What should I do if my late 2015 iMac is running slow with macOS Monterey 12.7.6

AE1983 wrote:

I have a Late 2015 iMac (Retina 4 K, 21.5 inch, macOS Monterey, Version 12.7.6) that I "inherited". I've been using it for a few years. It has become really slow and having trouble with most functions such as displaying gmail, searching with Safari, etc.

does the Mac have an HDD or SSD? if HDD, that would explain the slowness. a 10 year old HDD could be nearing EOL. if that is the case, you may want to try and Use an external SSD as your startup disk with your iMac or Mac mini. that would be the easiest way to speed things up.

Is it time to replace my computer?

if it still does the things you need it for, then you can replace it if you want, but IMHO, you could keep using it.

What is the best external hard drive I need to save my files, iMovies, etc. currently on my aging computer? It's using a small fraction of its available storage.

just about ANY manufacturer's drives will work. but please don't use any preloaded software on the drive (or installed such software yourself) that supposedly makes the drive "Mac ready". when you use software from just about any manufacturer for their storage device you run the risk of that same software not being compatible with macOS updates / upgrades. it can cause the software to stop working. at best this will cause you a headache. at worst it can render your data inaccessible. it is always best to use disk utility to erase and format a drive before use to remove any preloaded software.

I also received a (circa 2012, unused) WD My Passport (portable hard drive) 500GB for MAC. Will that work?

I use a WD my passport as my TM drive, and it seems to work good. although I have never needed to use my backup.

Yep, that ten year old Mac wants to retire.

DOn't trust your valued data to that thirteen (!) year old external drive. It wants to retire with your Mac. Buy a new drive to safeguard that stuff you want to keep. Many veteran users here recommend the external drives available from macsales.com.