How to Speed Up Mac Performance
One thing about Macs is that using them tends to grow on you. Overtime you tweak and customize settings, keyboard shortcuts, and hot corners to get the most of your workflow. Naturally, you want to make it last.
You won’t be running into any trouble with a new crispy Mac, yet if you own a MacBook that’s few years of age it can start getting bogged down on more intensive tasks. If that is what’s happening to your Mac, then don’t bench it just yet. Here are 5 tips to squeeze more juice out of your aging Mac.
Tip 1: Turn Off FireVault
FireVault is a built-in macOS security application that can be found by going to Apple Menu > Security & Privacy > FireVault. FireVault encrypts all data on your MacBook and requires a recovery key or your login password in order to decrypt it. Encryption will prevent any leaks of sensitive data in case your computer gets lost or stolen, however this security comes with the cost of performance as your Mac needs to encrypt and decrypt all data you are using. Therefore, if you don’t store any major company data, the loss of which can harm your business, or any other sensitive information, then turning off FireVault can help speed things up by a fraction.
To disable FireVault head over to Apple Menu > Security & Privacy > FireVault. Click the lock in the bottom of the window and enter your password to make changes, disable the FireVault.
Tip 2: Tune Down Visual Effects
The attention to detail in Mac OS X animations and visual effects is something that we tend to get for granted. While being pleasing to the eye, smooth visuals come at the expense of performance. If you are looking to make your Mac faster then tuning down visual effects is the way to go. The difference in responsiveness on older Apple computers will be especially noticeable.
Firstly, head over to System Preferences > Accessibility and choose Display in the tab on the left. Enable Reduce Motion and Reduce Transparency.
Secondly, go to System Preferences > Dock, in the Minimize windows effect choose Scale effect instead of the Genie effect.
Cutting down on eye candy is yet another step towards making your old Mac an extra bit snappier.
Tip 3: Add or Upgrade Existing RAM
When the increase in performance becomes a essential need and a new MacBook is too much to afford, then adding a maximum supported amount of RAM is your best bet.
MacOS loves RAM. Installing maximum RAM will allow for a substantial bump in performance and in combination with an upgrade to SSD (in case your Mac is still using HDD) can make an old Mac feel like a brand new machine.
Tip 4: Install the Latest OS X
The importance of OS updates should by no means be underestimated. Installing the newest software will optimize the way the system treats your hardware and your data. In case you have not upgraded your macOS in a while, make sure to check up on the latest from Apple by launching App Store and going to Updates tab. Scan for updates and install the latest ones.
On the occasion, when an upgrade to a newer OS X version has caused your Mac to slow down, a clean re-install of macOS is recommended. Installing and configuring the new OS from scratch will help wiping all unnecessary logs, caches and misplaced data that might have occurred in the process of upgrade. It may seem like a hassle, but it will be worth it in the end. Don’t forget to backup prior to reinstalling your OS.
Does Wiping Free Space Improve Performance
There has been a lot of rumors surrounding how macOS treats free space. Some of them are true, and some of them — not so much. The ‘Erase Free Space’ option available on the some of the earlier versions of Mac OS X through Disk Utility app is what usually raises the question — ‘does it improve performance?’. Erasing free space (aka defragmentation) will only do good on a HDD. While it is still recommended to erase the space every once in a while, erasing free space won’t bring a noticeable difference as macOS still treats free space as free, regardless of what used to be in the cluster.
Tip 5: Maintain Free Space on Startup Disk
What does help is keeping an ample amount of free space on your drive. In order for macOS to work smoothly it is recommended to always have anywhere between 15%-20% of startup disk storage free. To make more space available first check Downloads folder and remove unneeded or duplicated files. Next up, install MacFly Pro (or any other reliable cleaning utility) and perform a scan. This way you will save yourself a ton of time.
Mac Utilities to Improve Performance
Right off the bat, it’s important to understand that no utility can add actual performance to your Mac. A lot of it has to do with the fact that it is your hardware and OS X which are the main determining factors of how well your Mac performs. However, a good utility app can help you keep your Mac in good condition and let your system show off its A-game at all times. One of the best mac performance optimization software options, capable of bringing out the best in your Mac, is MacFly Pro. It comes with a free trial and offers a wide range of options for Mac optimization — removes logs & caches, app leftovers, duplicates, rarely used apps, and even frees up your RAM. What makes MacFly Pro a perfect candidate for your go-to Mac utility is the presence of the Smart Assistant.
After the initial system scan, Smart Assistant monitors your system regularly and provides improvement suggestions to help your Mac perform on the highest level. To maintain your Mac in good condition simply grab MacFly Pro and follow the suggestions provided.