We all wish our beloved Apple Macbooks could run as fast as they did when they were right out of the box forever. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The more you use a computer and start to fill it with your data and clutter, it starts to get bogged down and performance takes a serious dip.
Do not worry! There are many ways to reverse this situation and greatly improve the performance of your old Macbook. Here are our top 5 tips to make your Macbook faster!
1. Clean up the clutter
Over time, you begin to accumulate hundreds, if not thousands, of old files, apps, photos, videos, and music. This data quickly begins to fill up your Macbook’s hard drive, greatly affecting its performance. Ask yourself: do you really need everything that is currently stored on your hard drive? Those old photos from that party from years ago that everyone has forgotten now? That 2 hour long video of your nephews fifth grade play? That app you downloaded the free trial for and then never used? Increasing the available hard drive space on your Macbook is one of the best ways to dramatically increase its performance.
2. Delete unused language files
Many of your Macbook applications will include multiple language variants for users around the world. You probably only need your native language variant, however those unused language files still take up valuable space on your Macbook. There are several methods to get rid of these files, the easiest of which is with a free application called Monolingual. This simple application does one thing and one thing only: it removes language files you don’t need. You can manually select the languages you want to keep and the app will remove the rest. Simple!
3. Clean startup applications and running in the background
When you install an application on your Macbook, how often do you take the time to read everything in the installation dialog window before clicking ‘Install’? I guess never. You will be surprised what some apps ask you to agree to when you click the ‘Install’ button. Many of them ask you to agree to let them start every time you turn on your Macbook, and just sit quietly and run in the background. This may not sound like a big deal, but they are consuming valuable system resources when you don’t want to. Hoarding valuable CPU and RAM capacity that could otherwise be used for the task you’re working on. To remove these unwanted startup applications, head to System Preferences> Users and Groups> Login Items. There you will be able to select the applications that you really want to start when starting and get rid of the applications that you do not want.
4. Repair disk permissions
This is commonly debated, but repairing disk permissions can supposedly help your Macbook run more efficiently. Open Disk Utility from the Applications folder and click “Repair Disk Permissions”.
5. Turn off more often
Your Macbook, like you and me, needs to rest sometimes to function at its best. Your Mac also has some tools that it automatically uses to help maintain itself. Some of these tools only run during shutdown and startup, so get in the habit of completely shutting down your computer from time to time to allow these tools to do their job. It’s also a great way to extend the life of your Macbook’s internal battery.
Still not getting enough performance boost? It can simply mean that your Macbook needs a RAM upgrade. However, keep in mind that not all Macbook variants allow users to update the internal RAM themselves. A quick Google of the specific model of your Macbook followed by the words “RAM upgrade” will give you an answer right away. These RAM upgrades are generally quite inexpensive and can keep your Macbook running smoothly for years to come.
Computers work best when they are clean and have room to breathe. Consider this the next time you use your Macbook.