Mac users believe that Mac is immortal but this is not the case with every MacBook. We do not clean up our Mac until we run out of space or start facing performance issues. Unlike Windows, there aren’t many inbuilt utilities to optimize your Mac. We need one of the Best Mac Cleaners to automate the process. If your Mac is giving any performance issues, you can try manual steps to clean up and optimize your Mac to regain free space and boost performance.
1. Quit Background Programs
2. Uninstall Redundant Apps
3. Install MacOS Updates
4. Delete Large Files
5. Upgrade RAM or SSD
6. Manage Startup Programs
7. Use the Best App to Clean Mac
Quit Background Programs
Programs running in the background utilize a lot of system resources and may slow down the Mac. If you haven’t restarted your Mac for a long time, it is advisable to restart your Mac to quickly quit all running apps in the background. If you can’t restart, you can quit unwanted apps manually.
Step 1. Press the Command + Space key and type Activity Monitor. Select Activity Monitor from the search results.
Step 2. Click on the Memory tab on the Activity Monitor window to find all the running processes.
Step 3. Click on the Memory column to sort apps by highest memory usage.
Step 4. Select unwanted apps and background processes one-by-one and click on the Quit option. You can also right-click on the process and click on the Quit option.
Alternatively, you can click on the Apple menu on the Finder and select Force Quit Finder. If there are non-responding apps, select them and click on the Force Quit button. Confirm Force Quit when prompted.
Uninstall Redundant Apps
You don’t need the best Mac cleaning software to uninstall apps on Mac as there are a few manual methods. These methods can only get rid of the app but will not delete the redundant app clutter.
Step 1. Access the Applications folder from the Apple menu.
Step 2. Identify apps that you haven’t used for ages. These apps can be removed from your Mac.
Step 3. Right-click on the app and select the command ‘Move to Trash’ to send it to Bin.
Step 4. Confirm if prompted and follow the same step with all the apps that you don’t want anymore.
Alternatively, you can drag the app icon to Trash and confirm the prompt. It will also do the same thing but not delete any app clutter, cache, cookies, or temp files.
Install MacOS Updates
MacOS updates can tune up your Mac with new features and utilities. If there is anything that needs to be cleaned, a MacOS update can help you with a better-performing Mac.
Step 1. Click on System Settings from the Apple menu.
Step 2. Select General from the tabs and click on the Software Update option.
Step 3. Click on the Upgrade Now button to start installing the latest Mac updates.
Step 4. Don’t forget to put a check on the Automatically keep my Mac up to date option. Restart your Mac once all the updates are installed.
Delete Large Files
If you are running out of space or low on storage, you should consider checking for large files or old backups. It is always better if you periodically check all your files and delete the unwanted ones. You can use a Smart Folder to check for large files.
Step 1. Click on ‘About this Mac’ from the Apple menu.
Step 2. Click on the Storage tab on the top to check system storage.
Step 3. Click on the Manage button to list all the documents, mail, music, photos, and recommendations to clean up your Mac for better performance.
Step 4. Find and delete all large files, unwanted files, movies, videos, music, photos, and other app clutter that can be immediately removed from your Mac storage.
Step 5. On the recommendations tab, you will find options to reduce clutter, empty Trash, and optimize storage or cloud drive.
Upgrade RAM or SSD
If your Mac is running low on memory or you are running out of space, you should better consider upgrading your hardware. You can add more RAM to give it more power and switch to SSD from HDD. Hard Drives have slower spinning speeds in comparison to Solid State Drives (SSD). The latest MacBooks are already loaded up with SSD and come with high memory and storage limits. Hardware upgrades will turn your Mac as good as new.
Manage Startup Programs
If you believe that your Mac takes too long to boot to the desktop, you should consider reducing your startup items. Startup programs load automatically when you boot your Mac. the fewer programs we keep, the faster your Mac will boot to the desktop.
Step 1. Go to the System Preferences from the Apple menu.
Step 2. Select User Groups from the available options.
Step 3. Select the user from the left panel and click on the login items on the top right.
Step 4. Put a check on the apps that should not load when you boot your Mac.
Step 5. Click on the minus button to remove the selected apps from the automatic boot. You can always access these apps from the Dock or Launcher.
Use the Best App to Clean Mac
The Best Mac Cleaner can automate this entire exercise. Top Mac cleaners are loaded with multiple utilities to declutter your Mac and remove unwanted items. You can use one of the best junk cleaners to delete cache, cookies, temp files, unwanted files, apps, app leftovers, app clutter, and other redundant files. The manual process can never beat the best disk cleaners for Mac.
There are dozens of Mac cleaners available on the App Store or over the web. The best disk cleaner for Mac should be reliable, automated, and easy to use. The best Mac cleaner will perform regular checks on a periodic basis and ensure that your Mac is always optimized and cleaned up.
Final Words
This article on how to clean up and optimize your Mac has the best tips to optimize your Mac. you can perform these manual steps to regularly clean and optimize your Mac or make use of the best Mac cleaner to automate the process. The best Mac cleaning software will automatically perform regular checks and declutter your Mac. Always keep your RAM and storage optimized for better performance.
