How to Maintain a Clean Mac and Keep It Running Smoothly

In the Mac vs. PC debate, there is one argument you'll hear from Mac enthusiasts - their computers run more smoothly than their PC counterparts. They are less prone to have programs freezing and needing reboots. That is not to say that Macs are completely without issues, however. Like any computer, a Mac needs to be maintained properly in order to keep it running as efficiently as possible. Following all or just a few of these tips will enable you to keep your Mac running as smoothly as possible.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• a Mac
• some free software

1. 
    

   - Quit applications when you are not using them. Don't just close windows. -
   New Mac users may not realize it, but on a Mac there is a difference between simply closing a window and actually quitting the application. Close applications by clicking their name in the menu bar and then Quit, or by pressing Command+Q for most apps. This will free up resources otherwise kept in use.

2. 
    

   -- Make sure your system's software is updated. --
   Keeping your system updated with the latest software will ensure you have the most efficient software and firmware from Apple. It will also help protect your computer in the case that the updates are for security purposes. To update your system, click the apple symbol in the upper left corner of the screen and click "Software Update...".

3. 
    

   -- Uninstall applications with AppZapper, AppCleaner, or AppTrap. Don't just delete the application. --
   One of the benefits of using a Mac is the transparent way that applications are installed compared to a PC. Many applications can simply be dragged into the Applications folder. There is no registry alteration like on a PC. Because of this, most people think that apps can simply be dragged to the trash to uninstall them. Usually, this is not completely true. Applications often leave behind other files, like their "preference" files and others. These should also be deleted. AppZapper, AppCleaner, and AppTrap are applications that do the same thing - they search your computer for all files related to an app and help you delete them. This will prevent your system from having extra, old files laying around.

4. 
    

   - Don't keep files on the Desktop or in your home folder. -
   This tip is an aesthetic one for the most part. Having files clutter up your Desktop or home folder can lead you to feel overwhelmed when using your Mac or any other computer. Having a very, very large amount of files on your Desktop may also results in lagged performance. Instead, simply create a folder called "To Be Filed" and dump all your unfiled stuff in there until you are ready to create a viable filing structure for yourself. You'll be surprised how much the clean look will refresh you.

5. 
    

   -- Repair disk permissions with Disk Utility. --
   The details of disk permissions are a bit beyond the scope of this article, but suffice it to say that incorrect assignment of permissions to a file can cause applications to function improperly. As a regular maintenance, open up Apple's Disk Utility application under Applications > Utilities. Click your startup disk on the left, then click "First Aid", and "Repair Disk Permissions". This step may take awhile if you've never done it before.

6. 
    

   -- Use Onyx, Cocktail, or other maintenance applications. --
   These programs are great for making it easy to perform a little "spring cleaning" on many obscure parts of your Mac. With Onyx, for instance, you can easily delete a whole load of temporary files and caches that might be wasting space on your Mac.

7. -- Reset the PRAM. --
   Resetting your Mac's PRAM can cure a host of obscure problems, beyond simple "slow running". This is not a maintenance tip, and it won't harm your computer. It's something to try if you're seeing mysterious performance issues. To do it, simply restart your Mac and hold down Command+Option+P+R before you see the gray screen. Hold them down until the computer restarts for a second time and you hear the startup sound.

8. 
    

   -- Use Smart Folders to clean files. --
   A full hard drive may also cause your Mac to run slowly. If your hard drive is full, you'll notice symptoms like programs taking awhile to open or your Mac taking a long time to save or open files. Like a full cabinet of papers, it takes the computer longer to search through everything. If you have a full hard drive that you haven't maintained in awhile, use Smart Folders to find large files that you may not need. In your Finder, select File > New Smart Folder, click the + sign in the right hand corner. From the drop down menu, select "Size", "is greater than", and choose a limit. About 50 MB should do. Play around with the limit. If you find large files that you don't need, delete them.

9. 
    

   -- Install iStat Menus to check on your hardware in real time. --
   iStat Menus is a program which runs in your Mac's menu bar and shows you hardware activity in real time (among many other things). You can then watch how your computer use affects CPU, memory, and hard drive activity. If you find your Mac's memory is constantly full, you may want to shut down some programs, or better yet, purchase and install more memory. If you find a certain action causes your CPU to become fully occupied, you may want to limit that action to times when it is the only task your Mac is performing. If you see one set of hardware constantly working overtime...

10. 
     

    -- Use Xbench to determine the slowest components of your system. --
    Xbench is a great tool for breaking down your Mac's performance by each piece of hardware. Xbench will perform a variety of performance tests on your system and return a score for each one. You will be able to tell if any hardware is limiting your system's performance. If you find a low score for one piece of hardware, you may benefit if you...

11. -- Buy new hardware. --
    If you have a full hard drive, and Xbench returns a low score for reading and writing to it, your Mac may run much faster if you swap it out for a larger one or a faster one (think RPMs), or if you buy a second one. Also, installing more memory may benefit your Mac especially. Macs love as much memory as possible.

12. -- When upgrading the system, use Archive and Install. --
    When you upgrade the Mac's operating system, you are given several options: Upgrade, Archive and Install, or Erase and Install. Upgrading is great if your Mac is clean and speedy, but if not, you may want to choose Archive and Install. This will place the files from your previous (current) system in an Archive folder for you to access, while installing a new, fresh version of MacOSX for you.