Why is my Mac slow? Common reasons and quick fixes
This can be really frustrating: you finally got through the block that prevented you from finishing the job at hand, see exactly what needs to be done, launch the needed apps (open sites, put the information together, etc.), stretch your wrists, snap your fingers… and see the Spinning Beach Ball of Death, or SBBOD. The system is not exactly in sync with your vibe.
Such entanglements translate into delays and lost momentum, which, in many cases, make all the difference between a job done with pleasure and a job suffered through. Why does your Mac act up every now and then? This post sums up the common reasons and offers remedies for each of them.
Lack of free disk space
MacOS is heavily dependent on the free space on its startup disk: this is where the system keeps temporary files and allocates a portion for virtual memory. When there’s nowhere else to stash what might be needed in the future, it begins to purge and clean up, which translates into slowdowns and, in the extreme cases, an SBBOD that only a reboot can fix.
Keep the drive where you have macOS clean. Delete unnecessary files, apps, downloads you may have forgotten about. Aim for at least 20 GB of free disk space.
Insufficient RAM
Each app, even a simple weather widget, eats into your RAM allocation. When you run out of RAM, macOS starts shutting down programs as it sees fit (first of all, those that are in the background and not used for a while, but not necessarily), and slows down significantly in the process, showing you the spinning beach ball. Same goes for RAM-hungry apps when you launch them or summon them from the background: they can take some time before becoming operational.
School yourself into a habit of closing apps once you’re done with them. And don’t launch many apps simultaneously in the first place. Another good habit to develop is to restart your system on a regular basis.
Cluttered desktop
This one may feel unobvious: how does the amount of icons on the desktop affect the performance of your Mac? Well, it doesn’t have an impact thereon system-wide, but if you use Finder, for example — most of us do, it’s getting better and better with each OS iteration — the number of icons matters. The thing is macOS has to draw them and generate previews, which takes resources, and Finder is integral to the desktop. The slowdown associated with a cluttered desktop can also be felt at startup, for similar reasons.
Keep your desktop clean. Simple as that.
Outdated software
Programs have bugs, that’s a given. Some of them affect the performance of your Mac: for example, an app may refuse to be offloaded when not in use, or gradually increase the portion of RAM it occupies. Ultimately, it slows down the entire system.
Update your software. The bugs, related to performance and not, are hunted and exterminated by the developers with each version they release. Yes, sometimes the next iteration a program irons out previously reported hiccups but glitches in a different manner, but don’t let this discourage you from updating. It’s just how it goes.
Want this chore taken care of without your involvement? Download and install Mac Informer, the lightweight and free software updater and exploration tool for macOS:
Too many tabs
Thus far, pretty much regardless of what is your browser of choice (want a new one? Find it here), each tab is a RAM and processing power consumer. Yes, they’re put to sleep automatically, but if you count them in dozens, chances are there are 15+ that are active at any given moment of time. And they do slow down your computer.
Learn to use tabs wisely. Try not to open pages “for later.” Close tabs when you’re done with the site. If a tab has been around for more than a week, and you still haven’t gotten around to it, bookmark and close it, or just close.
Malware
There was a time when those using computers with Apple on their sides or lids sincerely couldn’t understand all the fuss about viruses. That time is history now: macOS is a system targeted by malicious cyberactors as routinely as Windows nowadays. This means that a slow Mac may simply be infected, and it is the malware that consumes your precious resources.
Get yourself an antivirus for Mac. All major vendors have a version thereof, so you really have a choice here. Look one up in the respective section of Mac Informer catalog:
Aging hardware
As much as you like our good ol’ Mac — the stickers on its lid speak volumes — it is prone to becoming obsolete and incapable of handling tasks that previously were easy-peasy for it. The hardware itself ages, and the software, especially if you’re using something niche, typically becomes more resource-hungry with each subsequent version.
Consider upgrading your Mac. Apple releases new models on a more or less regular basis, and the lines cover all portions of the price spectrum, so you really have something to choose from.
