Most Effective Ways Of Speeding Up Your MAC

Does your beloved MAC takes eons to start up? Has it become unresponsive? Is it just not like it used to be when you first got it? No worries, with these hacks, you can get your MAC up to speed in no time!

Update the hardware of your MAC
No matter what OS you are using at the moment, it is always a good practise to update your software to its latest version. To update your software:
· Make sure that your MAC is connected to both the Internet and a power supply.
· Hit the Apple icon which is situated on the left hand corner of the main Mac OS X
· Select the Software Update option next to the drop-down menu
· Click the gray-coloured Update All button.

Run an antivirus 
Like every other computer, MACs too get viruses. They may be less susceptible to them due to their build and less market share, but the occasional intruder has been known to invade. Malware can slow down many aspects of your system considerably, like the initial boot up to simple app usage. You can boost your performance in a few minutes by getting rid of viruses, Trojans, worms and other infectious forms of malware. When you're done with your scan, use the software's suggested actions to deal with the threats.

Disable login items
It is great to have login items as long as you use them. These items can be schedulers, notifiers etc. that start up when your system does, and may differ from one machine to the next. If you disable the login items you aren't using, the initial boot time of your MAC will be decreased.

To disable login items:
· In the main MAC OS X, click the Apple icon
· From the drop-down menu, select System Preferences,
· Click the Users & Groups option on the left-hand side
· Select the Login Items tab in the upper-right corner
· Highlight the item you want to disable and click the minus icon below the list.

Clear your cache 
Sometimes your machine might not be the problem. Applications like Internet browsers can be loaded down with data such as cookies, history, caches etc. In your browser cache alone, there are many components such as scripts, images, and page snapshots that are stored for quick viewing. These could make your system slow. That is why it is necessary to clear your cache at least once a week. For a more enhanced system sweep, you could also discard your search history, update browser plugins, or reset your browser entirely. For specific tips on speeding up your MacBook Air, you can check out the details here.

Uninstall apps you don't use 
There might be a possibility that you have tons of applications on your MAC which you have forgotten about and you don't really use. These apps take up space and can make your system slow. Many programs can be deleted just by dragging the application to the trash bin, but there are those that might leave some components behind which could keep slowing your system down. Apple's Activity Monitor is a great way to see which processes and apps are using the most system resources. There are also paid software like AppZapper and AppCleaner which get the job done efficiently.

Remove unnecessary files 
Your MAC probably has piles and piles of folder, files and applications that have accumulated in it over the years. These take up space and exhaust your system resources. Take some time out to go through all the files, documents, folders, photos, music etc. that you have and delete whatever you haven't touched in a while. If you are deleting photos in iPhoto, make sure that you empty the in-app trash bin that is located in the left-hand navigational panel. To delete a file, drag the image, document, or file from within its respective save location directly into the Trash before CTRL-clicking the bin and selecting Empty Trash.

Organize your desktop
Each desktop is treated as a separate window with a small memory footprint to boot by the MAC OS X. That is why it is prudent to organize your desktop. To reduce clutter and ensure that this footprint is at its lowest, combine like files into more all-compassing folders. This might not really make such a noticeable difference and it is only necessary for those people whose desktops are saturated with folders and files. But this kind of cleaning out really makes your desktop look fresh and new. You should aim to not have any icons on your desktop, leaving it looking minimalistic and spacious. Drag the folder or file from your desktop to the new location to reduce clutter. You can move your files pretty much anywhere, but relocating the files to the Documents folder is a great idea.

Disable dashboard widgets you no longer use
While dashboard widgets may perform several tasks that we think we cannot live without, the truth is that they consume a lot of system resources, vital RAM and slows the system down considerably. You can increase the memory that is available for other processes by disabling or deleting unused widgets, especially if the widget seems to be heavy on system resources. To disable or delete a Dashboard widget:
· Launch the Dashboard
· Click the subtraction sign in the lower-right corner of the screen.
· Click the "X" in the upper-left corner of the widget to disable it OR
· Click the addition button in the bottom-left corner of the screen
· Click and hold the widget you want to delete
· Click the subtraction sign in the upper-left corner of the widget.

Close apps properly
In the MAC OS X, closing an app requires you to quit the application so as to prevent it from running in the background. If you don't shut your MAC off every day, there may be tons of apps and programs that are running in the background, and slowing your system down. To close apps:
· CTRL-click or click and hold the open application
· Select Quit at the bottom of the resulting pop-up menu.
OR
· When using the program, click the main app menu · Select the Quit ... option at the bottom of the resulting drop-down menu.