There’s nothing worse than waiting on your computer. A sluggish computer can delay important deadlines or cause a lot of frustration. There are dozens of reasons you have a slow running Mac, some of these reasons are unique to Apple computers or laptops.
Apple computers are famous for lasting long. The average life expectancy of a laptop is 5 years. But when you hold onto a computer for any amount of time, it’s bound to start experiencing issues.
If you notice your Apple computer is starting to slow down then it might be time for some preventative maintenance. Here are five commons reasons your mac is running slow and how to fix them.
- Your Hard Drive is Full
Often if a hard drive has less than 10gb free it can cause the whole computer to slow down. Upgrading your hard drive isn’t particularly hard, but it can be expensive. An alternative to buying an upgraded hard drive is transferring your files to the cloud. Whether you use Apple’s iCloud service, Google Drive, Dropbox or another service, going to the cloud can save you time and effort.
- Too Many Files on the Desktop
Apple computers will automatically render previews of your files stored on the desktop. This makes it easy to know what your files are and access them. However, this feature can cause your computer to slow down if you have too many files on the desktop that your computer tries to render at once. Use folders and the trash to keep your desktop clean.
- Hard Drive Failing
Hard drives can fail on any type of computer. As a computer, and especially laptops get older they will become more prone to failures. When you move your laptop and accidentally jostle it around your hard drive could be slowly getting out of line. Newer hard drives are built right on the motherboard and experience failures much less frequently. Upgrading your hard drive to a newer version or using solid state drives is a good way to avoid this problem.
- Not Enough RAM
Another issue that is common to any kind of computer is not having enough RAM. To see if your RAM is getting pushed too hard, visit the activity monitor on your Mac computer. If the “memory pressure” is high, it likely means there isn’t enough ram for what the computer is running. Upgrading your RAM is relatively easy and can be done by your local, certified Apple specialist.
- OS X Reinstall
Apple is regularly coming out with updated version of its operating system. Keeping current with this OS updates will help keep your computer running smoothly. Alternatively, if your computer is several years old and has never had a clean wipe and reinstall of the OS, then you may notice the computer running slower. Sometimes it helps to start completely fresh and wipe your machine and start over.
Apple computers are well-built and can last for years. With these tips in mind you can keep your Mac running smoothly and quickly for as long as you need it.
Are you having trouble fixing an issue with your computer? Is it running slow no matter what you do? Give the experts at Executech a call! We’re available 24/7/365 to help with any computer issue you have.
