If you are working from home, using a system that’s lagging or opening slowly can
be troubling enough. Undoubtedly, your productivity is directly linked to the
performance of your device.
Typically, three primary reasons affect the performance of your Mac.
- Your Mac is old, or your device’s RAM or graphics card is not keeping up with
the changing software trends. - The hardware components are failing.
- The OS or system’s software is not working.
While buying a new Mac is not always an option, here are a few issues that you must
be aware of to improve the efficiency of your system.
Heavy System Apps Are Running in Background
It’s a common problem with Mac where processes drain your system even if you are
not using them. Fortunately, the system comes with an “Activity Monitor” that helps
users understand all resources running in real-time.
So, you can increase the efficiency of your Mac by quitting those applications that
you are not using. Use the following steps to reach the Activity Monitor.
Finder >Go >Utilities, then select Activity Monitor under this tab. It will show real-
time analysis of applications that are draining the system's energy. You can stop the
applications by quitting them.
Hard Drive is Running Out of Space
It’s a common problem with systems to run out of space that further affect the
device’s performance. You can address the problem by reviewing the hard disk and
disk space.
You can do that by tapping on the Apple Logo, and then clicking on the button
showing “About This Mac.” Here you can get an idea about the processor, memory,
graphics, and serial number.
Go to the “Storage” tab and look at the apps using your disk space. Here the device
will offer four different options. You can clean it up by either going for “store in
iCloud,” “optimize storage,” “empty trash automatically,” or “reduce clutter” options.
Hardware Upgrades Are Not Up to Date
It’s no brainer that you need to maintain your hardware to improve the life of Mac for
the maximum time. Before deciding onto replacing the required hardware, you can
reset your PRAM using the following steps:
- Shut down your system.
- Turn on your Mac and simultaneously press and hold Command+Option+P+R.
- Make sure to do that before the gray boot screen appears.
- Continue doing that until your system restarts.
- Now take off your fingers.
By doing this, you can modify some system settings. If that does not help, you will
need the help of a professional for the physical upgrade.
Software is Out-of-Date
If you want to increase the life and efficiency of your Mac, keeping an up to date
software is a must. Why? It’s because these updates address your system’s issues,
such as battery life, bugs, and other security features.
Use the Mac App Store to update your macOS or other applications.
EndNote
Optimizing your system might be a challenging task. But the tweaks mentioned
above might give you the desired kickstart to speed up your Mac’s performance.
However, if none of these methods helps you, don’t waste your energy doing things
yourself. It’s better to take the system to a Mac doctor, i.e., a professional, and let
them identify the underlying cause.
