Mac laptops usually provide an acceptable level of performance. However, each rule has exceptions. If your Mac is old and stuffed with trash, this will entail certain consequences. If you feel that the Mac is becoming slower, follow this instruction and then your resentment will come to an end.
1. Reduce the CPU load
Open the System Monitoring (Finder → Programs → Utilities) and look at the CPU column (by clicking on the column, you can sort the list of tasks by the degree of workload). The most gluttonous tasks can be closed. Or it’s worth deleting such programs and replacing them with alternative less demanding options.
2. Use Safari and close unused browser tabs
The standard Safari browser is optimized for macOS. Any other third-party solutions like Chrome or Opera will consume significantly more RAM. Make Safari your default browser and use the same Chrome when you need to use some third-party extensions or visit sites that do not open correctly in Safari.
Also, do not forget to close unused browser tabs.
3. Reduce transparency and animation
Used in the latest versions of macOS transition animation and transparency effects can easily weave the old Mac. Turning them off slightly improves the performance of your computer.
You can read more here — https://macpaw.com/how-to/speed-up-mac how to do it.
4. Disable FileVault encryption
If you have OS X Yosemite installed on your Mac or a newer version of the operating system, FileVault encryption will be activated by default. Thanks to this wonderful feature, even if your Mac is lost or stolen, the data on the disk will remain intact, and confidentiality will not be compromised.
The encryption process requires additional system resources. If you have a stationary Mac or data protection is not in the first place, then it makes sense to disable this option.
5. Block applications from autorun
Fans of installing a bunch of utilities that improve communication with the computer should not forget that they can work in the background and register in the startup list. This slows down the launch of the Mac, and the second — loads the processor and takes up memory. It is not necessary to go into the settings of each program to exclude it from startup, especially not all developers integrate this setting item into their software.
6. Disable Spotlight search indexing
The slowdown of the operating system is possible when re-indexing the file system in the interest of searching for Spotlight. In the system settings, there is no option to disable this function. But it can be done in the Terminal by using a special command
7. Disable indexing in the Photo app
In the macOS Sierra Photo application, the function of automatic recognition and grouping of faces has appeared. The option is interesting, but not for everyone. It’s urgent, and if you have an old machine too, it will not be superfluous to turn it off altogether. If you think that such functionality is useless, go to System Monitoring and close all processes with the name “photos”.
8. Free up space on disk
A disk full of files is going to slow down the computer. Users of modern Macs with SSD should also not forget the golden rule — for the system to work properly, and it is necessary to have 15-20% of free space.
To clean the system, you can use the new utility to free up space on your Mac (first appeared on macOS Sierra). To do this, go to the menu → About this Mac → the “Storage” tab → Manage.
Use the side panel to select how to clean the space. Deleting applications and files is an effective measure in this matter.
9. Reset the SMC
Resetting the System Controller (SMC) parameters leads to solving many minor system problems. This action allows you to organize the applications and tasks involved when you start the Mac.
10. Uninstall Flash
Steve Jobs said that Flash technology is unpromising. Last year, Adobe completely stopped its support. Maybe you have a Flash application installed on your Mac that will work in the background and automatically launch videos from web pages. Use any convenient, specialized application like AppCleaner, to remove all components related to Flash.
