Abhishek Chauhan
Figuring out how you got stuck with a slow Mac?
Nothing is more frustrating than having MacBook issues and poor performance. A slow MacBook can be a waking nightmare, especially if you haven’t the faintest clue why it’s happening.
Troubleshooting a slow running MacBook can take way too much time if you don’t know what the problem is. Even with great maintenance, you aren’t completely safe from MacBook issues. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of common MacBook problems and how to solve them.
Read on to know the possible causes and solutions to your slow-running MacBook.
Apps Are Running in the Background
Any MacBook slows down in the long run. The reason for this is due to the applications you have on your laptop. The thing about some apps is that it stays running in the background even without you using them.
The longer they keep running in the background, the faster they can drain your system. This will not only result in your laptop slowing down but will also lead to some battery and MacBook issues.
However, you can still stop this by quitting resource-heavy apps that run without your knowledge. Doing that will increase your battery life, bandwidth and protect your system resources.
To fix a slow MacBook with this cause, you can use your Activity Monitor. You can reach your MacBook’s Activity Monitor by pressing CTRL+Alt+Delete or searching for it.
After selecting Activity Monitor, it will lead you to a tab that shows your top applications for the last 12 hours. This includes real-time data on each apps’ energy impact and battery information.
Explore the top five tabs labeled with CPU, Memory, Disk, Network, and GPU. Make sure to focus on the programs causing large impacts in each tab. When you see apps running without your knowledge, you can click on them and stop them.
Running Low on RAM
Another reason you have a slow MacBook is that your laptop is running low on RAM. Remember that your RAM is where your laptop stores all temporary information for easier access.
Once your laptop’s RAM starts to get full, then chances are you’ll end up with a slow-running MacBook. To solve this issue, you can increase your RAM by upgrading it. However, not all MacBooks can do so.
If you’re not keen on upgrading your RAM, quitting apps using your activity monitor is a great solution. Often, some apps can continue to keep using RAM even if they’re not running. Quitting those processes with the Activity monitor will free up a lot of RAM space.
You can also make use of cleaning apps as an easier way. These apps have automated memory cleaning. This means they’ll stop the processes you don’t need while keeping the ones you do running.
Hard Drive Is Full
A full hard drive will not only ruin your system’s performance. It can also cause the applications you’re using to crash. This kind of MacBook issue happens when your macOS overworks itself by multitasking.
You can address this issue by exploring your Mac’s available hard drive and disk space. Click on “About This Mac,” and it will show you an overview of your MacBook. This includes its processor, memory, startup disk, and graphics.
Click on the ‘Storage’ tab to check the breakdown of your storage usage. After that, you can see four automatic recommendations for saving space on your drive.
- Store in iCloud
- Optimize Storage
- Empty Trash Automatically
- Reduce Clutter
Each of these options will help in decluttering your storage. That way, your hard drive space won’t be full while keeping your necessary files.
Outdated Software
Many MacBook issues stem from outdated software. Your slow MacBook is no exception to that.
A lot of people ignore software notifications because of their constant updates. Others take too long to make these updates because the process takes a lot of time, they can be productive.
Always remember that keeping your Mac and its software updated is critical. It ensures that you get the best performance out of your laptop and keep it running as fast as it can. Aside from that, it also resolves bugs and massive security changes.
To fix a slow MacBook, it’s important that you make regular updates with your apps and software. You can do that by clicking on Mac App Store. Use the Update button to download and install all necessary updates.
Malware on Your Mac
MacBooks are often secure, but that doesn’t mean they’re immune from viruses and other malware. The most common sources of these viruses are file-sharing apps and booby-trapped email attachments.
Some malware can slow down Macs. Malware can steal resources from your Mac and prevent other things from running.
The best way to stop this from happening is to limit the applications installed on your MacBook. You can do this by opening your MacOS System settings and visiting Security and Privacy.
Click on the padlock and enter your username and password. After that, go to the General tab and under Allow apps downloaded from, click on the App Store radio button.
You can also prevent this by being more cautious with your file downloads.
A malware-filled laptop not only makes it slow but also affects your laptop network’s upload speed. If your Mac still runs slow, there may be other underlying issues.
Your Definitive Guide on the Causes and Solutions for Your Slow MacBook
A slow Macbook will not only keep you from being productive. It is also a frustrating and time-consuming issue to solve. Once you experience a slow-running MacBook, it’s essential that you get to the bottom of it as fast as possible.
The only way to do that is to become aware of what can cause your laptop to slow down. Knowing what the potential issues are will make it easier for you to solve them. For more MacBook tips, check out our other blog posts.
