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Get a cleaner, faster, and smoother-running Mac with CCleaner

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How to speed up a Mac: 4 things you can do

Let's get right to it. Here are 4 things you can do right now if you've been searching online for "how to speed up Mac" and you're not sure what to do.

1. Check your Activity Monitor

Think of your Mac's 'Activity Monitor' as a source of truth for all the system processes taking place at any one time, something useful to know if you've been scouring the web for "how to speed up Mac". Launch it by clicking on the magnifying glass icon on the top-right corner of your desktop screen, also known as Spotlight.

Once opened, you should be able to see a list of different processes taking place on your Mac. Click the tabs like 'CPU' and 'Memory' to sort through and find processes that could be causing your Mac to slow down. It's a good idea to point out here that some of these processes could be programs that launch automatically when your Mac starts up. Fortunately, CCleaner for Mac actually has a quick and easy way of dealing with this problem.

2. Run any missed software updates

It's easy to overlook these and see them as an unnecessary effort, but not when you consider that updates help fix bugs or glitches within software while patching up security weaknesses. If you've been searching online for a quick solution to "how to speed up Mac", addressing long-overdue updates to your operating system and applications may help speed up your Mac. Apple has its own guides for this, such as this one.

The importance of software updates is also why CCleaner Professional (Mac) comes with an auto-update function, helping to keep the app working at its best but also, importantly, your iMac, MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro.

3. Rethink your Mac's storage

Click the Apple icon from your desktop and then click on 'Storage'. After this, you should be able to see a colored bar showing a breakdown of the types of files stored on your Mac's hard drive. What you may not know is that your Mac needs about 20% of its storage space free for the operating system to work at its best.

Apple offers different ways to address this problem, such as moving files into online iCloud storage or even automatically removing films and TV shows from the iTunes Store that you've already watched, plus older email attachments. You can even empty your Trash folder automatically and use the 'Reduce Clutter' function to help identify and remove certain files. However, Apple doesn't cover everything. That's why this next point is important.

4. Download CCleaner for Mac

CCleaner for Mac can help remove junk files that accumulate from your web browser and daily computer activity to help save storage space and optimize your machine, a great solution if you've been looking online for "how to speed up Mac" and want to speed up your Mac. It can also help reduce the risk of your computer lagging or crashing by repairing faulty disk permissions, often caused by installing and uninstalling different apps. Disabling startup programs is another useful function of CCleaner for Mac, optimizing your computer's performance when you turn it on. 

At CCleaner, we're experts in PC, Android, and Mac optimization. To give the free version of our Mac app a try today, see here.

FAQs

  • Is there a way to speed up your Mac?

    Usually, you can speed up your Mac yourself. Find any system processes in the ‘Activity Monitor’ that might be the culprit, make sure all software is up to date, and consider moving files stored on your Mac elsewhere (e.g. iCloud or an external hard drive).

  • How do I speed up my Mac 2022?

    Speeding up your Mac in 2022 is even easier thanks to our new CCleaner for Mac software which takes (optimizing your Mac) even further than before. It finds duplicate files and photos, manages apps, empties the trash automatically, and much more.

  • How do I speed up my Mac using Activity Monitor?

    You can speed up your Mac using Activity Monitor by going to the ‘Memory’ tab and looking down all of the processes listed. If any are using too many resources or you’re not using an app, click on it, then the ‘Stop’ button at the top with the ‘x’ and ‘Quit.’