As we use our Mac, we slowly notice that the startup times are not as good as we want them to be. And that becomes a problem when you really want to access all the features and not worry about wasting time. But the truth is that there are various reasons why your Mac slows down as time goes by. Here’s all you need to know.
What increases the startup time on a Mac?
That’s the thing, there can be a variety of reasons why your Mac is very slow when turning on. And you have to address all of these situations to see how you can improve stuff, if you can.
- A lot of the time, this is due to lack of storage. If you don’t have at least 10% storage free, then the device will be a lot slower when starting up.
- The same thing is valid if you have an older Mac OS version. The newer versions are more optimized, and your Mac will turn on faster, which is great.
- If you have a lot of system extensions, those will take their toll on system resources. So yes, your device will start a lot slower than expected.
- If you have many launch agents and login items, they will be turned on as the system starts. The more you have, the slower your device will be in the first place.
- Malware is a problem as well, if it runs in the background and it installs its own login items, then your device will be slower as well.
Update your Mac OS
That’s the thing, if you’re not running the latest Mac OS version, you could end up dealing with a slower startup time. Go to the system settings and the General tab, click on the Software Update, and then if there is an update available, update your device. It will help improve the startup time, so it’s handy.
Remove unwanted launch agents and login items
If you want to know how to fix Mac slow to start, a good idea is to check the current login items, and a Cleanup tool will be able to do that for you. Once you see the list, uncheck the items that you don’t want to start with your device and then you will be good to go. It comes as highly recommended, especially if you want to improve the login experience.
Don’t reopen apps when rebooting
When you reboot your Mac, you have the option to reopen apps after the reboot. That will increase the startup time. So naturally, you don’t want to reopen apps. You can open those manually, if you need them. It comes in handy, and you will find the process to be extremely easy to do. Yes, it can take a little while, but the outcome will be excellent.
Disable the File Vault
The role of this tool is to help you encrypt the startup disk content. That means your startup will be a lot slower, so it makes sense to try and address that in a proper manner. In the Privacy and Security panel, you can find the File Vault and there you can turn it off. If you do want to turn that feature off, you have to provide your Mac’s password. Quit the system settings and then you will not have to worry about this issue again.
See if you have any malware
A Mac cleanup tool is excellent here because it allows you to identify any type of malware installed, and you will be good to go. It removes any malware instance, so you don’t have to worry about anything else. In the end, checking for malware is a very good idea, and you want to do that regularly. As we said, malware will slow down your device, so you want to remove it before it becomes a problem.
Overtime, Mac OS will slow down, especially as a lot of stuff encumbers it. Deleting stuff is very important here, and as it will remove space and ensure that the device will start up properly. In the end, a very good rule of thumb is to remove malware and delete unnecessary apps, when possible.
Conclusion
It’s never going to be easy to wait for your Mac to start, if everything takes a while to load. And that’s the thing, with these tips and tricks shown above, stuff will be a whole lot easier. We highly recommend giving it a shot because every single tip above will bring a way to improve startup times. It’s worth the effort for sure, especially if you are using your device often. In the end, you will appreciate a quick startup time, and the ROI can be excellent. Plus, a faster startup usually leads to better Mac performance as well.
