Mac Running Slow: 6 Shocking Reasons Your Computer is Slowing Down

Taking a coffee break while waiting on your computer should be a thing of the past. You may be surprised by these 6 reasons for Mac running slow.

Mac enjoys a 9.42% market share of the computer market, which is a lot for its price. While Macs last longer than your average computer, they certainly don’t last forever.

A Mac running slow is a sign of aging or a host of other issues with your Mac. There are tons of reasons why your MacBook is slowing down, and some might surprise you.

In this post, we’ll be looking at a couple of reasons why your Mac isn’t as fast as it used to be. That way you can tell whether you need a new Mac or whether a few touch-ups is all it needs

Here are a couple of reasons why your Mac lags these days.

1. There’s Too Much Going On

Apple builds their computers to be fast and to have stellar performance. Despite their high specs, disorganized Macs are very slow machines.

You can’t expect your Mac to run smoothly when you have dozens of apps running at once.  Sometimes it’s not even your fault that there’s too much going on. Some downloaded or preloaded apps open on startup.

That means by the time you use your first app, you’ll have several apps running in the background. This greatly affects your Mac’s running speed. A disorganized desktop also slows down your Mac quite noticeably.

If that’s what causing the problem, then you can only solve it the old-fashioned way. You’ll have to sit down, look at all the running apps, and reorganize your entire computer.

2. Your Hard Drive Is Filling Up

The primary reason most Macs slow down is because of having too much data on their hard drives. Unfortunately, Macs come with limited storage, so you literally get what you pay for. If you fill up your hard drive earlier than expected, there’s a high chance your Mac will become dreadfully slow.

Before you start deleting files, it’s a good idea to check your Mac’s storage first. This means you have to know how to check storage on Mac, which is a piece of cake. After checking the storage, you can tell for sure whether it’s the storage that’s the problem or something else.

If storage is the problem, then it’s time to get down to business. The only fix to this is to clean up your hard drive. Cleaning up involves searching your desktop for old movies, apps, and files you don’t need and removing them.

You can consider a cleanup tool that you can download online to help you out. This tool will help you delete logs, caches, and language packs that are filling up your hard drive. If you’re too clingy, you can always transfer some files to the cloud and find more at this site.

3. You Have Malware

You don’t want to admit it, but maybe your Mac has a couple of viruses. That’s why it’s so slow, yet you have so much free space on your Mac.

The only way you can tell your computer has a virus is by doing a virus scan. If you have Mac OS X, then you have a pre-installed anti-virus. If you don’t, then you need to download an anti-virus for your Mac.

In case of any viruses, your anti-virus will automatically remove them or “quarantine” them.  You can set your virus scans to be automatic after a particular period to always keep your Mac safe.

Always update your anti-virus to enhance your virus protection. New viruses come out each day, and you need to update your anti-virus software to always detect them.

4. Your Browser Is clogged up

Most people use their Macs mainly or solely for browsing the internet. That means they’re mostly on their browsers. So their Macs’ slowness is an extension of the slowness of their browsers.

If your browser is acting up, then, in most cases, it’s not the browser that’s the problem. You can’t fill your browser with tons of extensions and tabs and expect it to run smoothly. If this describes your browser, then it’s time to do some browser decluttering.

This means getting rid of all extensions and tabs that you don’t need. You should do so first before moving to another browser. That’s because, in most cases, you’ll end up cluttering the new browser, which makes it just as slow as the previous one.

5. You Have an Outdated MacOS

Running an outdated macOS significantly slows down your computer. There’s a good reason why your Mac doesn’t stop reminding you about the new update. It’s because the new update is important and crucial for maintaining Mac’s running speeds.

Your Mac won’t be super slow if you run the software that came before the latest update. However, it’s only a matter of time before that software becomes completely obsolete. So the best thing to do is get the latest update of macOS as soon as it’s released.

To update your Mac, go to “About This Mac” on the Apple menu. Next, click on “software update” and wait for any information about an update. If there’s an update available, just click “update,” and you’re good to go.

6. Your Hardware Is Old

If you winced while reading the title, then you probably have old hardware. Maybe your Mac is slow because your old hardware can’t keep up with the new system requirements of newer software. Either that or your old hardware is suffering from wear and tear.

Whatever the case, your only alternative is to purchase some new hardware for your Mac. It might be a bit pricey, but your hands are pretty much tied at this point. If your finances are struggling, you can always consider second-hand hardware.

Is Your Mac running slow? It Should Never Lag Again

Macs are incredible machines that are built for performance and durability. So your Mac running slow is a sign of negligence on your part. Fortunately, you now know why your Mac is slowing down and also how to fix it.

Once you’re done restoring your Mac to the beast it once was, we have the perfect speed test for you. Head over and check out other exciting and informative posts on our site. If you can read more than three in five minutes, then you have a fast Mac.