How to increase operating speed on Mac computer

MacOS is installed on all Apple computers – MacBook, iMac, Mac Pro and others. Due to the small number of devices in the Mac line, it is believed that MacOS developers bring the performance of their system to perfection. This is not entirely true, since for the OS creators operating speed is not the only important matter. They also have to care for the appearance, as well as for the amenities that are far from being necessary for all users. In this article, we’ll take a look at the actions that you can perform on a Mac to improve the MacOS speed.

Table of contents:
1. Disable extra programs in autoload
2. Reduce transparency and turn off motion effects
3. Configure Dock panel
4. Optimize applications performance

Disable extra programs in autoload

The first thing recommended for MacOS optimization is disabling applications that automatically load when the computer starts. The more programs start simultaneously with the OS boot, the slower the computer goes to a working state, and the more of its resources are spent on running applications. To change the startup settings for applications on MacOS, follow these steps:

1. Go to the system settings by clicking on the apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen and select the corresponding item in the drop-down menu;

2. Go to the “Users & Groups” section;

3. Switch to the “Login Items” subsection. It displays applications that run automatically when you log into the user profile;
4. Select a program that does not need to be opened simultaneously with MacOS boot, and click the minus icon at the bottom of the window to remove it from startup;

5. Perform a similar action for all unnecessary applications.

Reduce transparency and turn off motion effects

Another step that can significantly increase the speed of Mac computer is reducing the level of transparency. If the functionality of the system is important to you and its appearance – not so much, it is recommended to do this. Transparency significantly affects the resources that the operating system spends on processing the interface. Disable it as follows to improve computer performance:

1. Go to the “System Preferences” by selecting them in the drop-down menu after clicking on the apple in the upper left corner of the screen;

2. Go to the “Accesibility”;

3. In the left column switch to the “Display” subsection;
4. Check the box next to “Reduce transparency”.

After that, the transparency of all system MacOS windows will disappear. This can be immediately noticed on the top menu and on the Dock panel. This event will not affect the system functionality, but will allow it to work faster.

Another setting that is recommended to turn off in the “Display” subsection to increase system performance is motion effects. Check the box next to “Reduce movement”.

This setting affects the additional animation when working with the system. For example, after reducing the movement, all windows will be minimized and maximized instantly, without additional animation.

Configure dock panel

Dock panel is displayed at almost every moment on top of all applications in MacOS. Its operation and drawing takes a lot of computer resources. Therefore, you need to optimize it to increase the MacOS speed:

1. Settings optimization has to be performed in the Dock section of MacOS system settings;

2. “Magnification” item significantly affects Dock’s operation speed. Uncheck it to remove the animation for zooming items in Dock;
3. Another important parameter is the disappearance effect. In the “Minimize windows” item with effect, select the “Scale effect” option – this is the least resource-demanding effect;
4. It is also recommended to check the “Minimize window into application icon” box and uncheck “Animate opening applications”.

Optimize applications performance

It is possible that MacOS may run slowly on the computer due to some certain applications. Even if you have removed extra programs from startup, you may be working with a number of applications on a regular basis. It is necessary to analyze such applications to determine which of them have the strongest impact on computer resources. It’s possible to analyze the load that comes from applications through the Activity Monitor utility. It should be easy to open it through the Spotlight search.

See which processes have the most effect on CPU, memory, and other components.

Programs that spend way too much computer resources should be updated or replaced with some lighter analogues.