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Have you recently noticed that your Macbook is not performing as great as it did at the very start? If a long period of time has passed, it is only natural. But at the same time, the problem could lie elsewhere.
There are quite a few ways to speed up catalina or any other macOS version you have at the moment. Thus, if you happen to be in this situation, you will certainly want to continue reading and finding out what those solutions are.
Compatibility
The most recent macOS version came with a lot of neat updates and features, but that does not mean every single individual will be able to enjoy it to the fullest. Quite a few people have claimed that the new Catalina update did not help with their performance, and in some instances made matters even worse.
If you have a Macbook that was manufactured around 2012 and 2013, it is possible that this scenario will happen to you. Try to downgrade your OS and see what the situation is like.
Adding RAM
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RAM is relatively cheap these days and everyone can afford it. There is no need to do a complete overhaul, but replacing some of the hardware will certainly go a long way. And given how much it costs, not taking this opportunity would be a complete waste.
Buying an SSD
Speaking of upgrading hardware, a solid-state drive could also do wonders. If your HDD has been put to use for many years, it might be time to set it aside and make some changes. SSDs are becoming more and more common not just for laptops, but for regular computers as well. And the more popular it becomes, the cheaper it is.
Activity Monitor
Some services take more resources than others. In fact, if you were to open your Activity Monitor, you would definitely see some heavy hitters, like internet browsers.
What is the solution? Killing every single process will not do you a lot of good, but if there are some useless things running in the background, shutting them off is the correct course of action. At the same time, you can always look for alternatives that do the same thing but consume less.
Dust and Dirt
Not everything has to revolve around technical problems. It just so happens that dust and dirt are one of the biggest offenders of the whole thing. If you have not had a chance to do some cleaning beforehand, you will be unpleasantly surprised when you see what is going on inside the computer. A thorough cleaning will do wonders, so it would not be a stretch to say that it should be at the top of the priority list.
Cluttered Desktop
That terrible habit of having all your icons on the desktop does not help if you want to look like an organized person. At the same time, it heavily slows down the overall performance since every icon has to be rendered whenever you end up on the desktop again. Keep things organized, put everything in folders and save yourself some resources.
Malware and Viruses
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Malware and viruses strike when you least expect them to do that. And even if you actively avoid stuff like torrenting or visiting shady websites, nobody can be certain.
It is crucial to have anti-virus software actively running all the time. Also, you should do regular scans as well to ensure that everything is in order.
Visual Effects
While visual effects might seem like something cool, they really have no place on pragmatic people’s computers. If you are sick and tired of seeing various effects, shut them off. It is as simple as that.
Startup Items
Every application that launches together with a computer adds to the pile of things that consume resources and slow everything down. Go to System Preferences, click on Groups and Users and log in your account.
Uncheck the boxes from every application you can find, the only exception being those that you actually use immediately when the computer finishes loading.
Also, keep in mind that whenever you install a new app, there might be a window asking whether you want it to end up on the login item list. Never accept because you can always start any application manually when you actually need it.
Lack of Storage Space
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If you experience warning messages about not having enough space on your hard drive, you are in a lot of trouble. Filling your HDD with so much stuff will result in a lot of issues.
Look to lessen the burden by getting rid of many things as you can. Start with disk cleanup and cache files as well as other hidden files. Apps that have not been used for a long time also have no place there.
You can also transfer some of your media like pictures and videos to external storage devices like USB drives. Finally, do not forget about iCloud and Dropbox.
