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Level 1

28 points

Slow Mac after upgrading to Sonoma 14.0 OS

My Mac has 8 GB 2667 MHz DDR4 RAM and has 3.7 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i5 processor and 839.27 GB HDD space is available of 2.12 TB total storage capacity.

Ever since I upgraded my Mac OS to Sonoma 14.0, I am very much frustrated. It takes about 3-5 minutes to show up the desktop icons and there after a minute or two to make the computer usable. Once I start using it, there is lot of intollerable latency in indexing and the search results to appear.

I tried following basic things but proved to be useless:

Finder-Go-Press option key + open Library - delete contents of the folders

Cashes, Cookies, Safari, saved application state - Then log out of mac then login to empty the trash bin.

What is the solution to it? Do I have to wait for the further upgrade or live with it for ever?

iMac 27″, macOS 14.0

Posted on Oct 5, 2023 12:48 AM

Best reply

Parkersmithe121

Level 1

8 points

Posted on Mar 20, 2024 3:28 AM

I also faced this issue, I have read in this guide ( Why is Mac so Slow After MacOS Sonoma 14.0 Update: Solved in 6 steps ) that if you were on the old macOS version, everything might run smoother but since you know that macOS 14.0 Sonoma update will have the latest features and will consume more space too, so you do these things:

Close too many apps or processes running in the background, consuming CPU and memory resources. You can use Activity Monitor to check and quit the ones you don't need.
Close Startup Apps that launch automatically because this can be the main culprit of slow mac after the update.
Empty your Trash bin
Close too many browser tabs and extensions open, they can affect the performance and speed of your Mac. You can close the tabs that you are not using or switch to a lighter browser like Safari or Firefox.
Update outdated apps that cause conflicts or errors with Sonoma. You can check the compatibility of your apps from the Software Update menu and uninstall the ones that are not working properly.

If you follow these steps, your Mac will run faster and smoother after the Sonoma update ( now my macbook is running smoothly after these steps ). If you are not sure how to do them, you can refer to the guide I mentioned and follow the instructions. I hope this will help you improve your Mac performance and avoid lagging.

[Edited by Moderator]

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153 replies

PRP_53

Level 10

86,521 points

Oct 6, 2023 6:54 AM in response to milind37

The Biggest Slow-Down this computer will experience is because of the Drive

Rotational / Mechanical Drives, not matter how fast 7200 RPM they appear to be, will never perform at the speed of an ALL SSD Drive

Coupled with the Rotational Drive is the Fusion aspect, the 128 GB SSD Drive

In Apple's Magic, they can present to the User ( you ) what appears as a Single Drive.

None the least, having a Fusion Drive, it seems to not be performing to your Expectations.

There are ways to get around this Performance issue but would require a Reliable Enclosure and a Reliable SSD Drive for this enclosure

Then Install Sonoma on the the External SSD Drive and setup that drive as your Startup Drive

Above is predicated on you wanting to Extend the Useful Life of this computer

Steps to setup an External Drive are included in below link

Use an external SSD as your startup disk … - Apple Community

As for Purchase of Enclosure and SSD Drive - one of my go to is https://eshop.macsales.com/

They may even have Specific Suggestion to match this Specific Computer

Hope all this is helpful and Yes , it is a real pleasure to try and assist 🇨🇦

Q - disk0 - APPLE HDD ST2000DM001 2.00 TB (Mechanical - 7200 RPM)

Q - disk1 - APPLE SSD SM0128L 121.33 GB (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)

Q - disk1s2 [APFS Fusion Drive] 120.88 GB

Jan 3, 2024 4:00 AM in response to John in France.

I’ve got 32gb; not even tapping it and have slow performance, poor battery on Sonoma. Downgrading to Ventura resolved.

kenpud

Level 1

20 points

May 29, 2024 4:49 AM in response to milind37

Tried all of that. With one terabyte and 2/3 only used up, Word seems to be now clashing with Finder and I have to restart several times to get going. I’ve turned off automatic updates for everything including Word but doesn’t seem to help. All happened since upgrade to latest Sonoma!

PRP_53

Level 10

86,521 points

Oct 5, 2023 1:34 AM in response to milind37

To avoid the question / answer and question answer scenario

Suggest the User start with Points 1 to 4 and then Test

Still having issues, move onto Steps 5 and 6 and Test Again

Still no resolve - move onto Step 7 and follow instructions therein

1 - Restart in Safe Mode. This will perform a Disk Repair, clear cache files and only load Apple Software, extensions and fonts. The boot up will be slow and can take some time - Normal.

2 - Safe Mode will also eliminate Third Party Software, extensions and drivers from loading. It will only load the Minimum amount of Core Apple Processes to allow the the computer to function at a reduced Level of Performance

3 - Does the issue present in this mode ?

4 - Sometimes a Safe Boot followed by a Normal Boot will just put things right.

5 - If not - there could be something in the main User Account playing up. To further isolate this - Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac. Then log out of the Main User account and log into the dummy account and test again if the issue persists.

6 - If the issue is present in the dummy account - then, this appears to be a System Wide issue on the computer.

7 - Download the Application Etrecheck directly from the Developer.

The Application is Not a " Silver Bullet " and is only a tool to examine the Hardware / Software used on this computer

This is a Diagnostic Tool that makes no changes to the computer.

The application is free or paid from added features.

The Report will Not Reveal Any Personal Information.

Post back the Full Report - copy and paste - >>>> using the Additional Text Icon ( 3rd Icon to last ) <<<<

Feb 5, 2024 5:28 AM in response to isabelle1786

You have to make a bootable usb installer of MacOS Ventura, boot to it, format your boot drive with it. Obviously you need good backups, my last Time Machine before Sonoma (Big Sur in my case) was a month old, I restored from it after and moved the files that changed during that month which I manually copied to my Synology NAS (External drive works too).

If you don’t have a Time Machine backup, or still have one from before Sonoma? It’s gets more tricky to backup your files.

Create a bootable installer - Apple Support

milind37 Author

Level 1

28 points

Oct 6, 2023 2:15 AM in response to PRP_53

Here is the report. Pls advice next steps of action.

No major problems found

EtreCheck found no major problems with your computer. If your Mac continues to have problems, contact Apple Support or post a question on the Apple Support Community and include your EtreCheck report. Your EtreCheck report is still very useful, even if it finds no problems. This means that there are many common problems that your Mac doesn’t have.

Minor Issues

These are minor issues identified by EtreCheck. These issues do not need immediate attention but they may indicate future problems or opportunities for improvement. If you cannot resolve these issues by yourself, post a question on the Apple Support Community and include your EtreCheck report.

Configuration profiles foundThis computer may have configuration profiles installed.ReviewLimited permissionsMore information may be available with Full Disk Access.ReviewKernel extensions presentThis computer has kernel extensions that may not work in the future.ReviewSharing enabledThis computer has sharing services enabled that could be a security risk.Review

Solutions to Minor issues

Minor Issues:

You can review your EtreCheck report yourself or seek assistance on an online forum such as the Apple Support Community. You can also use the Power User package to get instructions to help you solve these issues with your Mac.

Instructions will be generated using an online, AI-driven diagnostic engine using information from your EtreCheck report. All personal information will be removed from your report before submitting it to the diagnostic engine.

Power User package required

This content requires the Power User package which is available as an in-app purchase. This package provides the following enhancements for all EtreCheck documents:

A modern, easy-to-read user interface describing your computer’s hardware, system, storage, software, network, and performance;
Additional resources from Apple and other sources;
Graphs, charts, and easy interaction with files on your computer;
Solutions to your overall problem, major issues, and minor issues.

Please click the Buy button below to purchase the Power User package.

PRP_53

Level 10

86,521 points

Oct 6, 2023 1:31 AM in response to milind37

Thank you but what about Step 7

Incase it was missed and that can happen, refer to below

7 - Download the Application Etrecheck directly from the Developer.

The Application is Not a " Silver Bullet " and is only a tool to examine the Hardware / Software used on this computer

This is a Diagnostic Tool that makes no changes to the computer.Hardware / Software used on this computer

The application is free or paid from added features.

The Report will Not Reveal Any Personal Information.

Post back the Full Report - copy and paste - >>>> using the Additional Text Icon ( 3rd Icon to last ) <<<<

PRP_53

Level 10

86,521 points

Oct 6, 2023 6:18 AM in response to milind37

I see there is an important piece of information that is being overlooked and causing this issue.

>>>> Additional Text Icon >>>> ( 3rd Icon to last ) <<<< in your reply

satcomer

Level 4

1,545 points

Oct 19, 2023 9:19 AM in response to SofieCou

Download the free Onyx and do it's 'Maintenance tab and do all the check boxes and let the program reboot your Mac!

Feb 4, 2024 10:47 PM in response to JACQarta

How did you revert to Ventura?

rsjakes

Level 1

8 points

Mar 20, 2024 11:57 AM in response to isabelle1786

If your local Genius Bar is any good they can help you revert to Ventura.

milind37 Author

Level 1

28 points

Oct 6, 2023 1:28 AM in response to PRP_53

Thanks for your help.

problem didn’t get resolved. I’m stuck at point no 5 & 6. Please read below:

- I tried steps 1 to 4. In safe mode the performance was not that bad. But was sluggish.

- I tried step 5 & 6. After logging out and logging into guest login. The iMac works in good speed. No problem. After logging out and logging into main login, again the problem pops up. You didn’t advise what to do in such case. Could you please advise?

milind37 Author

Level 1

28 points

Oct 6, 2023 1:41 AM in response to milind37

I didn’t go to step no 7 because the problem didn’t occur in guest log in. What you said in point no 6 is:

6 - If the issue is present in the dummy account - then, this appears to be a System Wide issue on the computer.

So still should I exercise point no. 7?? Please advise.

PRP_53

Level 10

86,521 points

Oct 6, 2023 1:49 AM in response to milind37

It would be reasonable to conclude there is something in the computer Main Account that is the Problem

Yes proceed with Step 7 and post the Full Report as suggested.

We may be above to Identify what is causing this issue or at least make a suggestion how to fix it.

milind37 Author

Level 1

28 points

Oct 6, 2023 1:59 AM in response to PRP_53

I fully agree that it would be reasonable to conclude there is something in the computer Main Account that is the Problem. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that such issue was not there at all till the upgrade to Sonoma 14.0. It is only after the upgrade to Sonoma 14.0, this problem has surfaced put.

Okay. I will proceed with step 7 and would post the Full Report as suggested by you.

Slow Mac after upgrading to Sonoma 14.0 OS