{"id":46281,"date":"2018-10-23T09:05:18","date_gmt":"2018-10-23T14:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=46281"},"modified":"2020-10-07T11:22:57","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T16:22:57","slug":"is-mojave-slowing-your-mac-down-this-is-how-you-can-speed-it-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/46281-is-mojave-slowing-your-mac-down-this-is-how-you-can-speed-it-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Mojave Slowing Your Mac Down? This is How You Can Speed It Up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After installing macOS Mojave, does your Mac feel a bit sluggish? Perhaps it\u2019s taking longer to boot, taking longer to save or open files, and launching apps seems to take more time than it used to. Or perhaps your Mac is just experiencing an overall listlessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter what type of slowdown you\u2019re experiencing, there\u2019s a good chance one of these tips will help get your Mac back on its feet and running the way you remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"macOS
If you\u2019re experiencing slow startups after installing macOS Mojave, you may find one of the tips below will get you back up to speed.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Of course, your Mac may just be at its performance limit. Each new version of the macOS seems to need just a bit more processing, graphics, or disk performance than the last one. To cover that possibility, I\u2019ll include a few upgrade tips that can help you get your Mac back into tip-top shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you start, make sure you have a recent backup<\/a>. Some of these tips involve removing files or performing actions that can result in data being removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Startup Time Seems Slow<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Have you noticed that after installing Mojave, the time it takes for your Mac to start up seems to have taken a nosedive? Surprisingly, this isn\u2019t all that unusual and happens to a small percentage of users after a major macOS upgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are multiple possible causes, and we\u2019ll look at how to fix them. The problems and fixes are in no particular order, and you don\u2019t need to do every one, but it also won’t hurt to start with the first one and work your way through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Login Items:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes called the Startup List, this is a list of apps or services that will start up automatically when you log into your Mac. Apps can add items to the list when they\u2019re installed, or you can manually add apps or services you use all the time to the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can happen is the new OS no longer supports one or more items in the list. This results in a delay when you log in as each item tries to launch and then times out. Or the app could still work but takes a long time to launch. The fix is to clean out old unsupported apps and services from the Login Items list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot
Removing old or unsupported Login Items can help fix slow startup issues.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

You can find instructions on removing items from the list in this Rocket Yard Guide:
<\/strong>\u2022 macOS 101: What Mojave Broke and How to Fix It<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reset SMC, NVRAM:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The SMC (System Management Controller) takes care of a number of basic functions, including controlling fan speed, power, and a good deal more. During startup, an SMC that is misbehaving or has corrupt information can delay the startup process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, the NVRAM (non-volatile random-access memory), which stores configuration information, such as mouse or trackpad settings, keyboard settings, which disk is the startup disk, and a bit more, can slow down the startup process if the stored data is incorrect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can reset both the SMC and NVRAM using the Rocket Yard Guide:
<\/strong>\u2022 How to Reset NVRAM, PRAM, SMC on your Mac<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safe Mode:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Safe Mode is primarily a diagnostic startup mode that prevents most third-party items from loading. But it also verifies and repairs, if needed, any issues with the startup drive. In addition, Safe Mode will delete all font caches, kernel caches, and system caches, which are likely candidates for startup slowdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just starting up in Safe Mode can fix many common slowdown issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find out how to use Safe Mode, read:<\/strong>
\u2022 Safe Mode & Single-User Mode: What They Are, How to Use Them<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cache Files and Temporary Files:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Mac uses a number of cache files and temporary files to help speed up operation of the system, apps, and user interaction. For the most part, the Mac is perfectly capable of managing the cache and temp file system on its own. But once in a while, especially when a large-scale update to the system is performed, such as installing a new OS, one or more cache files can become corrupt, or simply contain a lot of outdated information, so that using the data in the cache will slow things down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a number of ways to check on and flush or clear the cache files. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can find instructions and tips for clearing out cache files in the guide:<\/strong>
\u2022 Tech 101: How to Clear Cache and Temp Files from Mac OS<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Speed issues<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The items in the general category usually affect multiple areas of your Mac’s performance. Because of this, don\u2019t overlook them as fixes to try for other speed problems you may be encountering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drive Space:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Often overlooked when trying to figure out what is causing a Mac to slow down, the lack of free space on a startup drive can greatly affect a Mac’s overall performance. It can slow down the startup process, make launching apps take a longer time than usual, and can slow down the process of writing and reading files stored on the drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot
The Mac’s Managed Storage utility can help you track down files that are hogging your storage space.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

How much free space do you need to have on the startup drive? That\u2019s hard to say because it depends on how you use your Mac. But if I have to put a number on it, I\u2019d say if 15% or less of the space on your drive is free, you\u2019re likely to see performance issues. If you use your Mac primarily for working with large media files, or in disciplines that involve large data manipulation, you\u2019ll more than likely need even more free space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can free up storage space using these guides:
<\/strong>\u2022 Tech 101: How to Quickly Free Up Mac Storage Space<\/a>
\u2022 Running Low on Mac Storage? Here Are 5 Tips to Recover Some Space<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apps Performing Poorly:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A leading reason for poor app performance is out-of-date apps that need to be updated to run smoothly with macOS Mojave. Assuming an update for Mojave is available for the app, upgrading an app is an easy task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot
The new Mac App Store makes updating apps an easy process.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you acquired the app from the Mac App Store, follow these steps to perform an update:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n