How to Change a Mac GUI to Use Less Memory

Apple computers like the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro use Mac OS X.

The Mac OS X Graphical User Interface is basic and consumes a limited amount of memory using the default settings. However, there are a couple of tweaks you can perform on the system settings to make the interface use even less memory, which should make the desktop even faster. The most noticeable improvement comes after removing the dashboard widgets, as they are consuming memory whether the dashboard is pulled up or not.

Instructions

Disabling Dashboard Widgets

1. Click the black "Dashboard" icon on your dock, right next to the Finder or push the "F12" key on your keyboard to open it.

2. Click on the "+" icon beneath the dashboard widgets. This opens the widget editor.

3. Click on the "X" next to each widget you want to close. If you do not use the dashboard at all, consider closing each widget.

4. Click on the "X" at bottom of the widget panel to close the dashboard.

5. Disable the dashboard altogether to free up even more memory. Open the Mac Terminal and type:

   defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES

   Hit "Return" and then type or paste:

   killall Dock

Disabling Dock Animations

1. Click on the "System Preferences" dock icon or open Spotlight and search for "System Preferences." Click on "Dock" in the "Personal" column.

2. Slide the dock "Size" slider to all the way to the left to the "Small" setting, then deselect the box next to "Magnification" to turn off magnification.

3. Deselect the box next to "Animate Opening Applications," then close the Finder window.

Tips & Warnings

• To reactivate the Dashboard, open Terminal and type or paste the following:

• defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean NO

• Afterward, refresh the system with the following command:

• killall Dock

References

• MacWorld: Disabling the Dashboard