Purchased this 2019 iMac in 2020. Processor 3.6 Ghz. Memory 8 GB. The system has always run slow. Tried to connect with Apple support but it says that service is not available for this product. I'm running macOS Monterey 12.1. Not sure why its running so slow. Just getting around to this now. Any suggestions on this?
No Time Machine backup - Time Machine backup not found.
It appears that you do not have a Time Machine backup. If this is the case, you should create one. To start, you need an external hard drive. Here’s a few excellent ones sold by Apple:
You can then follow the steps in this Apple Support article to setup your Time Machine backup: Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support. Also, moving forward, I recommend that you use iCloud in addition to Time Machine to sync all your files and photos to all your Apple devices. Although iCloud is not a "true" backup service, iCloud can also act as an emergency off-site backup, but this is why iCloud should be used in addition to Time Machine. Here are some resources on setting up iCloud for Mac:
After you setup iCloud, turn off "Optimize Mac Storage" in System Preferences > Apple ID/iCloud. That way, all changes made to files in iCloud are also backed up to Time Machine. If you have this setting on due to a limited amount of storage on your Mac, that is fine. Just know changes won't be backed up to Time Machine, only iCloud.
APPLE HDD (Mechanical - 5400 RPM)
The reason your iMac is slow is due to the 5400-rpm hard drive. While this hard drive found in your Mac is perfectly suited to light tasks, such as email, web browsing, etc., for more advanced tasks, and for users who want the maximum performance from their Mac, this hard drive does have its limitations. Luckily, you can use an external SSD as your startup disk to run macOS and all your data from that. It will make your Mac 10 to 30 times faster for storage, and in turn, make your entire Mac system much faster. For more info, instructions, and what external SSD to buy, please see: How to Setup and Use an External SSD as your Startup Disk on a Desktop Mac - Apple Community.
Another option is to replace this Mac with a new Apple Silicon Mac: Mac - Apple If you go this route, it is generally recommended that you purchase 16GB of Memory with the largest SSD that you can afford. You can also use Apple Trade-In to get credit towards a new Mac: Apple Trade In - Apple.
Cheers,
Jack
No Time Machine backup - Time Machine backup not found.
It appears that you do not have a Time Machine backup. If this is the case, you should create one. To start, you need an external hard drive. Here’s a few excellent ones sold by Apple:
You can then follow the steps in this Apple Support article to setup your Time Machine backup: Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support. Also, moving forward, I recommend that you use iCloud in addition to Time Machine to sync all your files and photos to all your Apple devices. Although iCloud is not a "true" backup service, iCloud can also act as an emergency off-site backup, but this is why iCloud should be used in addition to Time Machine. Here are some resources on setting up iCloud for Mac:
After you setup iCloud, turn off "Optimize Mac Storage" in System Preferences > Apple ID/iCloud. That way, all changes made to files in iCloud are also backed up to Time Machine. If you have this setting on due to a limited amount of storage on your Mac, that is fine. Just know changes won't be backed up to Time Machine, only iCloud.
APPLE HDD (Mechanical - 5400 RPM)
The reason your iMac is slow is due to the 5400-rpm hard drive. While this hard drive found in your Mac is perfectly suited to light tasks, such as email, web browsing, etc., for more advanced tasks, and for users who want the maximum performance from their Mac, this hard drive does have its limitations. Luckily, you can use an external SSD as your startup disk to run macOS and all your data from that. It will make your Mac 10 to 30 times faster for storage, and in turn, make your entire Mac system much faster. For more info, instructions, and what external SSD to buy, please see: How to Setup and Use an External SSD as your Startup Disk on a Desktop Mac - Apple Community.
Another option is to replace this Mac with a new Apple Silicon Mac: Mac - Apple If you go this route, it is generally recommended that you purchase 16GB of Memory with the largest SSD that you can afford. You can also use Apple Trade-In to get credit towards a new Mac: Apple Trade In - Apple.
Cheers,
Jack
Welcome to the Apple Support Communities.
I believe we need to proceed with an EtreCheck report. EtreCheck is a useful App to diagnose and identify issues, both hardware and software. It is trusted by many users. Please follow the steps outlined below:
Jack
Sorry now called First Aid but I agree with Jack-19 that your drive is very slow. I would try an external drive. I also have a 2019 iMac but with an internal SSD. I also have a clone on an external NVME drive that runs as fast as the internal. Perhaps you could try that setup. Just clone your drive to the external and run from that.
Lotusflower999 wrote:
Im in disk utility and do not see a repair feature
It's called First Aid, but that won't help. The reason your iMac is slow is due to the hard drive. See my reply above.
Do not see any obvious issues. Perhaps another person will comment. You might want to startup in safe mode and see if any impact. Also go to Utilities, disk utilities and use the repair feature on the drive.
+1
Im in disk utility and do not see a repair feature
iMac 2019 running slow
