Did you know that your Mac should last around 10 years?
Unfortunately, their actual lifetime tends to be a lot shorter. From damage to the outer shell to hardware issues, there are a lot of reasons that your Mac might be traded in before it’s time. But, something that should never lead to you getting a new model is your Mac slowing down.
If you’ve found you’re waiting for your Mac to load up for longer than you should, don’t panic! There are things you can do, and they’re not as hard as you might think.
Take a look at our guide answering why is my Mac so slow? and what you can do about it.
Why Is My Mac So Slow?
If your Mac is running slow, there are a few reasons that this troubleshooting guide won’t be able to fix. These include a bade Wi-Fi connection that could be the reason for slow loading speeds online, a different network issue, or a problem within your problem that needs to be professionally fixed.
But, if you’re sure that none of those things are what’s bothering your Mac, you’re in luck! It could be one of these problems, all of which you can fix.
You Haven’t Kept up With Upgrades
Are you wondering why is my Mac slow? But you haven’t done any of the updates? Problem solved – well, hopefully!
Everyone’s guilty of not updating their computer now and then. The notification pops up, and you ignore, waiting for a more convenient time. But if that time doesn’t come and you keep putting the updates off, it could start to slow down your computer.
So, if you’re looking for how to speed up a Mac, the first thing you should do is check your updates in the App Store. If there are any there, install them and see if it solves your problem.
A Full Hard Drive
Is your computer full of files that you’ve saved to your hard drive? If so, this could be exactly what’s slowing down your Mac. You might have even seen a pop-up notification telling you that your disk space is almost full, which you should always pay attention to.
If yours is full, look at how to free up disk space on Mac computers. This will give you actionable steps to get rid of files you don’t need as well as alternative storing methods for your documents and photos.
You Haven’t Restarted in a While
It’s easy to just shut your laptop when you’re done with it, but if you’re stuck thinking my Mac is so slow and don’t know why this could be the cause. Your Mac isn’t meant to run 24/7, so give it a break and restart it once in a while.
To do this, click the Apple icon that’s on the top left of your screen and press Restart. Untick the option that automatically opens tabs when the Mac starts up again to give it a real break. You should also make sure your apps don’t automatically open up when you restart by following these steps:
- Go to the Apple icon and choose Preferences
- Choose Users and Groups
- Hold your cursor over Login Items
- Next to all the apps that you don’t want to start up when your Mac restarts check Hide
You Have Too Many Apps Running
Have you ever heard the saying that too many cooks spoil the broth? Well, the same goes for apps, and too many of them running at the same time can definitely spoil your Mac. Even if you used to be able to have 10 apps all working away at the same time when you first bought your computer, it just might be getting a little too old.
So, if your Mac is slow, make sure to quit apps and tabs that you’re not using. You can spot running apps as they should have a little dot below their icon that’s displayed in your toolbar. You can also use Mac’s Activity Monitor to see which apps are using the most memory and close them.
You’ve Overloaded Your Cache
If you’re wondering how do I find out what is slowing down my Mac? Check your cache. This is the folder that gathers all the temporary files that you create when you visit websites. Your cache does let you browse the internet with speed, but if they start to pile up they might slow down your computer.
Make sure to clear your cache regularly to keep your Mac running as it should. Follow these steps to clear yours:
- Open your Finder window and press shift-command-G
- In the search box enter ~/Library/Caches
- Select Go to get to your cached files
- To select all of your cached folders press command-A
- To delete all of the selected folders press command-delete
- You should get a pop-up box asking you if you’re sure you want to delete the files
- Enter your Mac password and your cache will be deleted
If you have an open window, there should still be a folder in your cache. If you don’t have any open windows, all of the folders should be gone. Test your laptop, and see if this has fixed your problem.
Why Is My Mac So Slow: Solved
A lot of us ask why is my Mac so slow? At some point or another. This troubleshooting guide should help you quickly identify the problem and fix it at home, saving you a whole lot of time and money! If you can’t fix it with any of these solutions, it could be time to take it into the Apple Store to get it looked at by a professional.
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