Level 1

32 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

Top-ranking reply

Owl-53

Level 10

102,247 points

Posted on Oct 6, 2023 6:54 AM

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

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153 replies

varuna22

Level 1

8 points

Mar 2, 2024 8:54 PM in response to milind37

Well I have a Mac with the new M1 chip purchased in October 2023 and unfortunately I can confirm that Mac OS Sonoma is also sluggish for me. This is with barely anything running on it - eg: with no programs open at all, there is a lag if you move something to the bin. Everything standard takes a few seconds longer than it used to which sounds small but it all adds up. You cannot disable apparently now compulsory features like the menu clock and despite following all recommendations from support and having nothing running aside from Pages and Numbers, it's frustratingly slow. Also, when you cut and paste paragraphs, there is something wrong with the memory so often it will paste the second to last thing you cut or copied which makes working with long documents a nightmare. There are many other glitches with Mac OS Sonoma but essentially the slowness of it is core - my Mac from 2012 was much zippier.

May 28, 2024 7:03 PM in response to milind37

Using Word Version 16.85 (24051214), Sonoma 14.5, and another computer Monterey 12.7.5

I have been trying to solve this one, but have found two key things.

1: This is not just about SONOMA for me. My 2015 Macbook air running on Monterey did exactly the same thing.

2: The problem happens both when I am using Word locally on my Macbook Air, or on my 2022 imac, as well as writing to cloud.

To investigate more, I used activity monitor. When working %CPU reading is about 20%, then after about 5 minutes, jumps to 95 - 98% and goes very slow, and never recovers.

I have tried all things I can in this thread, and nothing seems to work. This information of mine may help...

May 30, 2024 9:35 PM in response to milind37

2019 imac 3.6ghz Quad core intel.

I have had all these issues since Sonoma upgrade !!!!! .

My conculsion ????

Its not designed to operate with older processors like my quad core intel ....

I had a vist to an Apple shop the new imac Sonoma has an Apple M3 processor , it was fast apps just snapped opened !!!! , the mail worked.

So --- we are stuck with the spinning wheel of death , apps crashing , slow start ups ...

Until we buy a new i mac.

Im sure Apple dont really care .

Owl-53

Level 10

102,247 points

Oct 6, 2023 2:20 AM in response to milind37

The Actual Etrecheck Report will look much like this one and compare mine to yours

Etrecheck Report

SofieCou

Level 1

17 points

Oct 18, 2023 8:21 AM in response to milind37

Mac M1 Pro 16GB here and having the same issue. Everything is sooooo slow. Drives me bonkers.

satcomer

Level 4

1,593 points

Nov 20, 2023 4:28 PM in response to Owl-53

Ad And Stuff Blocker Extension - /Applications/Ad And Stuff Blocker.app - that was in your report, is that application still in use or used?

milind37 Author

Level 1

32 points

Oct 6, 2023 1:28 AM in response to Owl-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

32 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.

Owl-53

Level 10

102,247 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

32 points

Oct 6, 2023 1:59 AM in response to Owl-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.

milind37 Author

Level 1

32 points

Oct 6, 2023 2:15 AM in response to Owl-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.

Owl-53

Level 10

102,247 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

Owl-53

Level 10

102,247 points

Oct 13, 2023 1:41 AM in response to milind37

Configuration Profiles installed on this computer generally mean the computer is Controlled by a Mobile Digital Management Service ( MDM )

The computer Serial Number is Register to that service and either is Owned by a Company, University or Organization

With this piece of information in hand - there is very little we Volunteers can do nor can Apple

Suggest communicating with your the company ID Department or the MDM Administrator for this or any other Computer or Software Issue

It it their computer to manage and trouble shot issues

Configuration profiles found - This computer may have configuration profiles installed.

Configuration Profiles:

This computer may have configuration profiles installed.

Remote Apple Events: Enabled

Remote Management: Enabled

Screen sharing: Enabled

Remote login: Enabled

milind37 Author

Level 1

32 points

Oct 13, 2023 7:55 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

There is no one as such who manages my computer. Mine is a small business and I use it for that purpose. The use is email in Mail app, MS Office, Web browsing on safari and so on. No special softwares being used. Not in sharing with anyone in LAN. It is rather not connected to the LAN.

Oct 18, 2023 5:07 PM in response to milind37

Same issue. Slow due to kernel-task hovering at 400 %CPU (in Activity Monitor). Only started happening right after upgrading to Sonoma.

I cleaned up my iMac from old apps etc, and now it sometimes goes away, only to come back with a vengeance.

May not happen as much when logging in using another one of the profiles.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Slow Mac after upgrading to Sonoma 14.0 OS