MacBook download speed abysmal

Hello JoThePro1212,

We're happy to provide some guidance. To start, do you notice an issue with your download speed if you connect directly to a reliable Wi-Fi network with good signal strength, rather than using a hotspot?

Also, try running Wireless Diagnostics with these steps to see if that provides any insight:

1. On your Mac, quit all open apps.

2. Try to join the Wi-Fi network you’re having problems with (if you’re not already connected).

3. Press and hold the Option key, click the Wi-Fi status icon  in the menu bar, then choose Open Wireless Diagnostics.

4. Follow the onscreen instructions to analyze your network connection.

5. After the analysis is complete, click the Info buttons  in the Summary pane to learn more about each item in the list.

You'll find these steps here: Use Wireless Diagnostics on your Mac - Apple Support

If you don't see any issues reported from Wireless Diagnostics, try these suggestions next: Solve internet connection problems on Mac - Apple Support

If the behavior continues, the steps in this link should help: Troubleshoot external networking devices on Mac - Apple Support

Take care!

Sometimes download speeds from Apple servers are absolutely terrible. Speeds from Apple tend to get worse when new products or operating systems are launched. I've had to reconnect to Apple multiple times before being able to get a somewhat decent connection, while other times I wait a few days and try again. The fact you got good download speeds from another server and location indicates your Mac is likely Ok especially if the issue only occurs when downloading from Apple. Or there may be some local Internet issue which is affecting only some website traffic depending how the traffic is being routed. You can try connecting the Mac directly to the router using an Ethernet cable and a USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter in order to bypass any hard to troubleshoot WiFi issues.

Anti-virus apps, cleaning apps, and third party security software can interfere with the normal operation of macOS as well. If you have any of these types of apps installed, then uninstall them by following the developer's instructions.

Modems and routers are no different than computers and other devices. Sometimes they just need to be rebooted or power cycled as they can get into a weird state. So many problems can be "fixed" by rebooting or unplugging power from a device. This goes for pretty much all electronics.