mac slow after monterey upgrade

Hi marinelands,

Thanks for contacting Apple Support Communities!

We understand that you're Mac isn't running as well as you'd expect after installing macOS Monterey.

Do you notice this behavior when you're using specific apps, or does it happen with all apps?

Are you able to reproduce the same behavior in a new user account?

To create a new user account, you can go to the Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Users & Groups.

Click the lock icon, then enter an administrator name and password.

Click the add button (+) below the list of users.

Complete the fields shown for an Administrator account, then click Create Account (or OK).

Once you’ve created the new account, go to the Apple menu  > Log Out, then log in with the new account.

You can also verify that you have enough RAM as outlined here: Check if your Mac needs more RAM in Activity Monitor - Apple Support

If you are low on storage space, this can also impact your Mac's performance: Free up storage space on your Mac - Apple Support

You can also check your disk to ensure there are no errors via Disk Utility: How to repair a Mac disk with Disk Utility - Apple Support

If you're still experiencing the same behavior, you may also consider reinstalling macOS: How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support

We hope this helps.

Take care!

It will help us get a good idea of what is causing your problem if you provide a report of your system, that way we do not have to play 20 questions with you. The report we are requesting does NOT provide any personal information and is extremely safe to use. Please navigate to www.Etrecheck.com and download the free version of EtreCheck. Once you have you downloaded the app and installed it, please run the report and save it.

When you have your report, you can attach it when you reply to this message and we can then review it and help you determine what is needed to get your system running well again.

For instructions on how to download your EtreCheck report and attach it to your reply to this message please click How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community

There is no EtreCheck report attached. For instructions on how to download your EtreCheck report and attach it to your reply to this message please click https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250000211

Well, the first thing I see is you bought a base model 21.5" iMac which has 8GB of RAM and a glacially slow 5400 RPM hard disk. The HD is the bottleneck on the computer. Also, I see there is no evidence that you backup your computer. If I am correct and you are not backing up, that is shortsighted and a 100% guarantee you will lose data. If you are not familiar with Time Machine please refer to Back up your Mac with Time Machine, you will need a dedicated external HD to backup to, many experienced users prefer the OWC Mercury Elite Pro.

The ONLY thing that will speed up your computer is getting an external SSD and using that and then using the internal HD for just overflow storage. A SSD will dramatically transform the performance. Once you have the SSD, you can clone your internal HD to the SSD and then set the SSD as your startup drive. To clone it you can use either SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner, you can use the trial version of each to clone. The SSD I'd recommend for you is the OWC Mercury On-The-Go Pro 1TB SSD Storage Solution and a OWC On the Go Pro Power Adapter. These are reasonably priced and well worth the expense.

Thanks for the information. I do back up through Time Machine plus an external hard drive. Both are working.

Thank you for the information on the SSD. I had not thought of that as a solution.

Much appreciated.

Mmmm I put it in the additional text...I'll try it again.

Here is my report. HELP!

Thank you.

Your welcome.