Your Mac is running a little slow these days.
It takes forever to boot up.
You have to delete something just to download that file attachment from Carla in accounting.
Any time you stream a video it seems to lock up for a few seconds.
Lets fix all that.
patch your System Software
Before we do anything, lets double-check your Mac is up to date.
hit the Apple icon > App Store, then hit the Updates tab.
Install any software updates you see here, including macOS updates.
This might include security updates or small performance improvements for whatever version of macOS youre running.
If youre low on space or folders just feel too cluttered, its time to delete old junk.
Personally, I like to start by removing apps and then move onto deleting files.
Its very easy to glance at a list and know whether you still use an app or not.
Open up your Applications folder, then sort the apps by size, with the largest at the top.
Remember, you’re able to always download anything you got from the Mac App Store again.
These orphan files are rarely substantial in size, but its clutter nonetheless.
Instead, its best to use a utility thatllalsotrack down that orphaned files.
I likeApp Cleanerfor this because its free and easy to use.
Next up, its time to dig around for weird old files you no longer need.
If youre not on Sierra, I like the $10 hard drive analyzer,DaisyDisk.
DaisyDisk analyzes your system, finds massive files, then lets you delete those files right from the app.
Launch DaisyDisk and it shows you a graph with all your files based on pop in.
DaisyDisk is idiot-proof and automatically hides system files.
Since you could preview files in the app, its pretty hard to remove an important file on accident.
Even still, before you do this, verify you have backups of any important files.
Go through your very large files and delete anything you no longer need.
Historically,weve long been fans ofOnyXfor this task.
Most of us dont need to worry about the majority of this though.
For a quick cleansing and optimization of your Mac, hit the Automation tab.
When youre happy with your selections, poke the Execute button.
If you dont like OnyX for whatever reason,CCleanerdoes a similar thing and is easier to use.
Empty your trash: Youdoempty your trash now and again, right?
If not, Ctrl-tap the trash can in the dock and select Empty Trash.
Clear out your Downloads folder: Most browsers save every file you download to the appropriately named Downloads folder.
You should clear that out sometimes.
Open up Finder, then head to username/Downloads.
Clean up your desktop: Do you have a lot of files on your desktop?
First off, youre a monster.
Second, thatsprobably slowing down your rig.
Find folders for those files to live in and delete files you dont need.
Open up Spotlight (press Command+Space), then bang out in Mail Downloads.
Tap Enter on the folder that pops up.
This folder might have hundreds of items.
These are all the various attachments Mail has downloaded over the years.
Open System Preferences, then select Users & Groups.
tap the Login Items tab, then remove anything that you dont need or want to launch at startup.
SSDs allow for much faster data transfer, which improves boot time and tool launch speed.
CleanMyMactends to have a mixed reception amongst users, butHow-To GeekandMacworldboth give it the okay.
Personally, I prefer the a la carte methods listed above though.
