Learn How To Manage And Improve A Mac In 2020

Deactivate or Delete Unneeded Browser Extensions

A MacBook is simple to use, however, it is not juiced out to its maximum potential. Learn how to improve Mac from good to great in 2020.

Did you know that one in every 10 PCs worldwide are Macs? In the US alone, almost two-thirds of consumers own at least one Apple product.

In fact, iOS X now holds 25.43% of the US desktop operating system market share. That’s a considerable 6.44% increase from the previous year’s count.

Macs, after all, are not only much easier to buy — they’re also easier to get used to. They’re like plug-and-play devices, with most apps ready for use as soon as you turn the device on for the first time.

However, this doesn’t mean that you can no longer improve Mac functionalities. There are plenty of ways to get the most out of your Apple computer, be it a MacBook or an iMac.

Ready to learn how to optimize a MacBook or an iOS desktop this 2020? Then let’s dive right into it!

Declutter Your Hard Drive

According to experts, each person will have at least 5,200 GB of data to their name this 2020. That’s a whopping 5.2 terabytes of data! Considering that 1 TB of storage space can store 310,000 photos, 5.2 TB of space can hold at least 1.61 million photos!

Now, you may not have the need for 5.2 TB storage, but you’ll still accumulate a lot of files over the years. The thing is Macs only either have a pre-installed 128 or 256 GB of hard drive space. That’s easy to deplete, especially if you install software like photo or video editors.

The less storage space you have in your Apple computer, the slower it will get.

A Mac In 2020

As such, one of the best ways on how to improve Mac speed and performance is to free up space in it. To do this, determine first how much space you still have left. This link, https://setapp.com/how-to/check-disk-space-on-your-mac, has all the steps to do it.

If it’s nearing capacity, clear everything you’ve already dumped in your Trash bin. Delete caches and system logs too, which can be eating up GBs of storage space.

Set Up Automatic File Deletion

One way to do this is through the “Optimize Storage” option. This will automatically remove TV shows and movies you’ve already watched on your Mac.

Another way is to turn on the “Empty Trash Automatically” option. This automates the deletion of files in your Trash bin that are more than 30 days old.

The simplest way to access these tools is through your device’s “About This Mac” option. You’ll find this by clicking on the Apple logo on the upper left-hand corner of your screen. Then, hit the “Storage” tab and click on the “Manage” button.

Take Advantage of iCloud

If you haven’t yet, register with iCloud, Apple’s very own cloud storage service. Your first 5 GB of online storage is free and for a mere $0.99 a month, you can upgrade your storage plan to 50 GB.

Either way, you can import some of the files clogging up your Mac into iCloud. This can help boost the speed of your MacBook or desktop. In case you need to retrieve some files, you can easily sign in to your iCloud account and download them on the spot.

Move Bigger Files to an External Hard Drive

About 140,000 hard drives used by US consumers crash and fail every week. That goes for both internal and external hard drives.

While you don’t have to worry too much about this with a new Mac, you should still back up your files. Besides, moving important files to an external hard drive and iCloud means more space in your Mac. Free space equates to faster, more efficient Mac performance.

Reduce the Number of Start-Up Items

Except for your firewall and malware protection, there aren’t a lot of apps you need on start-up. Besides, these programs that launch as soon as you log in to your Mac will only slow down your device. These start-up items are often to blame for slow-loading programs that you do need to run right away.

Move Bigger Files to an External Hard Drive

To reduce the load on your Mac when it boots up, remove unnecessary start-up items. You can do this by going to System Preferences and then Users & Groups. Choose your username and then click on the “Login Items” tab.

A list will come up showing all programs and apps that launch right away after you log in. Choose those that you don’t really need and click the “-” to hide them.

Deactivate or Delete Unneeded Browser Extensions

In January 2020, Firefox kicked out almost 200 extensions from its library. The following month, Google ousted over 500 extensions from its Chrome extension list.

The main reason was that many of these were actually malicious programs. Many others had the potential of being abusive and malicious.

Either way, you should take a page out of these browsers’ books and limit your extension use too. While many of these tools are legit, too many of them can reduce your browser’s performance. It can also affect your Mac’s overall speed as a slow browser may affect the rest of your programs.

That said, stick to extensions that you only use most of the time. Deactivate or delete the others that are just cluttering up your browser.

Clean Your Desktop

Keeping your desktop clean and clutter-free is one of the best ways on how to manage MacBooks and iMacs.

That’s because every icon that sits on your Mac’s desktop consumes RAM space. That’s on top of the storage space they already use. The fewer “clutter” you have on your desktop, the faster your Mac can perform.

Improve Mac Speed and Functions With These Smart Strategies

There you have it, your ultimate guide on the best and easiest ways to improve Mac performance. As you can see, these techniques don’t require you to be super tech-savvy. So long as you properly execute them, you can make the most out of your MacBook or iMac this 2020 and beyond.

Ready for more guides and tips related to gears and gadgets? Then be sure to head over to our site’s Technology section! We’ve got more how-tos there that you can use to improve your tech skills.