Is your Mac getting slower than earlier? Is it not working as efficiently as it used to be? If yes, then it is time to clean your Mac and optimize it. After using our PCs regularly for an extended period, it requires clean-ups at particular intervals.
In this guide, we’ll tell you how you can clean up and optimize your Mac in some simple, easy steps. There are also automatic full-featured cleaning tools available in the market like Cleanmymac that you can use to declutter your computer. Such tools can free up a lot of space and even protect your Mac from Malware instantly.
Now let’s begin and find out how to clean up and optimize your Mac manually-
Update the Software
To optimize your Mac from the inside, you need to update the software. To keep your Mac up to date, it’s important to accept updates from Apple. You should install security and application updates and install patches that will make your Pc smooth and efficient.
Clear Cache
Caches are temporary data stored in your drive to speed up your work. Caches are of various types like- browser cache, system cache, and user cache. You need to clear caches because it creates a lot of clutter in your system that stays there permanently.
For instance, every time you edit a photo, the editing app will create a user cache that will stay in your Mac even after deleting the picture. So imagine how much junk your Mac must be storing after regular usage of various apps.
To clear cache, follow these steps-
- Open finder→ Go→ Go to Folder
- Type→ /Library/Caches→ delete the content of the folders you see in there. (delete only the content, not the folders)
- Empty the bin.
Clean up the Macbook Desktop
The third step is to clean your Mac’s desktop. Here you can use the built-in Stacks feature, which will arrange the randomly stored files and folders in the desktop into a more organized structure.
It will also stack the same file type into piles. To use stacks, you have to double-tap on your desktop screen and click on use stacks.
Reduce the Number of Start-Ups
When you start your Pc, some applications start up automatically. Some of these applications are not necessary at all, so it’s essential to remove them from the start-up setting as it can slow down your Mac significantly.
To remove these apps from the start-up, follow these steps-
- Go to the Apple menu
- Click on System preferences→ Users and Groups
- Select the login tab
- Remove apps that you don’t need to start automatically.
Remove Old IOS Backups
The backups you have created over time are another reason for your Mac slowing down. So it’s best you remove old IOS backups you no longer need. To remove the backups, you have to-
- Go to the Apple Menu
- Click on About this Mac
- Go to Storage→ Manage
- In the left tab, click on IOS Storage
- Click on Delete Backups
Clean the Download Folder
Another part of optimizing and cleaning your Mac is cleaning the download folder. Generally, the download folder is super cluttered with unnecessary files that take up a lot of space.
Moreover, every time you download any app and transfer it to Applications, it leaves an installer in the downloads. To clean your download folder-
- Go to Finder
- Then go to Downloads and delete files you don’t need.
If you are using any clean-up tool, it will clear the download folder automatically.
Clean the Storage Disk
Next, you should go to the storage disk and remove or delete anything that you don’t use. For example, if you have games installed that you don’t play, files you don’t require, programs you need to use, etc., remove them all.
A cluttered storage space slows your Mac down. Once you clean this space, your Pc will start working faster. To clean up the storage space, you should-
- Click on Choose Application→ Utilities→ Disk Utility.
- Select the storage drive and click on Verify Disk.
- If any errors are showing, click on Repair Disk.
Wrapping Up
These are some of the basic steps you can follow in cleaning up and optimizing your Mac. If you’ve been facing issues with your Mac and if it’s working very slow, you can try these quick cleaning methods. Do you have any further queries about your Mac? If yes, ask away in the comment section. Stay tuned for regular updates!
