How to Speed Up Mac

Is your Mac running slow, and you want to speed it up? While it’s normal for computers to slow down a bit over time, if your Mac has become so slow that it’s preventing you from working or enjoying your Apple machine, then you have a bigger underlying issue.

We’ve put this guide together to help you get your Mac back on track. Read on to discover the best ways to make your MacBook run faster. Let's dive into it.

Before we start:

 

Learning how to speed up your MacBook is always a great idea. However, before you plunge into the more complicated troubleshooting, we suggest you start with the basic solution—cleaning your Mac of any unwanted and unnecessary files, which could be slowing it down. That’s easy with MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup, which gives you an automatic toolset to delete all the junk files and other unnecessary files on your Mac.

 

Here’s how to use this feature on your Mac:

1. Download MacKeeper and open the app.
2. Choose Safe Cleanup on the left.
3. Select Start Scan to filter all the redundant files from the important ones.
4. Choose what files you want to remove from your Mac, then click the Clean Junk Files button.

In just a few moments, your Mac will be cleaner, leaner, and ready to rock. Sound good? Try MacKeeper today.

How to make your Mac run faster

There are many different ways you can give your Mac a speed boost. However, before we look at all those methods in detail, here’s a quick summary of the speed-up tips we think you should try first:

• Reboot your Mac: If you’ve been using your Mac for a long time without restarting it, the system can start to slow down. A reboot will clear out your RAM and speed up your computer.
• Close unneeded apps: Having lots of apps and browser tabs open at the same time can slow your Mac to a crawl, putting pressure on your computer’s memory and processor. Shutting things down can make a big difference.
• Check for updates: Software bugs may be the cause of your Mac’s speed issues. Update macOS and your third-party apps, reboot your Mac, and then see if it’s running any more smoothly.

How to speed up your Mac

Need more help getting your Mac up to speed? We’ve got you. Our experts have put their heads together and rustled up some of the most reliable ways to help you enhance your Mac’s performance for a smoother user experience.

1. Restart occasionally

If your Mac is running slow, the first thing we suggest is a simple reboot. It may sound obvious, but sometimes, that’s all you need to get things back to normal. This is especially true if you usually put your Mac to sleep when you’re finished with it, rather than turning off the system completely. Over time, your computer can get clogged up with temporary data, and a quick restart can clear it all out, restoring your Mac to its normal performance level.

Here’s how to reboot your Mac:

1. Click the Apple icon in the top left of your screen and select Restart.
2. Choose whether you want your currently open windows to reopen after your Mac reboots.
3. Click Restart.

Hopefully, when your Mac has restarted, you’ll find it’s working faster than before.

2. Use Activity Monitor to disable resource-hungry processes

To disable resource-hungry processes that could be contributing to your Mac slowing down, we recommend using Activity Monitor. Activity Monitor is a helpful tool you can use to see what system resources programs are using. If any are using a large amount of CPU or memory, they could be what’s slowing down your Mac.

Here’s how to use Activity Monitor to disable resource-hungry processes:

1. Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.
2. Go to the CPU tab. Double-click an app or program running with high CPU usage.
3. Click Quit to kill the process. Confirm the action.
4. Do the same with the Memory tab.

A note from our experts: Be aware of the functions behind each app before you intend to close them in the Activity Monitor. If any process or programs are unfamiliar to you and are demanding excessive CPU usage, these could be viruses.

3. Check your internet connection

A slow internet speed or weak connection can significantly impact your Mac's performance. To increase your Mac’s speed, we recommend that you check your connection to ensure your internet connection is stable.

Here’s how to check your internet connection on Mac:

1. In System Settings, click on Wi-Fi.
2. Look for a checkmark next to the connected network.
3. If using Wi-Fi, ensure signal strength is adequate.
4. Open a web browser and attempt to load a webpage.

4. Manage login items to improve start-up speed

The more login items your Mac has to load on start-up, the more it’s likely to affect response times and overall speed. If you find your Mac has accumulated a lot of start-up items, try removing some of them to clean up your Mac and help it run faster.

How’s how to safely disable startup items on your Mac:

1. Open your Mac’s System Settings.
2. Locate Login Items.
3. If you have any apps you don’t want to load at startup automatically, select them and click the minus symbol.

Important: 

 

This only applies to some of the processes that run at startup, as some are likely to run in the background instead and won’t appear in the Login Items list. Dealing with those is a slightly different process, though. Read our guide to changing startup items to learn more, or download MacKeeper and rely on its Login Items feature to do the trick for you.

5. Reduce visual effects to free up system resources

Believe it or not, fancy visual effects and high-resolution colors and displays can cause your Mac to respond incredibly slowly and lag excessively. To boost your Mac’s speed, we recommend reducing visual effects to help free up important system resources.

Here are some ways to optimize Mac speed by adjusting the visual effects:

• To minimize resource usage: Go to System Settings and then click on Desktop & Dock. Untick the boxes next to Animate opening applications and Automatically hide and show the dock.
• To disable transparency: Go to System Settings > Accessibility > Display. Check the box next to Reduce Transparency.

6. Free up space on the hard drive

Your Mac always needs spare storage space to run smoothly and more quickly. When it reaches or gets near capacity, it can start lagging and may freeze until you optimize your data. By deleting unwanted and unneeded data, you can give your Mac some breathing room and boost its performance.

To manually speed up your Mac, here’s how to free up important space on your hard drive:

1. In System Settings, go to General > Storage.
2. Hover over the chart to see what’s using up the most space on your hard drive.
3. Now, look for your Recommendations, which can help you free up important storage space.

To free up more space on your hard drive, you might want to check if your scratch disks are full on Mac and follow the appropriate steps to help resolve any issues.

A hint from our team: It’s likely that you have some data that you only need occasionally on your Mac. You can’t delete it, but most of the time, it’s sitting doing nothing other than taking up disk space. Instead of deleting this data, we recommend uploading it to a cloud storage service and/or saving it to an external hard drive.

7. Disable iCloud syncing

Unnecessary iCloud syncing can also significantly impact your Mac's performance, causing delays in accessing online resources and affecting overall speed. To make your Mac run faster, you might want to try disabling iCloud syncing to improve your Mac’s performing.

Here’s how you can easily disable iCloud syncing to stop Mac lagging:

1. Open System Settings and click on Apple ID > iCloud.
2. Uncheck the boxes next to the items you want to stop syncing or toggle off iCloud entirely.
3. Confirm your decision by clicking Continue or Delete from Mac when prompted.

By disabling iCloud syncing, your Mac can become more responsive, and you’ll free up resources for other activities, making it an important step in maintaining your system's overall health.

8. Clean your desktop

A cluttered desktop on your Mac can slow down performance as it tries to generate the previews for each desktop file or folder. Decluttering your desktop is key to improving Mac performance. Clearing it acts as a helpful booster strategy, providing benefits like an incredibly responsive system—a key step in maintaining a quick Mac.

Here’s how to turn off icon previews to help clean your desktop:

1. Click on your desktop, then select View > Show View Options from the menu bar.
2. Untick Show Icon Preview.
3. Now all the icons on your desktop will be shown as generic without file previews.

An extra help from us: 

 

If there’s more than one account being used on your Mac, you may want to check the other users’ Mac storage, with their permission, to help optimize and speed up a slow Mac.

9. Delete unnecessary widgets

Is your Mac also cluttered with unnecessary widgets? If so, this could also be a cause behind your Mac getting slow. Widgets can impact response times as well as overall performance and optimization. Therefore, deleting unnecessary widgets is key if you want a smoother user experience.

Here’s how to delete unnecessary widgets on Mac:

1. Right-click the widget you want to remove.
2. Choose Remove Widget from the shortcut menu.
3. Repeat these steps for each unnecessary widget you want to delete.

An alternative to try: 

 

If you're looking for a convenient solution to delete widgets, you can utilize MacKeeper's Smart Uninstaller. Just a quick scan of your Mac is all it needs to declutter any unnecessary widgets.

 

Here’s how to use MacKeeper's Smart Uninstaller to remove widgets:

1. Open MacKeeper. Navigate to the Smart Uninstaller tab and select Start Scan.
2. After the scan is complete, click on the Applications tab.
3. Tick the widgets you want to delete and click Remove Selected.

10. Uninstall unused apps and extensions

How many unused apps do you have? Depending on your user habits, the answer might be “too many.” While there are no limits on the number of apps you can have, keeping it low is important. Why? Simply because unused apps command too much space, which restricts macOS as well as slows down response times. The same applies to browser extensions—install one too many, and it leads to your Mac getting slower.

Here’s how you can uninstall unused applications:

1. Open Finder. Go to Applications.
2. Go through the list of apps and highlight the ones you don’t use. Right-click and select Move to Bin.
3. Empty the Trash to permanently delete them.

Or let MacKeeper delete your unwanted apps for you:

1. Open MacKeeper. Navigate to the Smart Uninstaller tab and select Start Scan.
2. After the scan is complete, click on the Applications tab. Tick the apps you want to delete.
3. Click Remove Selected.

When it comes to unwanted extensions, there are several ways you can delete and uninstall browser extensions you no longer use. Firstly, you can manually go into your browser and extension settings to uninstall them.

Here’s how you can remove unwanted extensions from Safari manually:

1. Select Safari > Settings.
2. Click Extensions.
3. Check the list of available extensions and click Uninstall to delete the unnecessary ones.

Alternatively, you can use MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller tool as it can scan your Mac, looking for all browser extensions and add-ons for you. A quick scan will show you your installed extensions and give you the option to remove them with just one click. How helpful is that?      

11. Clear app storage log files and caches

To clean up your Mac to run faster, it's important to clear caches and log files. Moreover, you need to clear these log files to free up additional disk space, protect your privacy, and solve speed issues.

Here’s how to manually clear your app caches on a Mac:

1. Back up your Mac and quit any apps you have opened.
2. In Finder, hold the Option key and select Go > Computer.
3. Navigate to the Caches folder. Find the folder that corresponds with the app whose cache you want to clear.
4. Move files to Bin and Empty Trash to delete them permanently.

You can further your understanding of clearing caches with our guide to clearing caches on your Mac.  

12. Close web browser tabs

Juggling too many browser tabs could be why your Mac is so slow. This is because each tab is a separate process, consuming memory and causing performance dips. To speed up your Mac and prevent slowness, we suggest you minimize your tabs.

If you’re using Safari, here’s how to identify which browser tabs are using up your Mac’s memory to help optimize your Mac speed:

1. Open Finder, go to Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor. Click Memory.
2. Under Process Name, find Safari and you’ll see a list of the currently open tabs.
3. If any are using up a large amount of memory, close them.

Google Chrome users, you can check on tab memory usage with the app’s own built-in Task Manager:

1. In the Chrome menu bar, click Window > Task Manager.
2. Check Memory Footprint and CPU to see which system resources your browser tabs are using.
3. If any seem excessive, select them and click End Process.

Mozilla Firefox also has its own Task Manager tool, which you can use like this:

1. In Firefox, select Tools > Browser Tools > Task Manager from the menu bar.
2. If any processes seem to be using too much RAM or CPU, select them, then click the X icon at the far right of the screen.

Using Opera? Analyzing and shutting down unneeded processes is simple:

1. Open Opera, then select Developer > Task Manager from the menu bar.
2. Use the Task Manager to sort processes by memory and CPU usage, then close anything you don’t need.

To rule out your web browser as a cause for your slow Mac, you should quit all open browsers. If your Mac is still running slowly, then your browser is unlikely to be the culprit.

13. Scan your Mac for malware

While Macs are generally secure, they can be vulnerable to viruses and malware from unsafe sources, thus hindering response time and causing severe lags all from infected software. To boost Mac speed and security, we suggest limiting app installations to the App Store only.

Here’s how to restrict Mac app installations to App Store only:

1. Click the Apple icon and System Settings.
2. Click on Security & Privacy.
3. Scroll down until you see Applications downloaded from. Then choose the App Store option. You’ll be asked for your username and password to execute this.

Our expert’s tip: 

 

If you suspect that malware is slowing your Mac, consider using MacKeeper’s built-in antivirus scanning and removal features to keep your Mac performing safely.

14. Check the compatibility of your macOS with modern versions of programs

Sometimes, the sad truth is your Mac is so slow because it’s just too old. It might have been fine and running smoother when you first bought it, but newer software is generally more demanding, which causes older Macintosh devices to struggle to keep up.

If you’re unsure how old your Mac is, you can easily find out by doing the following:

1. Click on the Apple icon and select About this Mac.
2. The pop-up will show you the chip, memory, macOS, and year of your Mac.

Using the tips in this guide, you might be able to speed up an old Mac a bit. But eventually, its age will get the better of it, and there’s not much you can do.

If you’re feeling brave, you can speed up an old Mac by replacing its hard drive with an SSD. This can significantly increase loading times, but it’s not easy to do, and you can damage your Mac in the process.

15. Install the latest macOS software update

We’re sure that it’s helpful to regularly update the software on the Mac to ensure that its security features are responding properly and working smoothly. You might also experience an incredible performance booster when you update macOS.

Follow these steps to update macOS to the latest version:

1. Open System Settings, and go to General > Software Update.
2. If an update is available, click Update Now or Restart Now.
3. You can also check the box next to Automatically keep my Mac up to date.

However, it’s not just your macOS version that is important to keep up to date, as maintaining your applications up to date will also improve your Mac performance and speed.

Here’s how to check for outdated applications on Mac:

1. In the App Store, go to Updates.
2. See if any of them are available for your installed apps.

If you’re interested in an even smoother way to check for application and system updates at once, then some third-party apps can inform you about available updates. MacKeeper has its own Update Tracker feature that will do all the hard work for you.

Here are just a couple of clicks on your side:

1. Open MacKeeper.
2. Select Update Tracker and Click Scan For Updates.
3. If any pending updates have been found, Mackeeper will list them for you. Then follow the on-screen prompts to allow MacKeeper to assist you with any necessary updates.

Important: We would like to warn you that performing a macOS update will automatically clean caches and previous updates that are no longer needed by the system.

16. Stop unnecessary Spotlight indexing

Spotlight indexes your Mac to record the locations of all your important files and applications stored on your device. Even though indexing can consume up to 70% of your CPU, deleting Spotlight itself isn't an option because macOS needs it to function efficiently. Still, that doesn’t mean you should allow indexing of unnecessary files and apps.

To increase Mac performance and speed, we recommend you stop unnecessary Spotlight indexing by doing the following:

1. Go to System Settings > Siri & Spotlight > Spotlight Privacy.
2. Here, you can drag files and folders as well as untick apps that you don’t want Spotlight to index into the list of locations.

17. Turn off FileVault encryption

If you're still trying to make your Mac run faster, you might want to consider turning off FileVault encryption for a speed booster. This security feature can sometimes slow down your Mac's performance, but disabling FileVault may help improve your Mac’s speed, allowing your device to operate smoothly.

To turn off FileVault encryption on your Mac, follow these steps:

1. Open System Settings.
2. Go to Privacy & Security and scroll down until you see FileVault.
3. Click the padlock icon and enter your administrator password.
4. Then click Turn Off FileVault.

18. Reset the SMC and NVRAM

If you’re still trying to fix your MacBook's slow performance, you might want to try resetting your Mac’s SMC or NVRAM. The SMC controls all the power functions on your Mac, whereas NVRAM contains important information regarding the configurations on your computer, like the language and time zone. So, naturally, your computer can begin to malfunction and slow down if the SMC or NVRAM starts acting up.

Attention: This only applies to Intel Macs and not newer Macs with Apple Silicon processors.

Here’s how you can correctly reset the SMC and NVRAM on your Intel Mac:

• To reset SMC: Shut down your Mac and then hold Shift + Control + Option + Power for 20 seconds. Turn the device back on and this should improve Mac speed.
• To reset NVRAM: Restart your Mac and hold Command + Option + P + R while it boots up until you see the Apple logo appear twice, then release the keys.

Older Mac models require a different process to reset the SMC. So, you’ll need to do research to find detailed instructions on how to cope with the task, but it’s not as complicated as it may sound.

19. Check your Mac's hardware for health

Sometimes, the reason for a Mac running slow is hardware-related. Computer accessories and components typically have a limited lifespan, and their longevity depends on usage frequency. When you notice your Mac getting slower, it might be due to a failing external component, often the hard drive or SSD. To improve Mac performance, check if all your storage space is in good condition to avoid slowdowns and operational issues:

1. Open the Disk Utility from Applications > Utilities. Select your Mac’s main drive from the list on the left.
2. Now click on the i symbol in the top right.
3. If there are any errors on the disk, you may see them here.
4. Next, click on First Aid. This will run checks and repair any detected issues.
5. Click Run, then Continue.

Pay attention to the status messages. If any problems are identified, the utility will provide recommendations for further action to repair any damage or issues. If applicable, ensure that external drives are also in good health by connecting and checking them using the same procedure.

20. Increase the amount of RAM

Still looking for a way to boost Mac speed to help improve operating speed and reduce lags? If so, you might want to check if your Mac’s RAM needs increasing or freeing up.

Firstly, here’s how to check the RAM you’ve left on your device:

1. In Finder, go to Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.
2. Click on the Memory tab and wait a few seconds for it to load fully.
3. At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see a window titled Memory. If it’s green, then your RAM is doing fine. If it’s orange or red, then you might need some extra RAM to speed up a slow Mac.

If you do need to increase the amount of RAM on your device, there are a few things you can do. For instance, you can use Terminal to help clear away any unusable and unnecessary cache.

Here’s how to use Terminal to free up some RAM:

1. In Finder, open Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
2. Type in sudo purge—a command that triggers RAM and cache clearing. Press Enter.
3. Enter your administrator’s account password in the pop-up window.

You can also invest in a brand-new RAM module, but our advice is to get a genuine one from Apple—don’t install any modules from third-party manufacturers. Apple’s website lists the memory specifications for iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini—check it out if needed.

A helpful hint from us: 

 

Another way to increase space, without having to invest in a new RAM module, is to use a RAM cleaner for Mac. They can be helpful as they automatically close down apps and unnecessary processes running in the background. MacKeeper’s Memory Cleaner is a handy tool designed to help increase RAM smoothly to fasten Mac performance and overall speed.

 

Here’s how to use it:

1. Open MacKeeper.
2. Select the Memory Cleaner tool and then click Open.
3. From here, you’ll be able to look at your memory usage, as well as apps and processes.
4. You can then click Clean Memory to help increase your RAM and speed up your Mac.

21. Monitor your Mac's temperature

To increase Mac speed, it's also essential to keep a close eye on the device’s temperature. Macs can regulate heat through internal fans, but excessive warmth can hinder performance. Regularly monitoring your Mac's temperature helps prevent slowdowns and potential damage, ensuring it runs smoother with fewer performance interruptions.

Here’s how to monitor your Mac temperature using Terminal commands:

1. In Finder, go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
2. Once the Terminal is open, type in the command: sudo powermetrics –samplers smc |grep -i “CPU die temperature.
3. Enter your administrator password.
4. Hit Return and wait. You’ll then find on the screen your CPU temperature updating in real time.

You can also use Mac temperature apps, available to download in the App Store, as an easy way to monitor your Mac’s temperature to avoid overheating hindering Mac speed.

22. Swap your HDD for an SSD

If you have an older Mac with a traditional hard drive and all of our other solutions to optimize Mac speed have not worked, you might need to go one step further by upgrading your HDD for a solid state drive (SSD).

SSDs are more expensive than HDDs, but they’re also much faster and they draw less battery power. They can boot up and write data five times faster (on average) than HDDs while producing less heat, noise, and vibration in the process.

Before upgrading to an SSD, don't forget to back up your data. You can use Apple’s Time Machine tool to do this. Make sure to choose a Mac-friendly format for your new drive as well, preferably APFS+.

Meanwhile, you may need to visit a qualified computer technician to install an SSD in your Mac to ensure the upgrade process runs smoothly and causes no damage to your Macintosh device.

If you have a new Mac, it will already have an SSD. In most of the newer models, it’s practically impossible to change the SSD yourself, so you can’t upgrade your Mac’s drive to a bigger or faster one.

Speed up your Mac with MacKeeper

Now that we’ve shared several troubleshooting methods to help you increase your Mac speed, your Mac should perform like new. Increasing your RAM, freeing up disk space, removing unwanted extensions, and upgrading key storage components can help turn your unhappy Mac experience into a thing of the past.

Assuming your Mac doesn’t have anything physically wrong with it, MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup can also be helpful to speed it up by emptying all unnecessary cached files and removing log files in just one click.

Here’s a visual reminder of how to get it done:

These are by far some of the most common reasons for a slow Mac—and with our tool by your side, you can deal with them efficiently. Give MacKeeper a try, and see what it can do.