Disconnect stuff. Disconnect all the peripherals. Restart your Mac? Is it any faster? If it is, in future, just connect up the peripherals as and when you need them. Hopefully these quick and easy steps will make your Mac start-up faster. Do you have any other Mac tips? Please let us know in comments below. Always Check for Software Update. Out with the old and in with the new as they always say and this.
- How To Make Stuff Download Faster On Macbook Air
- How To Make Imac Faster
- How To Make Stuff Download Faster On Macbook Pro
- How To Make Stuff Download Faster On Mac Os
Remember the feeling of a brand new Mac? A Mac without rainbow wheels. A Mac that didn’t cause headaches or frustration. Below we’ll show you 15 ways you can shake off the dust from your system. All it takes it to disable a few things here and there.
Here’s How to Speed Up Your Mac
These simple steps provided below won't take much time, but will greatly help to improve your Mac's performance. If you do these activities regularly, you won't have to worry about the need to speed up your Mac again.
1. Find resource-hungry processes
Some apps are more power-hungry than others and can slow your Mac to a crawl. To see which apps are eating up your system resources, use Activity Monitor. You can open it from the Utilities folder of your Applications folder, or use Spotlight to find it.
Activity Monitor details five different resources: CPU, Memory, Energy, Disk, and Network usage. If your Mac is running slowly, pay special attention to the CPU section. It shows how processes affect the CPU (processor) activity. Click a column name, such as % CPU, to list all programs by the amount of CPU they’re using.
How to use activity monitor to speed up Mac
If you see that some app is using a lot of CPU power, you can close it from here by choosing the app with the mouse and clicking the X in the left-hand corner of the Activity Monitor.
2. Manage your startup items
It goes without saying that a clean startup helps speed up slow Mac. When your Mac launches faster, it takes less time to do anything. No waiting for Safari, Chrome or Firefox to launch — they open instantly. How do you get such speed? Well, when your Mac boots up, it runs a lot of unnecessary apps. But it’s quite easy to take control of it. Go to your System Preferences > Users & Groups and then click on your username. Now click on Login Items and select a program you don’t immediately need when your Mac starts up, and click the “-” button below.
3. Turn off visual effects
A great tip to help you when you wonder how to speed up your Mac is to turn off visual effects. Sure, they look pretty, but who cares if your Mac is running slowly? Turning off some of the features can greatly speed up iMac or MacBook.
Here’s how to speed up a Mac by turning off some visual effects:
- Click System Preferences > Dock.
- Untick the following boxes: Animate opening applications, Automatically hide and show the Dock.
- Click on Minimize windows using and change Genie effect to Scale effect.
4. Delete browser add-ons
All articles on how to speed up Mac mention browsers. It's 2020 and today's browsers got simply too complicated. Chrome and other browsers often get overloaded with various add-ons and extensions we install on top of them. These tools do a useful job like checking our grammar but we pay for that with reduced browser speed. You can battle that by reducing the number of open tabs (a good practice in and off itself) and by removing any browser extensions you don't need.
Here is how to delete extra browser extensions in all 3 main browsers:
Here is how to delete extra browser extensions in all 3 main browsers:
5. Reindex Spotlight
If you recently updated your OS, you would be aware of the slowness that occurs when Spotlight is indexing. This only takes a few hours and then your Mac will be fine. But sometimes the indexing gets stuck, and you need to speed up a Mac. To solve this problem, you need to reindex Spotlight by going to System Preferences > Spotlight and clicking on the “Privacy” tab.
Now drag your hard drive from Finder into the Privacy List. Once added, remove it by clicking the “-” sign. The indexing will start again, but hopefully, after a few hours, it will finish properly and boost your Mac speed.
6. Reduce Desktop clutter
Remember, every desktop icon takes up RAM space. Fewer icons — the faster your Mac gets. When your Desktop is clean, restart your computer. And the 'Desktop Stacks' feature lets you put those icons in order. If you're running macOS High Sierra or older macOS version, don't worry. The mere deletion of desktop items will make your MacBook faster.
7. Empty the caches
Cache files are temporary data used to speed up the processes. For example, a web browser will cache web pages to download a website faster when you revisit it. Sounds great, right? Actually, it is, but there is always “but.” Over time, these cache files take much storage on your Mac, and instead of speeding things up, they slow your computer down.
So how to speed up MacBook by emptying the caches? There are two ways: you can clean them up manually (step-by-step) or you can remove them in a second with a cleaning utility CleanMyMac X.
If you want to clear cache automatically, do the following:
- Launch CleanMyMac — download the app for free here
- Choose System Junk.
- Click Scan and then Clean.
That’s it!
However, if you decide to clean cache files manually, check out his guide on “How to Clear Cache on a Mac.”
8. Uninstall unused apps
Another proven way to speed up MacBook Pro, MacBook Air or iMac is to uninstall the application you don’t need anymore. So how to remove unwanted apps on your Mac? You may be surprised to find out that simply dragging them to a Trash bin is not enough. It leaves gigabytes of junk behind. Dragging documents and movies to Trash works fine but apps should be uninstalled completely. Check out a step-by-step guide on “How to Uninstall Apps on a Mac.” It describes the manual way and the easy way.
There are also unseen apps, called launch agents that may slow your Mac down. For example, your internet download speeds suddenly plummeted. How to speed up downloads on Mac? Delete background agents that cannibalize your internet speeds.
9. Clean up Mac’s hard drive
If you want the most bang for your buck, cleaning your hard drive is by far the best and easiest way to speed up MacBook or iMac. Go through your hard drive and clean out everything that is slowing it down. But what is slowing down my Mac? What to look for? Caches, logs, apps, widgets, hidden trash, large and old files.
Extra step: Delete large unused files
Think of a car that has a heavy load in the trunk. For all its engine power, it cannot really go fast. The same happens on your Mac only your disk is stuffed with heavy files.
1.Go to Apple menu > About this Mac >Storage.
2.Click on “Manage…”
1.Go to Apple menu > About this Mac >Storage.
2.Click on “Manage…”
In the menu that appears, click on Documents. These should be your largest space-wasters. In our case, these are movie files. Review these and move them away onto an external drive.
Of course, you can clean up your Mac manually. But finding and removing all these things takes time. And you have to know where to look. The good news is that there is an easy solution to the problem. CleanMyMac X, by MacPaw has everything you need to finish the 3-hour task of hard drive cleanup in under 5 minutes. Even more, it will clean up the junk you didn’t even know about and speed up Mac.
![Download Download](/uploads/1/3/3/2/133275897/837519274.jpg)
10. Update your Mac (OS and hardware)
Typically, Macs take care of themselves. Having the latest software from Apple makes speeding up your Mac simple. To check your version of the operating system, click the Apple icon in the top left corner of your screen and then About This Mac. Make sure you have the latest macOS/OS X installed (or the latest you can install since not all Macs upgrade to macOS Catalina).
As for the hardware upgrade, as you’ve probably guessed, it is costly. But if your OS is the latest possible version and you’ve cleaned up the hard drive, and you still have troubles with speed, this could be your solution. Keep in mind that upgrading some hardware is not possible for certain Macs.
Upgrading to the latest OS and upgrading your hardware will typically solve a bunch of slowness issues.
11. Create a new user profile on your Mac
If you want to go even further than updating the macOS — simply create a new user profile on your Mac. Some settings in your current user profile may have been compromised or got cluttered with outdated system logs. You can scrap all these and start your profile afresh.
- Click the Apple logo > System Preferences.
- Click Users & Groups.
- Press to Unlock changes.
- Add a new user with a “+”
Next up, you will have to import your crucial user data to your new account. Luckily, macOS has a special Shared Folder just for this purpose. It can be found by clicking Finder > Go > Computer > Macintosh HD > Users. Drop your documents to this folder and then log in to your new account. Well done! You’re starting a new life!
12. Free up RAM using Terminal
If you made it to this tip, you probably have enough skill to start using Mac's Terminal app. It's like using a magic wand — there are dozens of helpful combinations that you can use to speed up mac OS. One of them is used to free up RAM instantly.
You can apply this trick when your system is running out of available memory. In other words, when a particular app freezes up and desperately needs some fresh memory.
You can apply this trick when your system is running out of available memory. In other words, when a particular app freezes up and desperately needs some fresh memory.
- Open Terminal app via Launchpad.
- Paste in the following command:
sudo purge
- Hit Enter.
- You will be asked to enter your system password
If you're not comfortable with using Terminal, there is a shortcut way to free up RAM that requires no hacking skills.
You can download the app I've mentioned above, CleanMyMac X, preferably, the 2019 version.
You can download the app I've mentioned above, CleanMyMac X, preferably, the 2019 version.
- Download CleanMyMac X here.
- Navigate to the Maintenance tab.
- Click Free up RAM
- That's it!
Extra tip: Add more RAM
How to speed up my Mac? How to get it run faster? In fact, upgrading RAM is usually a great solution for improving your Mac’s performance. But first, check how much RAM you physically have on your Mac.
- Click on the Apple logo > About this Mac...
- Look out for Memory specs
The normal amount in 2019 is anything above 8 GB of RAM. An extra 8 GB RAM card will cost you around $30.
The more RAM your Mac has at its disposal, the more windows or tabs you can have open without slowing the system down. With more RAM, the operating system isn’t making calls to virtual memory which uses the hard drive and slows down the system considerably. Here’s a comprehensive guide on “How to Upgrade Your Mac’s RAM.”
One more hardware solution to speed up your MacBook is to reapply MacBook’s thermal paste which has probably worn off over time. The tell-tale sign for this is your Mac overheating too often. The thermal paste transfers heat away from your Mac’s processor thus making it more efficient.
13. Reset SMC & PRAM
Sometimes your Mac will act strange for no apparent reason — it sleeps or shuts down unexpectedly, the battery doesn’t charge properly, the keyboard backlight behaves incorrectly, and your Mac performs slowly. If these issues are not solved by restarting your computer, you’ll need to reset SMC (system management controller) and PRAM (parameter RAM).
How to speed up MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and MacBook
Resetting the SMC
First of all, you need to determine whether your Mac’s battery is removable. That’s because the process of resetting the SMC for computers that have a non-removable battery is quite different.
If the battery is non-removable:
- Shut down your Mac.
- Press Shift+Control+Option on your keyboard and press the power button at the same time. Hold the keys and a power button for 10 seconds.
- Release all keys.
- Press the power button to turn on your Mac.
If the battery is removable:
- Shut down your Mac.
- Remove the battery.
- Press the power button and hold it for 5 seconds.
- Press the power button again to turn on your computer.
How to speed up iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Pro
- Shut down your computer.
- Unplug a power cord and wait 15 seconds.
- Plug the power cord in.
- Wait 5 seconds and press the power button.
Resetting the PRAM
- Shut down your Mac.
- Press the power button.
- Press the Command+Option+P+R keys at the same time.
- Hold the keys until your Mac restarts.
- Release the keys.
Resetting SMC and PRAM may seem to be difficult, but it can really help with Mac speedup.
14. Replace your HDD with SSD
So you're asking yourself how to speed up my Mac — but have you tried hardware solutions? You can breathe new life into your Mac by replacing its traditional hard drive with a solid-state one. Adding an SSD will make your computer boot faster, copy files in the blink of an eye and make the system really fast when multitasking.
A word of caution: it’s recommended that you consult a professional before attempting any hardware upgrades yourself because the process is quite challenging. And don’t forget to make a complete backup of your data before replacing your HDD with SSD, so that you’ll be able to restore all important files if something goes wrong.
By today's standards, a good SSD will have 240-256 GB of capacity. It is recommended to clean install the macOS on the new drive. When asked about the formatting system, choose the APFS+ file system which works much faster.
By today's standards, a good SSD will have 240-256 GB of capacity. It is recommended to clean install the macOS on the new drive. When asked about the formatting system, choose the APFS+ file system which works much faster.
15. Use CleanMyMac X
If you don’t feel like spending the next several hours trying to get your Mac in shape manually, there is a great solution. Download CleanMyMac X and let it do the job for you. This powerful utility is the best way to speed up old Mac. It has a dedicated feature, called Speed that battles the slow macOS. It does some of the following:
- Disables your Hung Apps
- Disables Heavy Memory Consumers
- Runs macOS Maintenance Scripts
- Switches off extra Login items and more
Some users reported that the Speed feature is pretty impressive, especially on older Mac models.
Now, speed up your Mac, take a deep breath, do a Mac speed test and come to thank us.
Here is a short video recap of what we've discussed above.
How To Make Stuff Download Faster On Macbook Air
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Wondering how to make your download speed faster and speed up your internet? It’s easy if you understand how the Internet works and you’re willing to make a few minor adjustments to your computer.
Make Your Download Speed Faster By Unblocking Your “Pipes”
You can think of the Internet as working a little bit like your bathroom sink. If you turn the cold water valve on all the way, then you’ll never get any hot water no matter how high far you twist the hot water valve. That’s because the opening the water comes out of in your sink is only so wide and only a limited amount of water can fit through it, even at high pressure, so the cold water blocks the hot water.
Your Internet connection can get blocked the same way. If you upload too much traffic, then there’s no space to download any traffic. You can make your download speed faster by limiting your upload bandwidth.
For example, in most BitTorrent programs there’s an upload bandwidth limit. If you set it to unlimited while uploading a popular torrent, you’ll quickly find your max upload speed. But, watch closely, your download speed will plummet the closer your get to your max upload speed.
Try setting your upload bandwidth limit to 90% or less of your max upload speed to make your download speed faster. This will ensure that the uploaded data gets out without blocking your downloads.
Also programs such as World of Warcraft and Skype can slow your internet connection down.
Make Your Download Speed Faster By Connecting To Multiple Servers
A lot of servers impose limits on their users, preventing them from downloading at maximum speed. You can make your download speed faster by downloading the same file from several different servers using a specialized download program such as GetRight.
How To Make Imac Faster
GetRight or a similar program will start downloading a file and then go out and try to find other copies of that same file on different servers. Then it will download the file in several pieces at the same time. When it finishes downloading, it then assembles the whole file out of the pieces.
Using a program like GetRight can help you make your download speed faster by over 1,000% when servers impose severe download limits. It can also help you resume downloading a file after your download is interrupted, which helps you make your download speed faster by not downloading the same part of a file twice.
How To Make Your Download Speed Faster By Getting Better Service
Two things can severely limit your download speed: one is a slow Internet plan; the other is a problem with your Internet connection. You can deal with both of these things by calling your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and getting them to make your download speed faster.
If you’re on a slow Internet plan, consider upgrading. Often you can double your speed for a small price increase. If you use file-sharing programs like Limewire or BitTorrent, you’ll find there’s an extra bonus that comes with upgrading your Internet plan: a faster download plan also usually comes with faster upload bandwidth, and peer-to-peer networks often reward users who upload faster, so you can make your download speed faster by uploading faster.
But even if you don’t upgrade, make sure you’re getting all of the speed promised by your ISP. If you’re not, you’re probably suffering from one of the common home networking problems. For example, cable modems don’t perform as well when you connect them to the wall using long coax cables. To make your download speed faster, use a shorter cable.
If you’re not getting the speed your ISP promised, give them a call. Most ISPs provide free home service for problems, and their trained technicians can quickly find and fix problems in order to make your download speed faster.
Make Your Download Speed Faster By Removing Spyware
Although this problem isn’t your ISP’s fault, it can significantly slow down your Internet. The problem is spyware and viruses—these invade your computer and use its resources. Spyware in particular likes to frequently “call home” to report on what you’ve been doing lately, but each of those reports takes up part of your Internet bandwidth.
To make your download speed faster, you need to remove any spyware or viruses from your computer. Start by running a full scan in your anti-virus software. If that doesn’t find any spyware but your Internet connection is still running slower than normal, I suggest you use a free trial version of some competing anti-virus software.
You can, get a free scan from PC Matic, the all in one software package that has had rave reviews and top rating world wide.
Turn Off Unnecessary Apps To Make Your Download Speed Faster
How To Make Stuff Download Faster On Macbook Pro
Do you listen to Internet radio or watch videos on YouTube while downloading? Media applications take up a lot more bandwidth than just reading pages on a typical website, so you should turn them off to make your download speed faster.
How To Make Stuff Download Faster On Mac Os
It’s especially important to turn off streaming media applications when you’re not using them. If you just mute your Internet radio player, it will keep downloading from the Internet even though you don’t hear anything. Make sure you pause it or (preferably) stop it to make your download speed faster.