Fed up of your Mac running slowly? Perhaps you’ve noticed it become sluggish with age? Generally Macs run efficiently, but over time or with an older Mac it’s worthwhile monitoring the performance. Allocate time aside to clean and tidy up your machine and its advantages will pay you back long term by running software faster.

Your Mac deserves some TLC so here’s a list of various things you can do to help clean up the system:

CleanMyMac Software – Free Trial too!

The CleanMyMac 3 software by MacPaw. This great piece of software allows you to clean, optimise and maintain your Mac computer so you can rest assured that performance is top-notch. It’s a good idea to do this on a regular basis – monthly if possible. The software thoroughly scans your system, removes junk and monitors your Mac’s health. You could compare it to when us human beings feel the need to have a detox to help you feel fresh and revitalised.

CleanMyMac 3 is user friendly and indicates what to clean. It scans everything on your Mac. In addition, its smart software knows exactly what can be safely cleaned from your Mac to make extra space. Smart Cleanup is perfect for all your Mac cleaning needs.

It scans:

• Mac System
• Large and Old Files
• Photos and iPhoto Libraries
• Mail Application
• iTunes Library
• Mac Trash Bins

2) Close applications you’re not using

Too many programs running at once may dedicate memory and CPU space to them instead of to the apps you actually want. Check which apps you have running by opening Activity Monitor (in Finder -> Applications -> Utilities) and close the ones you don’t need.

3) Free up space on your hard drive

It’s advised to keep some space free on your Mac – aim for at least 10%. Check your diskspace using Disk Utility (Finder -> Applications -> Disk Utility). A good place to start is by emptying the Trash. To free up further space check through your User folder for items you can remove (especially Pictures and Movies). You should also empty the Downloads folder of any items you’re unlikely to need.

4) Remove unwanted programs and widgets

It’s often a good idea to start removing apps that you don’t really use. You can just drag and drop apps into the Trash. You should also remove any widgets that you don’t regularly use from the Dashboard.

5) Software Update

Make sure you perform a software update for Mac OS X and all the apps installed on the Mac.
You should also ensure that Mac OS X keeps itself up to date. Click on System Preferences > App Store and ensure that “Automatically Check For Updates” is ticked. You can also tick “Install App Updates” which will automatically ensure that apps are updated.

6) Repair Permissions

Open Disk Utility (Finder -> Applications -> Disk Utility) and choose your main hard drive from the sidebar (in most Macs there will only be one.) Click on First Aid and Repair Permissions. This will ensure that all the files on your Mac have the correct permissions.

As of El Capitan, you can no longer repair permissions in Disk Utility. It’s gone because the new System Integrity Protection (SIP) in El Capitan prevents permissions on files being modified which, according to Apple at least, means there should be no need to repair permissions.

7) Upgrade the RAM

RAM helps speed up the way programs are used. If your Mac has the availability to increase the amount of RAM it has then this is an investment worthwhile. Most people notice a dramatic change in speed when upgrading the RAM.

Summary

It’s important to maintain your Mac because as it gets older they will naturally clog up with items you don’t even need! Often you wouldn’t even realise the amount of unnecessary items lurking around in your machine which can cause build-up and therefore result in slowness, performance issues and other arising problems. We hope these tips help you so that you can achieve the fastest speed from your Mac. 🙂