Over time with continuous usage our mac gets slow down, and we start thinking of getting a new system. But before getting a new Mac, have you ever thought for a second on why Mac has slowed down? If not then you need to read this article till the end and learn about common mistakes that slow down your Mac. So without further ado, let’s start.
Common Mistakes that Slow Down your Mac
While many users feel that macOS doesn’t require any maintenance and is perfect by all means. However, this is not true, like any other Operating System, macOS also requires some common mistakes to be avoided from its users to keep it up and running.
Lack of Enough Free Space on Hard Drive
It is the hard drive of our mac that stores all the information. And if your hard drive is filled to the brim then your Mac slows down drastically. Now to fix this all you need is to free space on the hard drive that your Mac needs for its basic operations, like creating logs, temporary files, app cache, etc.To fix the storage problem on your Mac you can either move some of your data to the cloud or remove the unneeded data like failed downloads, unused apps, cache, duplicate files. Now since manually removing the unwanted data from your Mac is extremely exhaustive and bit risk therefore you can take the help of a dedicated mac optimization like Smart Mac Care. This advanced tool helps you to free a considerable amount of space on your Mac with just a single click.
Clogging of Caches and Temporary Files
Over the time the cache created by the installed apps and other system files keep on piling. Apart from this there are temporary files and browser cache that collectively not only eat the valuable space on your hard drive but also makes it slower. To fix this you need to clear the system cache, app cache and browser cache from time to time. And if you find cleaning the cache manually a cumbersome process then you can use a mac cleaning software like Smart Mac Care to do the task automatically.
Too Many Files on Desktop
While it is convenient to save every transferred file, screenshot to the desktop, do you know that if there are too many files on your desktop then it degrades the performance of your Mac. It is because each icon placed on the desktop of your Mac is considered as a separate window by Mac and therefore needs to render separately, So first of all try to declutter your desktop by moving the files from desktop to other folders or external drives. Also in future avoid dumping your desktop with any sort of data.
Lots of Processes Running in the Background
Another common mistake that slows down a Mac is letting the process running in the background. We all know that our Mac has a limited amount of Ram and other system resources that have to handle all the processes that are running in the foreground and background. So if there are lots of background processes running then it will consume the system resources and make your Mac slow.
However, Mac has provided a dedicated application Activity Monitor that helps you in identifying the memory hogging process running in the background. So next time when your mac gets slow down then open Activity monitor > click on either CPU or Memory tab > sort by the first column to locate the resource consuming process > kill the process by clicking X button.
Skipping Updates from App and OS
From time to time your macOS gets the updates then includes the bug fixes and security patches. Apart from this the latest updates also improves the performance of the Mac. However another common mistake that slows down the Mac is skipping these regular updates, and unfortunately many of us avoid these updates.
And similar to macOS all the apps that you have installed on your Mac receive regular updates from their developers to make them more efficient and performance-optimized. So, if you have pending updates for your macOS or any other apps then first of all update them to the recent one. Also, in the future avoid any available updates.
Clogging of Browser
The browser that acts as an interface between you and the world of the web if clogged with unneeded browser extensions, cache, and browsing history then actively contributes to slowing down your Mac. Yes, extensions are useful to increase the performance of your browser but if your browser is clogged with unneeded extensions then it slows down the performance of your browser along with Mac. Similarly, browser cache although helps you in fast loading of the websites that you commonly visit, if they pile up to the brim then it causes browser slows down, crashes, and freezing of browser and Mac. Again you can manually clear the browsing data, cookies, and cache of the browser or use a Mac cleanup tool like Smart Mac Care that helps you in cleaning the browser data from every browser with one click.
No Security Application on your Mac
Many of us feel that macOS is free from viruses and other security threats, however, this is not completely true. Yes, when compared to the Windows operating system, macOS is less prone to viruses and other security threats. However, if you visit a compromised website, install an app from an untrusted source, or click on flashy advertisements then you may end up installing malware on your Mac. Therefore, we recommend you to use a good antivirus or antimalware utility on your Mac that not only helps you to remove malware but also provides you with real-time protection.
Lots of Programs Running at Startup
If you feel that your Mac is taking longer than usual time to startup or running extremely slow at the startup then possibly there are lots of programs that are running at startup. More the number of applications running at startup, the more it will take your Mac to start.
To fix this you have to disable unneeded programs from the startup.
To do so click on the Apple icon > From the drop-down select System Preferences > Users and Groups > Login Items.
Now select all the items that you do not want to be loaded automatically at startup. A minimum number of login items means a faster loading time for your Mac. Alternatively, you can go for Smart Mac Care to check and remove the login items that slows your Mac,
Photo Library is Too Huge
Another reason due to which Mac slows down is the huge size of your Photo Library that results in a lack of available free space on your Mac. And we have already discussed if your system is getting low in space then it will deteriorate its performance. Also, with high-end camera phones, every one of us now clicks more pictures than ever and save them in our Photos library. However, this also includes the duplicates and similar images that unnecessarily reside on our Mac. So if your Photo Library is getting big in size then first use a duplicate photos remover tool to remove the duplicates and then safely transfer them up on iCloud.
Going Along with Old Battery
An old battery also makes your mac slower as your device requires more energy to support the process resulting in degradation of performance. Also when the full battery charge and drain cycles of a Mac are fixed, then there is no sense to continue with a battery that is worn down. You can yourself check the charge-discharge cycle data by navigating to Apple menu > System Information and getting the Power option in Hardware.
And if you find that you have reached the limit of your battery’s charge-discharge cycle then immediately replace your existing battery with a new one.
Conclusion
So folks these were top 10 common mistakes that slow down your Mac. However, small efforts from your end will help you in avoiding and fixing these mistakes to keep your Mac up and running.
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