Spinning beach ball on MacBook Air 15-inch M3

"Spinning beach ball on MacBook Air 15-inch M3: MacBook Air 15" M3 16GB/1TB Tahoe 26.3 Spinning beach ball keeps appearing especially on saving documents, but on other actions as well. Noticed on Pages/Numbers/Powerpoint. Also happens after recent restart. Applications also sometimes becoming unresponsive."

-------

Troubleshooting a Lagging Mac:

A. Boot your Mac in Safe Mode:

Go Here: Start Up your Mac in Safe Mode - Apple Support

B. View your Disk Storage:

See how much of your hard drive is taken up. You may need to clear lots of space --and there are lots of ways to perform this. So, see how much is taken up...

1. Boot: into Recovery Mode (silicon or intel)
2. Select: Disk Utility
3. Select: the Drive
4. View: the remaining space.
5. How much is System Data? Here is how to clear it: How to Use Finder to Clear “System Data" on a Mac - User Tip

C. See if your Hard drive is Failing:

What to Try:

• Verify your Drive: Repair your Disk in Disk Utility - Apple Support
• Go Here: If your Mac Starts Up to an Apple Logo or Progress Bar - Apple Support
• Perform the following in Recovery Mode:

1. Boot: into Recovery Mode (silicon or Intel)
2. Select: Disk Utility
3. Select: the Drive
4. Click: First Aid button

D. Remove Login Items:

While in Safe Mode, remove all of your Login Items, and then restart the Mac.  Go Here: Change Users & Groups Login Items Preferences on Mac - Apple Support