MacOS is an operating system which is characterized by its powerful performance. However, over time, iMacs begin to exhibit sluggish or very slow performance that minimize the quality of the user experience.
Given this, people are interested in knowing what are the main reasons why your Mac computer is running slowly and it gives them headaches or upsets. Which, we will proceed to detail below.
Also, we will announce The best tips to implement to improve the speed of a Mac and enjoy the sensation of using a brand new equipment. In addition, we will emphasize hardware errors which also affect its performance.
Why is my iMac slow?
As time passes, it is common for any Mac starts running slowersince no one is saved. But, beyond knowing this, it was ideal to know more closely What are the real reasons why the operation of an Apple computer is affected?.
Indeed, below, we highlight the most frequent causes why your iMac can be very slow:
- Many programs running in the background: When there are various software that start automatically without your knowledge and are operating in the background, Macs often slow down because such items keep consuming all the hardware resources.
- The hard disk drive is very full: If your computer’s hard drive is reaching its capacity limit, by default, your Mac will run slowly. Taking into account that, apart from hosting the OS and the programs, it also stores documents, photos, videos, etc.
- Failure to update the operating system: If your Mac has an outdated operating system, it’s common for it to run slower than normal. Since, it is essential to update the operating system to optimize the speed of any computer with MacOS. Otherwise, your performance suffers.
- Insufficient RAM: Whenever RAM malfunctions, multitasking between applications becomes difficult and programs are less responsive.
- Using a slow internet connection: Sometimes the slowness of your iMac is not due to the system itself, but rather the fault of the Internet connection. Which, unfortunately, tends to lead to lag page loads and lots of buffering while playing videos.
- The computer has not restarted: Another of the most common reasons why a Mac runs slowly is that it has not been restarted for a long time. Which, produces the deficit of cleaning the files in the cache and does not allow to give a new beginning to the RAM memory.
- Multiple apps open at the same time: If you are using many applications simultaneously or multitasking, it is likely that your Mac is becoming unnecessarily cluttered and as a result, it is starting to run very slowly.
- Incompatibilities of an app with the Mac: It is also possible that any app installed on your iMac has incompatibilities with it when you open it, either because of its type of processor or graphics card. So, it affects the performance of the computer.
Learn how to improve the speed of your iMAC
After know what are the main reasons why your iMac can be slowit is easier to intuit which solution is required to optimize its operation quickly.
That is why, below, we offer you 15 very helpful suggestions to increase the performance of your Apple computer:
Use Activity Monitor
To locate resource hogs, it is recommended to do use of Activity Monitor that you find it pressing the keyboard shortcut Spacebar + cmd and typing “Display”. Once you access, you can see where the system resources are being dedicated (either on CPU, RAM or battery) by percentage.
Here’s an idea:
- In the CPU sectionyou can get if a program is overloading it to proceed to close it and thus improve its speed.
- From the Memory tab, you will find out if your iMac manages memory efficiently. If not, it will be displayed in yellow or red, indicating that the computer is running out of RAM.
- Through Energyyou will be able to know which programs you have to close so that the battery lasts longer.
Check the hard drive
To check if there is free space available on your Mac’s hard drive, start by opening the Apple menu and choosing “About this Mac”. Then click “More information” and click on “Storage”. Now, if the remaining space that shows you is less than 2 GB, it is best to do a cleaning; be it deleting unnecessary files, deleting old downloads, etc. But if that doesn’t work, consider upgrading to an SSD.
Clean up a full drive with CleanMyMac X
If you want to forgo upgrading to an SSD to improve the performance of your Mac’s hard drive, we suggest using a third-party tool called “CleanMyMac” that takes care of suppressing what is necessary, safely and without affecting the system. Thus, it will be much more practical to speed up your Apple device and even, improve system services at a deep level reorganizing the databases.
Check your internet connection
Of course a slow internet connection can have a negative impact in the operation of any computer. Therefore, in order for your Mac to operate with better performance, it is also appropriate that check your internet connection.
To do this, start by holding down the Option key and then press the WiFi icon from the menu bar. Then select the option “Open Wireless Diagnostics” and after running said diagnosis, you can check if there is a problem with the network connection. In that case, They will show you the instructions to follow on the screen to be able to solve any problem detected and thus enjoy a much more capable Internet connection.
Prevent apps from opening when your Mac turns on
To prevent the “resource hogs” delay the start of the computer, it is ideal to know which are the applications that are turned on when starting Mac so that it starts to operate slowly. To do this, access the System Preferences menu and click on “Users and groups”. Now, go to the Launch at startup section and there, you will see which programs start when you turn on the computer. After, it only remains to eliminate those that you do not need.
Uninstall apps you don’t use
Another effective method to recover and/or increase the speed of your iMac consists of uninstall apps you no longer need. Bearing in mind, this doesn’t just mean trashing them, but uninstalling them completely to get rid of the bunch of gigabytes of useless data that won’t go away.
So if you want to uninstall such apps from your Mac, the procedure is based on click on the Launchpad icon from the Dock. Subsequently, find and select the app you want to delete, in order to proceed to keep pressing on the application until it starts to shake and, finally, in the upper left corner, Click on the X and then click on “Delete”.
Update your Mac (operating system and hardware)
Inherently, installing the latest version of Apple software (i.e. upgrading the operating system) is synonymous with reset the speed of any Mac computer. Therefore, find out what the latest version of MacOS is and check which one your computer has, from the section “About this Mac” in the Apple menu. If the option is available, select “Update now”.
Apart from keeping your Mac up to date with respect to the operating system, it is also appropriate upgrade hardware. Which, although it is much more expensive, it is pertinent to do it if it is within your reach to enjoy better returns derived from certain parts of the hardware.
Clear your Mac’s cache
Clearing the cache is recommended only when you urgently need space on your computer and to improve the performance of your Mac. The procedure to get rid of it, begins by open Finder and click on the “Go” menu. Once the displayed menu is displayed, press the Option key and when you see the Library section, you have to search there for one that is called “Caches”. Next, you will be presented with all the items stored temporarily and you must choose all the ones you want to delete.
Free up RAM in Terminal
Not all users are skilled enough to be able to use the Mac Terminal app properly. However, the truth is that it is not difficult to do it either and It is an optimal solution to speed up MacOS when a Mac runs very slow.. The present trick consists of accessing the launch pad on your computer to open the Terminal application. followed by that, copy and paste the command sudo purge and proceed to press the enter key. Now, enter the system password and that’s it.
Remove browser extensions
If more than 90% of the time you spend your Mac browsing online, it is likely that your computer could be affected by a broken browser with certain extensions or plugins. Which, show floating windows and ads that slow down the computer, worsen your user experience, etc. Then, to remove such items from Safariyou just have to access the Preferences menu, click on the tab “Extensions” and remove all those extensions you want.
Reset your Mac’s PRAM
This type of memory, which stores various settings necessary for system startup and, in general, about Mac settings (screen resolution, speaker volume, time zone, etc.), can be reset to improve computer performance, getting his speed back. Although it is not common to do it, it is not really complicated. Well, the steps consist of: Shut down your Mac, press the power button, press the keys Command + Option + P + R simultaneously until the system reboots, release the keys and you’re done.
Disable visual effects
All animations and graphics tend to be very resource intensive and therefore to gain speed on Mac, it is advised disable visual effects. Otherwise, the computer may become slower and slower.
In this case, you have to start by entering the System Preferences menu and selecting the option “Dock and menu bar”. Next, find and uncheck the boxes that say “Animated application opening” Y “Hide and show the Dock automatically”. Lastly, press “Minimize windows using” and proceeds to change the “Aladdin Effect” to “Scale Effect”.
Avoid having many apps open and close the ones that are necessary
Many users assume that clicking on the red button located in the upper left corner of the window closes the apps. However, this action is not responsible for closing them completely and indeed, the dock shows them with a small gray circle…
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