MacBook Running Slowly? Here's What to Try

Despite their reputation for reliability, MacBooks can definitely slow down over time. Here's how to diagnose and address the most common causes.

Check Activity Monitor first

Open Activity Monitor (search with Spotlight: Cmd+Space). Sort by CPU usage. If any process is consistently using high CPU, that's your culprit. Common offenders include browser tabs, backup processes, and certain apps with poor memory management.

Too many apps at startup

Go to System Settings → General → Login Items. Remove anything you don't need to launch at startup. This is the Mac equivalent of Windows startup programmes and has the same impact on boot times.

Storage nearly full

macOS needs free space to operate well — ideally at least 10–15% of total storage free. Go to Apple Menu → About This Mac → Storage to check. iCloud offloading (storing files in iCloud and downloading on demand) can help if storage is tight.

SMC and PRAM reset

Resetting the SMC (System Management Controller) and PRAM/NVRAM resolves various performance and power management issues. The process differs between Intel and Apple Silicon Macs — search for "reset SMC [your Mac model]" for specific instructions.

Time for more RAM or an SSD upgrade?

Older Intel MacBooks can often have their RAM and storage upgraded. Newer Apple Silicon models cannot. Darren can advise on what's possible for your specific model.