running slow, drop down menus sticky and apple mail unresponsive

Concerning the antivirus, if you are required to have it installed, then there is not much you can do. However, years ago, when I hd some installed (I didn't know what I now know) I found it really slowed my computer down, so I left it in, but turned it off and then periodically ran it manually. Will they allow you to do that? When it's on, it runs in the background all the time and that is what seriously slows things down. For what it's worth, I will explain why antivirus is not needed in Macs. Our operating system has its own cleaner installed. Additionally, with Catalina, we now have (visible in Disk Utilities) two: Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD-Data. The first is where Apple stores its data, OS and other files. It is READ ONLY, so nothing can infect it. The Macintosh HD-Data is where our apps and files are stored. I hope that helps.

If you're allowed remove the ESET temporarily to see if it is contributing to the problem. If it is see if you can use ClamX in leu of ESET as it is much less a hindrance to system performance.

Hello Lulamay10,

Thank you for reaching out in Apple Support Communities. We understand you're experiencing slow performance in an iMac with the latest update of macOS Catalina 10.15.7.

Having optimal performance on a Mac is important to complete your daily projects. We'll be happy to help.

To help isolate this behavior, we recommend to follow the steps outlined in this helpful article: If your Mac runs slowly

In addition, we suggest using Activity Monitor to see if there's an app (process) that is impacting the CPU pane at a high percentage. Here's more information and the appropriate steps to take: See how apps affect Mac performance, battery runtime, temperature, and fan activity

We look forward to hearing back from you with an update.

Kind regards.

I also have some input which may be useful. First, a couple of comments. Catalina is an OS which seems to use more RAM than some older OSs. Also, to run properly, it needs a minimum of 16 GB of RAM and you have only 8GB installed. If your Mac is capable of having RAM added, I would definitely do so. I is recommended that RAM be purchased from mac sales.com or crucial.com. Other sites say they are compliant, but their RAM often fails to work. The next point is very important. You have an antivirus app installed. These are completely unnecessary in a Mac. It definitely slows down your computer and may also cause other serious malfunctions. Go to their web site and, if available, download their uninstaller and uninstall the app.

Beyond that, the following is helpful to you in dealing with a slow computer. They are “maintenance” steps which are often ignored by many people.

·      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. The Chrome browser uses a lot more RAM than other browsers do, so you may not want to use it.

·      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 games.) 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 such as yours the problem is simply that there is not enough RAM installed for RAM hungry programs that are being used. The very minimum amount of RAM we would recommend for computers running the Catalina OS is 16 GB. This information 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 the cost can be substantial.

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

·      It is also very useful to download and install the free app EtreCheck. Be sure to enable full disk access and run it. You can post the results here at the bottom. 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. Good luck.