Top 10 Tips to Keep macOS Running at Peak Performance

A speedy Mac boosts productivity and keeps you in the creative flow. Follow these ten proven tips and tricks to maximize performance, avoid slowdowns, and extend your machine’s lifespan.

1. Restart Regularly
   A weekly reboot clears memory leaks, stops runaway processes, and applies system updates cleanly.
2. Install macOS & App Updates
   Apple and developers ship performance patches and security fixes. Enable automatic updates in System Settings.
3. Maintain Ample Free Disk Space
   Keep at least 15–20% of your drive empty. Delete old files, offload large media, and empty Trash to ensure scratch space.
4. Optimize Startup & Login Items
   In System Settings → General → Login Items, disable apps you don’t need immediately. This speeds up boot time.
5. Monitor Resource Usage
   Use Activity Monitor to spot CPU or memory hogs. Quit or force-quit processes that consume excessive resources.
6. Clear Caches & Temporary Files
   In Finder, press Shift+Command+G and navigate to ~/Library/Caches. Remove old cache folders, then empty Trash.
7. Run Disk First Aid
   Open Disk Utility and click First Aid on your main volume to fix file-system errors and maintain drive health.
8. Disable Unnecessary Visual Effects
   In System Settings → Accessibility, reduce motion and transparency to lighten the graphics workload.
9. Manage Browser Tabs & Extensions
   Limit open tabs and disable unused extensions. Browsers can eat significant memory and CPU cycles.
10. Keep Fonts & Plugins Lean
    Use Font Book to deactivate unused fonts. Remove or disable unused QuickLook or Finder extensions.