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There will come a time when the Macbook you have purchased a few years ago begins to underperform. When it happens, some people begin to think that the only solution is to get a replacement.
While buying a new Macbook is an option, you can boost the performance of your current model as well. Having a slow mac is not the end of it, and here are some tips to change the situation.
Tip #1 – Make More Space on Drive
If you have a habit of hoarding files, it is possible that your disk is going to run out of space pretty soon. And when that happens, you can expect to experience a lot of issues with the performance of the Macbook.
To prevent the issue from getting out of hand, you should consider doing the following:
- Deleting caches, backups, old apps, email attachments, and downloads.
- Transferring some of your files into cloud-based software like iCloud.
Tip #2 – Scan for Viruses and Malware
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Nobody is safe from cybersecurity threats. Especially those who neglect to have anti-virus software despite thinking that avoiding shady websites is enough to protect oneself from viruses or malware.
Instead of taking a risk, have anti-virus running in the background at all times so you are safe and do not have to second guess whether a download or email attachments pose a threat.
Tip #3 – Check Activity Monitor
Some applications require more power than others. You can check who are the heavy hitters by using Activity Monitor and sorting processes by CPU usage.
When Macbook is running slow, it is worth paying extra attention to CPU usage. If something is overworking the processor, you will need to shut the application down and even consider deleting it or find an alternative that does not consume as much power.
Tip #4 – Optimize Web Browser
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Browsing the internet is one of the most popular pastime activities while using a computer. As such, a website browser is an app that gets used a lot.
Some users like to take things too far with extensions and add-ons. There are great tools like grammar checkers or ad blockers. But if you install too many, you will heavily overburden the browser, making it difficult to use it without any hiccups.
Avoid installing too many extensions. And while on the topic of browsers, do not have multiple tabs open at the same time if there is no need for that. Each open tab consumes system resources as well.
Tip #5 – Remove Items from Startup
Instead of waiting for multiple applications to load every time you launch a computer, remove them from the list of startup items.
Go to System Preferences, click the Users and Groups tab, and log in your profile. You will see Login Items. Uncheck boxes next to applications and save the changes. The next time you boot up the Macbook, there will be no need to wait for apps to load, and you will save more computer memory.
Tip #6 – Turn off Visuals
Visuals may look nice. However, if you are looking from a pragmatic point of view, there is no merit in having something that consumes resources but provides no real value.
Go to Dock via System Preferences and untick the boxes from the following:
- “Automatically hide and show the Dock”.
- “Animate opening applications”.
Tip #7 – Get an SSD and Add Extra RAM
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A solid-state drive is a great way to boost performance. And you do not have to purchase one with a lot of space. A smaller SSD will do fine so long as you keep software and other files that require the most resources.
Adding extra RAM is also an option. You should not have problems finding a deal that will offer 8 GB of RAM for about 30 dollars or even less.
Tip #8 – Reduce Desktop Clutter
Every icon on the desktop has to be rendered whenever you switch from the desktop to another window. And some people have a habit of putting every file on their desktop to the point where there is no more space left.
Keep the number of items to a minimum. Instead of overloading your desktop, organize the files into folders and put them in different locations.
Tip #9 – Restart Macbook Regularly
When operating, apps cause what is known as “memory leakage”. The longer the app is on, the more it will leak. The best solution to the problem would be to simply restart the computer.
If you spend a lot of time on a Macbook, get in the habit of restarting it a few times every day. It may not seem like much, but a simple restart will refresh things up and help in boosting the performance.