Is Your Mac Running Slow? Here Are 5 Ways to Speed It Up – We rely on digital connection now more than ever before. With the increase of remote work, popularity of streaming services, social media and daily chores like banking and paperwork all being done through the Internet, there’s not much that can’t be achieved online. To preform day-to-day tasks, users need a reliable device that operates smoothly. So, when a computer starts to slow down, it’s important to take immediate steps to remedy the issue.
If you notice a sudden difference to the performance of your computer, it could be a warning sign that your device has been infected with malware. Malware is an umbrella term that refers to any kind of malicious software designed to attack your computer, whether it targets your data, spies on your activity or disrupts your system. Contrary to popular belief, Macs are vulnerable to viruses and other types of malware, and an underperforming system is one of the tell-tale signs that your computer may have been infected.
Read on for 5 ways to speed up your computer.
Install Anti-Malware Software
The first step to cleaning up your device is to run targeted software. The best antivirus software will target all kinds of future threats, and work to rid your computer of any current issues. For example, Malwarebytes antivirus for Mac does it all: this service “takes out malware, adware, spyware and other threats before they can infect your machine and ruin your day.” It also crushes potentially unwanted programs that slow down your Mac, ensuring your device remains pristine. The average scans run in just under 30 seconds!
Remove Unwanted Files
You can also speed up your system by deleting files that you no longer need. Clearing space on your hard drive means faster operating capacity, so it’s good practice to clean up your files on an ongoing basis. But did you know that items in your trash bin aren’t actually deleted and continue to take up space? So be sure to “empty” the trash itself, too.
Clear Your Browsing History
Because Internet browsers actually store data about each website you visit, this can eventually begin to slow down the loading speed on your device after a while. So, clearing your cookies every once in a while is a positive habit to get into. If you’re having trouble loading web pages on your Mac, deleting its browsing history should speed things up.
Restart Regularly
It’s easy to leave your computer on all of the time by simply closing your laptop when you’re done using it. But there are many benefits to restarting your device on a regular basis. By rebooting your computer, you’ll flush its RAM (Random Access Memory), help fix bugs, and ultimately speed up its performance. Restarting your computer will keep things running smoothly, because you can get rid of information bogging down the device and give it a chance to recoup.
Limit How Many Programs You Run
As a practice, it’s best to limit the amount of programs you have running at once. This ensures that your device can optimize its energy to help a few programs run smoothly, rather than spread its bandwidth across a ton of different tasks at the same time.
So, if your Mac starts to run slowly all of the sudden, there’s certainly hope for your device. Follow the above steps to keep your device in good shape.