Speed up your Mac: 16 tips
Mac computers are characterized by their high speed, their great optimization of the system and the fact that the has practically no effort to keep it running. But there are always exceptions. A 5-7 year old Mac with the latest firmware is unlikely to produce the factory speeds you expect. Before disposing of an old machine, we recommend that you take advantage of the advice in this article.
1. Clean the system
Regardless of what you want, regular updates, installed software, and data manipulation lead to clogged disk space, unnecessary files, and slowdown of the system as a whole. To keep your macOS juicy, it would be wise to try specialized software like CleanMyMac 3. We already told you about it in our full review. This utility intelligently uninstalls applications, removes unused locations, temporary files and cache, cleans the system, and has a bunch of highly specialized features. A single license for Mac costs 39,95 euros. It is definitely worth it. Use the free version in the initial stage.
CleanMyMac 3 for Mac (developers official website).
2. Reduce processor load
If you are not using CleanMyMac or other alternatives, open System monitoring. (Search Engine → Programs → Utilities) and look at the U column (by clicking on the column, you can sort the task list by utilization). The most voracious tasks can be closed. Or maybe you should remove those programs entirely and replace them with less demanding alternatives.
3. Reduce transparency and animation
Transition animations and transparency effects used in the latest versions of macOS can put a lot of burden on older Macs. Disabling them may slightly increase the performance of your computer. To do this, go to the menu → System configuration… → Universal access. In the menu on the left, select Monitor and check the box next to «Reduce transparency«.
ABOUT THE TOPIC: Mac for Dummies: 10 Useful Tips on macOS for Beginners.
4. Disable FileVault encryption
If you have OS X Yosemite or a newer version of the operating system installed on your Mac, FileVault's disk encryption will be enabled by default. With this great feature, even if your Mac is lost or stolen, your data will be safe and your privacy will not be compromised.
Of course, the encryption process requires additional system resources. If you have a desktop Mac, or if data protection is not your top priority, it makes sense to disable this option. To do this, you can go to → System Preferences… → Protection and Security → FileVault. You will need the to disable the option.
5. Block the automatic launch of applications
Fans of installing a bunch of utilities that improve the communication of their computer should not forget that they can run in the background and be noted on the autorun list. First, it slows down the Mac startup, and second, it loads the processor and takes up RAM. It is not necessary to go into the settings of each program to exclude it from automatic loading, especially since not all developers integrate this configuration item into their software. Hate → System configuration… → s and groups. In the menu on the left, select your , select the option «Access objects.»And click the lock icon to make the changes. The list contains all the programs that start at the same time as the system.
To disable autorun, check the box next to the appropriate utility. To clear the list - select the program and click the minus sign at the bottom of the window.
ABOUT THE TOPIC: All Apple laptops in 2018: which MacBook to choose? A comparison of all models (features and prices).
6. Turn off search indexing in Spotlight
Operating system slowdown is possible when file system reindexing occurs for the benefit of Spotlight search. There is no option in the system settings to disable this feature. To disable indexing you need to open Bus Terminal (Search Engine → Programs → Utilities) Type the following command and press the key I went into:
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.metadata.mds.plist
You will need to enter the .
To enable Spotlight indexing, enter the following command again:
sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.metadata.mds.plist
7. Turn off indexing in Photos app
The Photos app in macOS Sierra now has an automatic face detection and grouping feature. The option is certainly interesting, but it is not relevant for everyone, and if you also have an old machine, it is not unreasonable to disable it completely. Sadly, there is no such magic button, but if the app is running Photo, exit (keyboard shortcut ⌘Command + Q) and finish the process «photos" at System control.
ABOUT THE TOPIC: How to make the F keys on a Mac really functional.
8. Free up disk space
A stuck disk with a large number of files will, of course, slow down your computer. Current Mac s with SSD drives should also keep in mind the rule of thumb that 15-20% free space is required for the system to function properly.
To clean up your system, you can use Mac's new space-saving utility (first introduced with macOS Sierra). To do this, go to the menu → About this Mac → Storage tab → Manage.
Use the sidebar to select a way to clear the space. The removal of applications and files is an effective measure in this matter.
9. Restart the SMC
Restarting the System Management Controller (SMC) solves many minor system problems. This action allows you to organize the applications and tasks involved in starting up your Mac.
How to restart the SMC?
1. Shut down the Mac.
2. Connect the power cord to your MacBook and make sure it charges the laptop.
3. Press the keys Shift (⇧) + Control (⌃) + Option (⎇) and press the button. power. Then release all the keys.
The Mac will boot normally and the SMC will reboot.
ABOUT THE TOPIC: Autoloading on Mac, or how to add (remove) programs to run automatically when macOS starts up.
10. Uninstall Flash
In his day, Steve Jobs said that Flash technology had no future. Last year, Adobe stopped ing it. The Safari and Chrome browsers block Flash by default. But you may have Flash installed on your Mac, which will run in the background and automatically launch videos from web pages. Use any specialized application like AppCleaner to remove all Flash related components.
Also read: How to uninstall Adobe Flash from Mac.
If you go to Activity Monitor, and find that "kernalkask" is a process that is u most of your Mac, you may have a little problem. You will see that you cannot exit the Kernaltask process. This is because Kernaltask is basically your operating system. And this error can be caused by dark things.
So try to do what we have discussed above. Restart your Mac, reset the SMC, remove Flash (this seems to fix the problem for some people), and try to if any unreliable third-party software has recently been installed, something like an application for your printer drivers. Try uninstalling them and see if the problem is solved.
11. Pay attention to the Kernal Task
В System control. find the kernel_task task. This process may be consuming a lot of Mac resources (and that is not normal), but the problem is that it is systemic and there is no way to shut it down. So be sure to keep the tips we mentioned above in mind (reboot Mac, reset SMC, remove Flash, etc.). It also tries to if you have installed any questionable software recently from an unreliable developer (applications, drivers, etc.). Try uninstalling them and see if the problem is solved.
ABOUT THE TOPIC: How to view saved s and s in Keychain on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
12. use Safari and close unused browser tabs
The native Safari browser is fully optimized for macOS. Any other third-party solution, like Chrome or Opera, will consume much more RAM and drain your MacBook's battery faster. Make Safari your default browser, and use the same Chrome whenever you want to use some third-party extensions, or visit sites that don't open correctly in Safari.
Also, do not forget to close the browser tabs that you do not use (if there are more than 10).
13. Clear the desktop
An old trick but it still works. Redrawing macOS desktop icons and folders may not be the most time-consuming task, but it's a burden that makes sense to get rid of. It especially makes sense if your job requires you to frequently work with windows and drag and drop different objects on the desktop.
A good way to automatically clean (sort files) your Mac desktop is the utility To recruit (revision).
14. Install an SSD instead of a HDD
If you're using an older, non-Retina MacBook, where the drive is easily removable, be sure to install an SSD. This will greatly improve the overall performance of your computer. Also, increase the amount of RAM. On MacBook Pro models from 2012 onwards, the drive and RAM are soldered to the motherboard and can only be replaced at high cost by a service center.
ON-TOPIC: 2 ways to leave the applications you want on your Mac's Dock (macOS).
15. Reinstall macOS
If the methods described above do not help, an effective measure is to reinstall the operating system. The macOS repair utility will automatically format the hard drive, reinstall the operating system, and update it to the latest version.
To reinstall macOS, turn on your computer with the keys pressed Command (⌘) + R. In the system menu, select «Reinstall macOS»(Detailed instructions).
16. Buy a new Mac
If none of the suggested tips have helped, perhaps it is time to retire the old and think about buying a new machine. A good reason to touch on modern Apple solutions.