Mac Slow Startup

Have you gone to start using your laptop, only to face the unexpected issue of your Mac taking forever to startup? The culprits behind the freezing and slow loading times are likely to be performance-related problems. Identifying and resolving these issues is crucial to ensure your Mac operates smoothly. Our article aims to walk you through the recommended steps to speed up your Mac.

A note from our experts: 

 

When your Mac takes a long time to start, it usually signals an underlying issue. Mac devices can experience slowdowns for various reasons. Often, clogging your Mac can slow down your device, so we recommend using MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup tool to help efficiently declutter files and processes.

 

Here’s how to use MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup tool to speed up your Mac:

1. Download and open MacKeeper on your device.
2. Select the Safe Cleanup tool in the left menu.
3. Click on the Start Scan button to allow MacKeeper to scan your device for digital clutter and junk that can be removed to speed up loading times.
4. When the scan is complete, tick the items you want to remove.
5. Once you’ve ticked everything you want to remove, click on the button Clean Junk Files to improve your loading speed.

Why does your Mac take so long to start up

In most cases, a sluggish startup can be attributed to insufficient disk space. If left unresolved, this can mean your Mac is frozen constantly, affecting your daily experience. To resolve this issue, use a third-party digital cleaning app to help remove junk files.

How to fix slow startup on Mac

If your Mac takes forever to startup, there are several solutions to fix your loading times:

1. Manage login elements and launch agents
2. Don't reopen applications when rebooting your Mac
3. Update macOS
4. Free up disk space
5. Unplug unused peripherals
6. Disable FileVault
7. Check your Mac for viruses
8. Boot your Mac into Safe Mode
9. Reset PRAM/NVRAM
10. Check your startup disk with First Aid
11. Upgrade hardware

1. Manage login elements and launch agents

When you turn on your Mac, some apps and programs are likely to start running in the background automatically. These apps are known as launch agents, as they load upon login. As useful as they can be, they can cause your device to become very sluggish, leading to your Mac taking forever to start. Managing and changing startup apps on Mac can improve loading times each time you turn on your device. Here’s how to speed up Mac startup by managing login items:

1. Open System Settings and go to General > Login Items.
2. Find the application you want to stop from opening automatically upon startup and click the minus (-) button to remove it from the list. This will stop the app from launching when you turn on your Macintosh laptop or desktop.

Monitoring your login items can also reduce the chances of your MacBook overheating due to the overload of processes and apps every time it turns on.

A friendly reminder: 

 

Managing your Mac’s login items may be slightly challenging as the steps can vary depending on whether you’re using macOS Sonoma, Monterey, or Ventura. To simplify the process, use MacKeeper to effortlessly control all your startup programs with just a few clicks:

1. Download MacKeeper on your MacBook device.
2. Open the app and select the Login Items features from the left menu.
3. Click Start Scan. Wait until MacKeeper shows you a list of all the login items it has found on your Mac device.
4. Choose the specific items you want to delete from startup and click the Remove Selected Items button to finalize the process.

2. Don't reopen applications when rebooting your Mac

To further reduce the number of apps and processes that start automatically when you turn on your Mac, disallow Windows to reopen when rebooting or logging back onto your device. This can make your startup faster as there are fewer processes for your Mac to handle. To do this:

1. Shut down or restart your device.
2. Make sure to untick Reopen windows when logging back in.

3. Update macOS

Running your Mac with outdated macOS is likely to be the main culprit when your Mac takes forever to startup as well as shows general signs of lagging and freezing. Here’s how to update  your MacOS and prevent the slow startup:

1. Open System Settings and click on General > Software Update.
2. Your Macintosh device will automatically scan for any updates. If any macOS updates are available, there'll be an option for you to click Update Now. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the newest software.

4. Free up disk space

Just like a car carrying too much luggage, an overloaded disk can cause a Mac to turn on extremely slowly. For this reason, we advise you to free up disk space on Mac. Here’s how:

1. Click on the Apple Icon and select System Settings.
2. In System Settings, select General > Storage.
3. You’ll now be able to see a chart that shows you how much disk space you’re using, as well as a list of Recommendations to free up more disk space.
4. Go through the recommendations to help you get back vital space on your Mac to speed up startup.

5. Unplug unused peripherals

Having too many devices plugged into your device isn’t good for your Mac’s health, as they can be responsible for depleting the battery and affecting the startup process. Unused peripherals like external hard drives, USB devices, or printers can all really slow down your Mac’s startup, causing frustration, screen freezing and hangs. To alleviate this, disconnect any peripherals you aren't using.

6. Disable FileVault

FileVault encryption can be another reason for your Macintosh device running extremely slowly, with frequent freezing and screen hangs. The solution would be to disable FileVault to help speed up Mac startup:

1. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security.
2. Scroll down and click the FileVault tab.
3. Press the Turn Off button next to FileVault.
4. Enter your Admin details and follow the prompts to disable it.

7. Check your Mac for viruses

Viruses and malware can cause your Macintosh device to slow down and hang. Regularly scanning your Mac for malware threats can help prevent further performance issues. To use Activity Monitor to check for any suspicious and unrecognized processes:

1. In Finder, navigate to Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.
2. Click on the CPU tab and look for any unfamiliar or suspicious processes using a high amount of CPU.
3. You can also switch to the Memory tab and look for processes consuming a large amount of memory.
4. Select any suspicious processes, click the X button, and choose Force Quit to terminate them.

For more assistance with how to detect viruses on Mac, our supporting guide can help you identify and remove potential malware and suspicious apps from your device.

Important note from us: 

 

For a more effective solution, why not consider downloading MacKeeper to benefit from its built-in Antivirus feature?

Our tool can keep your Mac protected and running smoothly without any unwanted disruptions. A quick scan can automatically detect malicious activity and just as easily quarantine it from your device. The real-time protection also keeps you safe whilst browsing online by keeping your data and connection secure.

8. Boot your Mac into Safe Mode

You can restart your device in Safe Mode to troubleshoot and resolve speed issues when your Mac takes so long to startup. Safe Mode boots your Mac with only the necessary startup items, removing any unnecessary temporary files to help improve speed and eliminate freezing.

For Intel-based MacBook devices:

1. Turn off your Mac and restart it after a few seconds.
2. Quickly hold down the Shift key until the login window appears.

For Apple M1 MacBook devices:

1. Turn off your device and wait a short while.
2. Turn it back on and quickly hold down the power button until the startup options appear on the screen along with the Options icon.
3. Choose your startup disk on the screen, hold down the Shift key, and click Continue in Safe Mode.
4. Release the Shift key.

9. Reset PRAM/NVRAM

Is your Mac still taking forever to startup? Another solution to improve Mac startup speed is to reset NVRAM/PRAM. Your startup disk’s system settings are stored in NVRAM/PRAM on your Mac, so resetting NVRAM could enhance your startup performance. Here’s how:

1. Shut down your Mac by holding down the power button until the screen goes black.
2. Switch your computer on again.
3. Hold down the Opt + Command + P + R keys until your Mac starts up, which can take about 20 seconds. Note whether the startup time has improved.

Important: If you use a MacBook device with an M1 chip, simply switch your Mac off and back on again. Mind that Apple Silicon MacBooks don’t use NVRAM/PRAM.

10. Check your startup disk with First Aid

If you're still experiencing startup issues on your device, we recommend checking your startup disk with First Aid to see if that can help speed up Mac startup.  Running First Aid on your startup disk can help identify and fix any disk-related issues that might be slowing down your startup process. To check your disk with First Aid:

1. In Finder, go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
2. Choose your startup disk from the list of available drives in Disk Utility's sidebar.
3. Click on the First Aid tab.
4. Click Run to start the First Aid process. Follow any on-screen instructions provided by Disk Utility. Once First Aid completes the process, check if your Mac's startup speed has improved.

11. Upgrade hardware

If you’ve tried all the solutions we’ve mentioned in this article, and your Mac is still taking forever to startup, it's time to upgrade your hardware. While MacBooks, Minis, and Apple desktops are renowned for their longevity, they aren’t immune to aging.

Over time, both the system and hardware components can degrade, leading to persistent issues that even updating your macOS can’t resolve. In these scenarios, it might be time to consider upgrading to a new device for improved performance and reliability.  

Boost your Mac’s startup time

Typically, a Mac that takes forever to startup will also exhibit poor performance during regular use, leading to frustration and a drop in your overall productivity. Mac slow boot issues can go beyond just the startup process when you turn on your device and therefore impact your entire experience. Thankfully, these extremely irritating issues are fixable. By following the methods in our guide, you can significantly improve your MacBook’s startup performance.

Along with system updates and using reliable third-party apps like MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup, you can greatly enhance your Mac's performance. Our decluttering tool removes unnecessary junk, improving loading speeds and depleting hangs. Let MacKeeper help your Mac breathe and operate at its best, ensuring it supports your productivity without causing unnecessary frustration.

FAQ

1. How long should a MacBook take to turn on?

When your MacBook is turned off and needs to be connected to a power source to charge the battery, your device should still only take a few minutes to turn on.

2. What to do when Mac starts lagging?

If your device is lagging or freezing excessively, here’s what you can do to make your Mac startup faster again:

• Clean up system files and documents.
• Identify and terminate demanding processes.
• Manage startup programs to accelerate boot time.
• Uninstall unused applications.
• Perform a macOS system update.
• Consider upgrading your RAM.
• Swap your HDD for an SSD.
• Reduce unnecessary visual effects.

3. How do I clean up my Mac to make it boot faster?

To optimize your Mac's boot speed, our team recommends you to clean up your device regularly. You can either install a third-party app cleaner or manually do the following:

• Update your software, including patches and security updates.
• Streamline startup items.
• Uninstall unused applications.
• Clear out the downloads folder.
• Organize your storage disk.
• Clear cache files.
• Remove resource-intensive programs.
• Empty the trash regularly.