How to Clean up Mac to Run Faster: Your Ultimate Guide

Here we offer you guidance on how to clean up Mac to run faster.

A macOS computer’s performance is influenced by numerous factors. Some affect it directly, while others do so indirectly. A computer’s available disk space is one such factor, and it belongs to the latter. This is because whenever you perform an operation on your computer, it creates files that require disk space. Launching apps, visiting sites, and booting up are some examples of such operations. When a computer does not have sufficient storage space, it’ll struggle to create the necessary files, and as a result, the computer takes more time to execute the action. That’s why it’s important to clean up Mac regularly.

Though freeing up disk space isn’t that difficult, the main issue is that it poses the risk of data loss. After all, if you’re not careful, you might delete important files. With that said, below are seven ways how to clean up Mac to run faster.

Method #1: Empty The Trash

The Trash is the Apple counterpart of Windows PC’s Recycle Bin. It contains all the files and folders you deleted for the past 30 days. It’s where you can permanently delete files or restore them, depending on what you want to do. The main problem with the Trash is that while the items contained inside are unusable, they still consume an equal amount of disk space that they would have if they weren’t deleted.  In other words, deleting a file once doesn’t free up space on your Mac. You can only do this if you also delete the file from the Trash, and that’s what you’re going to do. Here’s how you can empty the Trash on Mac:

1. Click the Trash icon from the Dock. The icon should look like a literal trash bin.
2. Doing this will open a session of Finder on your computer. On the Finder window, there will be a menu bar at the top consisting of numerous options. One of them should be the Empty button. Click that button.

Note: Alternatively, you can simply click the Trash icon from the Dock while holding the Control key on your keyboard, then select Empty Trash. This is a much faster way of emptying the Trash.

Keep in mind that the files inside the Trash are the ones deleted for the past 30 days. This is because it has a feature where it automatically deletes files 30 days and older. This is to ensure the Trash doesn’t take too much disk space from the computer.

Method #2: Uninstall Unused Apps

Just like files how certain files can become unnecessary when they’ve served their purpose, you may also find several apps that you longer use and need on your computer. The best way to handle those apps is simply to get rid of them. Fortunately, just like Trash, there’s a simple and easy way to take out unused apps. It involves Launchpad—the app management program for macOS computers. It allows you to manage apps in different ways. Here’s how you can uninstall apps on Mac:

1. Click the Launchpad icon from the Dock. The icon should look like a gray rocket ship with a black background. In some versions, the icon is instead a square with nine colored squares inside it.
2. On the Launchpad, you’ll find all the apps currently installed on your computer. Hold down the Option key on your keyboard until these apps start to jiggle. That would indicate that you’ve entered Edit mode.
3. When you’re in Edit mode, you can uninstall and move apps. To uninstall an app, click the X icon that you can find on the corner of each app.
4. A popup message will appear. Select Delete to confirm your action.

Method #3: Clear The Cache

Whenever you perform an action on your computer, the system generates what’s called cache files. These are files that the system needs to operate properly. If you open an app, for example, the system creates a cache that keeps data about that app so when you open the app again, it’ll load faster since its data is already preloaded. Though it speeds up things in Mac, the cache can take up a considerable amount of storage space.  Hence, we suggest clearing the cache regularly with these steps:

1. Open the Finder app.
2. Click Go from the top menu bar.
3. Select Go to Folder… from the resulting dropdown menu.
4. A popup window will appear. There, copy and paste the following text: ~/Library/Caches.
5. The Finder will take you to the Cache folder. It consists of other folders named after the different apps and programs on your computer. Find and delete the folders that you think you can live without.

Make sure you delete the cache from the Trash as well so it doesn’t consume space.

Method #4: Organize Your Desktop

The desktop is where you can find numerous icons that when double-clicked, performs the appropriate action. If you double-click an icon of a folder, for instance, it’ll open that folder. What not many people know is that these icons are actually individual programs. Therefore, they consume RAM in the background, whether you like it or not. Though they may not be as intensive as other apps, if there are too many icons on your computer, they can pile up to consume hundreds of MBs worth of RAM, and that can slow down your computer. So, you must organize your desktop, and here’s how you can do that:

1. Go to your desktop.
2. There, click View from the top menu bar.
3. Select Group Stacks By.
4. Choose how you’d like to group the stacks. It can be by file type, name, file extension, etc.

Doing this will compile several desktop icons into one folder, though Apple prefers calling them “stacks.” This will reduce the number of icons on your desktop, effectively reducing RAM usage. You can also simply delete an icon if you want.

Method #5: Clear The Downloads Folder

The Downloads folder is known is house problematic files. After all, every item inside that folder is from the internet. If it doesn’t contain a virus, it can be a large file that consumes disk space. Either way, there’s a good chance whatever Downloads contain is problematic, which is why it’s advisable to regularly clear the Downloads folder. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Open Finder on your computer.
2. On the left sidebar of Finder, you’ll find several options. Among them are Downloads. Click that option.
3. Finder will take you to the Downloads folder. Find and delete the ones you think are no longer necessary.

Method #6: Use The Reduce Clutter Feature

macOS computers have a feature called Reduce Clutter that allows you to detect and delete certain files on the computer that may be problematic to the system. It may not detect all problematic files, but it can at least detect some.

Here’s how to clean up Mac to run faster using the Reduce Clutter feature:

1. Click the Apple logo located at the upper left corner of the screen.
2. Select About This Mac from the resulting dropdown menu.
3. A window will appear. From there, navigate to the Storage tab/section.
4. Click the Manage… button. This will take you to yet another window.
5. There will be several options on your screen. One option is Reduce Clutter, and to its left, you’ll find a button that says Review Files. Click that button. Again, this will take you to another page.
6. The page will consist of a list of items. These are the files and folders you can delete. Find the ones you no longer need. To delete an item, simply hover over that item and click the X icon that appears to the right of the name.

BONUS: Clean Up Mac Easily With Mac Cleaner

While it’s fortunate that there are different things you can do to clean up your Mac to speed it up, it’s not a good idea to do them whenever you want your computer to run faster. After all, the first method alone requires you to spend a couple of minutes, so using them regularly will shave hours off your routine. That’s precisely why experts suggest using a cleaning app instead of deleting unnecessary files manually. An excellent example of a powerful cleaning app is Mac Cleaner.

Mac Cleaner is a cleaning software that can delete all kinds of files. It’s the perfect tool as it can detect and delete unnecessary files with just a few clicks. Without further ado, here’s how to clean up Mac to run faster using the software:

Step #1: Start Mac Cleaner On Your Computer

The first thing you need to do is open a browser. Then, visit the Mac Cleaner download page. On that site, click the Download Now button. It should then download a DMG file, which corresponds to the software installer. Open the DMG once the download is complete then follow the onscreen instructions. The software will start automatically once it’s installed.

Step #2: Pick a Cleaner Module

On the left side of the software, you’ll find a sidebar consisting of exactly six options. These are the modules the Mac Cleaner software offers. These include (1) Clean Up Junk, (2) Delete Large Files, (3) Delete Duplicate Files, (4) Erase Private Data, (5) Speed Up Your Mac, and (6) Manage Apps & Extensions. Since your main goal is to clean up Mac, you’ll only need the first three modules, which we like to call the cleaner modules. Here’s a look at each module and what they do:

• Clean Up Junk scours your computer for junk files like Trash, System Junk, Downloads, and more.
• Delete Large Files looks for files with a size larger than or equal to 50MB.
• Delete Duplicate Files searches for files that have an extra copy or “duplicate” somewhere on your computer.

Choose a module between these three. You can do so by clicking on it from the left-hand side of the interface.

Step #3: Scan Your Mac for Files

The next step is to scan your computer for files. The way to do that will be different from one module to another. The interface will also vary in appearance, so you’ll have to adjust accordingly. Anyway, here’s how you can scan for files with each module:

• Clean Up Junk: Select between two sides of the module, Quick Clean and Deep Clean. Quick Clean scans for System Junk, App Junk, Trash Bin, and iTunes Junk. Deep Clean scans for those in addition to Downloads, iOS Junk, and Unused Disk Images. Click the Scan button at the bottom area once you’ve selected an option.
• Delete Large Files: Click the Scan button immediately.
• Delete Duplicate Files: Click the Browse button at the center of the interface to the left of the Select a File Directory field. Then, navigate to the folder you want to scan. Click the Scan button after you select a folder.

Step #4: Choose a File/s

For the fourth step, you have to select the files you want to delete. The way to do that will also be different from one module to another, and the same goes for the appearance of the interface. With that said, here’s what you need to do to select files:

• Clean Up Junk: There will be two lists. The one on the left consists of file categories. You must select a category first so the second list, which should be located on the right, appears. You must then select a file from that list.
• Delete Large Files: Select a file immediately.
• Delete Duplicate Files: Select a file immediately.

Regardless of the module, you can always click the Select All checkbox if you wish to delete all the items in their list.

Step #5: Delete the File/s

To delete the selected items, you have to click the button at the top-right corner of the window. It should either be a Clean or Delete button. Regardless, this will delete those files, though you may have to wait for a few minutes or seconds.

That’s pretty much how to clean up Mac to run faster. As you can see, it’s actually rather easy, a lot easier than when you’re deleting files manually. That’s the beauty of Mac Cleaner. It also can scan and delete files rather quickly, so there’s really no reason not to use this method if you want to free up space on your Mac storage.

Closing Thoughts

As much as you’d like to keep your Mac fast forever, it won’t be possible. Regardless of what you do, your macOS computer will inevitably run slower and slower, until it becomes unbearable. When that time comes, you must buy a new computer, which is understandably unfortunate since a Mac computer costs quite a lot. However, you can at least prolong your computer’s lifespan by performing the aforementioned methods and boosting its performance as much as possible. So, not only does this guide discuss how to clean up Mac to run faster, but it’s also an excellent way to prolong your Mac’s lifespan.