Mac

Is your Mac slow after macOS Monterey update? , there may be good reason for that slowness, or it may be due to a variety of other factors. Don’t fret, as there very well could be a simple solution. Find out why your Mac is so slow after macOS Monterey update and discover a few ways to speed it up

If your Mac starts running slow after Monterey update, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it caught a virus or became too outdated. The problem might lie in its settings, or lack of disk space, or poor resource allocation. This would be a logical consequence of intense exploitation and it might reveal itself in just a few months after you purchase the device. In this article, we’ll walk through some possible reasons as to why macOS Monterey feels slow on a Mac, as well as covering some advice and general tips and tricks to speed things back up again.

Without further ado, here’s how to fix a slow macOS Monterey and prevent your Computer from slowing down further in the longterm.

Slow Mac right after macOS Monterey update? Wait it out!

If you just recently updated to macOS Monterey and you feel the Mac is slower than usual, the best course of action is to keep the Mac awake, plugged in (if it’s a laptop), and let it sit for a while (perhaps overnight or for a nights) – basically, hurry up and wait. I know that sounds like weird advice, but here’s the logic behind it: after a major macOS system software update, the Mac performs various maintenance routines behind the scenes, it reindexes the drive for Spotlight and Siri, and apps like Photos may reindex too.

So basically, let the Mac sit turned on overnight, perhaps for a few nights in a row, and allow those indexing and optimization processes to complete. When they’re finished, the performance of the Mac should be significantly better, if not entirely back to normal.

This is often the the number one reasons Mac users think a new operating system is slower than a prior version, so don’t disregard this simple advice!

Resort to the Activity Monitor to Detect and Delete Resource Hogs

If a Mac feels slow or sluggish after Monterey update, one way to possibly find the culprit is to check Activity Monitor for processes that are using the slow down. This is somewhat advanced to take action on, but it’s simple enough to observe that it can be helpful.

Feel free to select between these two interchangeable ways to access Activity Monitor:

• Proceed to the Utilities section in the Applications
• Press Command + Spacebar and type “Activity Monitor” in the search bar

Open the CPU tab and sort the inventory so that the most resource-consuming apps would be displayed at the top.
To suspend the unwanted processes, press the “X” button in their left upper corners. Be careful not to stop the ones that are crucial to the system’s functioning! An equal procedure can be done with the Memory section.

Consider Your Messages

If you use the Messages app on the Mac to talk to people, and if you send and receive many videos, stickers, animated GIFs, and other things of that nature, you may notice the Mac slows down when those active message conversations are open on the Mac.

You may notice that animated GIFs can be particularly sluggish, as they’re playing repeatedly on screen.

There’s no need to delete or remove the messages however, all you need to do is wait for the animated GIF to move off the screen, or select another message chat thread, which will cause the animated GIF to stop playing constantly.

Using the aforementioned Activity Monitor trick you may notice this directly; if you have a message thread with a lot of animated GIFs going on, and you open Activity Monitor, don’t be surprised to see “Messages” using some CPU.

Disable Window Transparency & Use Reduce Motion

Visual effects can make the Mac look quite fancy, but they can also cause some system slow downs, particularly if you have a lot of windows and apps open, or if the Mac is older or has fewer system resources in general. Accordingly, one way to speed up macOS Monterey (and most other modern Mac OS releases too for that matter) is to simply disable Window Transparency and use the Reduce Motion feature.

Open the  Apple menu, open ‘System Preferences’, then select the “Accessibility” preference panel
Choose “Display” settings
Check the boxes for “Reduce motion” and “Reduce transparency”
Exit out of System Preferences
You will see an immediate change in the visual appearance of things as the transparency is disabled, and windows, sidebars, titlebars, menubar, and other interface aspects will no longer have a translucent effect. You’ll also notice far fewer animations of zips and zooms, and instead with Reduce Motion enabled you’ll find there’s a fading animation used instead. The net effect is less system resource usage as there are fewer resources needed to draw the interface eye candy, and often a faster Mac too.

The ability to reduced transparency on Mac and Reduce Motion has been around a while, and these tips can help speed up other older system software versions too.

Stop the Programs Working in the Background

If you think that closing an app is equal to stopping it, you are making a common mistake. An app might not stop functioning after you press the “X” mark in the corner of its window. To check if the program keeps on working in the background, cast a glance at the dock. If the app’s icon is there, marked with a tiny dot, stop it with any of the following methods:

• Two-finger tap the app’s icon, then press Quit
• Right-click plus Command-click
• Use the Command + Q keyboard shortcut
• Proceed to File, then Quit
• In case the item doesn’t respond, right-click its icon, hold Option and push the Force Quit button.

Steam, Excel and Photoshop would be among the most likely candidates to keep functioning in the background, consuming your Mac’s resources without your knowledge.

Don’t Allow Apps to Autostart

When you start the system, several apps would launch automatically. You won’t be able to use the computer properly until all of them load and start functioning. If you don’t want to wait that long, proceed to the System Preferences and press the Login Items button in the Users & Groups section. In the inventory of the auto starting programs, select the ones you are not planning to use and push the “minus” button.

Reset SMC and PRAM/NVRAM

The SMC abbreviation stands for the System Management Controller. This component is in charge of fans, power buttons, light LEDs and other low-level functions. If a decline in performance is accompanied by weird fan behavior or unusual keyboard backlighting, you should reset your SMC. Please google the exact step-by-step instructions because they might considerably differ depending on the model of your device.
Resetting NVRAM or PRAM, on the contrary, is very easy: while the system is starting up, hold Command + Option + R + P. This element is in charge of storing settings such as time zone, screen resolution or sound volume. PRAM or NVRAM failures are among the most frequent answers to the question why your Mac is slowing down.

Free at Least 5 GB in Your Mac’s Memory

Or even better 10 GB, if possible. This is the minimum volume of memory the device needs to function properly. In the right upper corner, press the Apple icon and then the About This Mac icon. The Storage tab will show you which part of your hard drive’s memory is currently used and which ratio of it is still available.
If you critically lack free memory, the system might fail to boot or hibernate. You’ll be unable to download large files and install updates. The functionality of certain apps might be limited. To fix these problems, erase unnecessary files and apps.

Clean Up the Desktop

Each item stored on your desktop consumes as many resources as if it were a separate window. To boost productivity, relocate the files from your desktop to other folders and eliminate the icons of the apps that you are not planning to use frequently.

Get Rid of Excessive Tabs and Browser Extensions

The more extensions you have in your browser, the more memory and CPU they require. The volume of the resources they consume is incommensurate with their insignificant functionality. The same can be said about all the tabs that you keep open while not actually using them: Twitter, Google, Instagram… Proceed to the Memory tab in the Activity Monitor to check how thirsty these tabs are and close them immediately.

Switch to Safari Browser

Unlike Firefox or Chrome, this one was tailor-made for Apple devices. It saves your Mac’s battery and won’t irritate you with memory hogs.

Timely Upgrade Your Operating System

The above-mentioned measures will have just a partial effect. Installing the latest version of your macOS or a new operating system will give a major boost to your device’s productivity. But beforehand, make sure to save all the meaningful data on an external physical drive or a cloud storage.
Previously, owners of older Macs would hesitate to switch to the latest operating systems because that would slow down their devices. Today, this problem is not relevant anymore. However, it would be wise to do some preliminary investigation and ensure that the newest version supports all the programs you use daily.
If installing a new OS is out of the question, try to upgrade at least all the applications. The exact procedure of doing it depends on how you installed them. Those downloaded from the AppStore should be updated right in the store.

Conclusion

The older your Mac, the less impressive its productivity. Fortunately, investing in a new computer is not the only way out. Try to clean the device’s memory, upgrade its OS and programs, fine-tune its settings to optimize the consumption of resources. As soon as you complete the procedures described in this article, your device will once again become quick and responsive.

A lone
MacBook
is a powerful and impressive device. However, add some accessories into the mix, and they’ll enable an almost magical experience. There are numerous options of accessories for a MacBook, even so, many that it is difficult to see which ones will help you to get work done on your Mac. Finding the accessories that suits your needs can prove challenging, so it helps focus on the essentials. However, some accessories benefit power users as well as casual ones.

1. Mouse

It’s a good idea to have a reliable, precise mouse for your MacBook. Even though MacBook’s comes with best in class trackpads you can ever find in a computer, they don’t quite manage to beat the experience a mouse provides.

There are tons of outstanding mice out there. Which one you should get to accompany you, and your MacBook heavily depends on your needs.

When purchasing a new mouse, I suggest that you look for wireless connectivity, preferably via Bluetooth, and a USB-C charging that lets you use it even while on the charger (sorry Apple Magic Mouse 2).

Personal Recommendation

My personal recommendation for a mouse is the Logitech MX Master 3. It features all the things I want it to have plus so much more. Starting with the essential features, it has wireless connectivity via Bluetooth and even has multi-device support. With just a press of a button on the mouse’s underside, you can switch the device you want it to control. It charges via USB-C and has an excellent battery life. Over the half-year I’ve owned it, I had to charge it once.

On top of these major features, the mouse has Logitech’s Magspeed scroll wheel. It is the best scrolling you’ll ever find, switching seamlessly from precision scrolling to the fast, 1’000 lines of text in a second scrolling.

In addition, the mouse comes with a gesture button that is perfect for the Mac, a thumb scrolling wheel, and two customizable buttons. The sensor is also brilliant and works smoothly on almost any surface.

The only minor downside of this mouse is the size. Since it is an ergonomically designed and feature-packed mouse, it is a bit bulky.

Having said that, if you are looking for one of the best mice in the market, you cannot go wrong with the Logitech Master MX 3.

2. USB-C Hub

When getting a new MacBook, you’ll get four Thunderbolt 3 ports at most. Because not everyone uses peripherals with USB-C connectivity, owning a USB-C hub can prove helpful.

Having one protects you from the awkward moment when you have to explain your coworker that you can’t read a USB stick, but it will also increase your flexibility.

When buying a USB-C hub, you should always make sure the one you choose has all the ports you want it to have, such as an SD-Card reader and HDMI.

It is also important to look out how many ports the hub will need to work. There are a couple of options out there, some only need one Thunderbolt 3 connector others need two.

Personal Recommendation

As far as I’m concern, a USB-C hub ought to be portable and have a lot of input options. With that in mind, I chose the Satechi ST-SCMA2M. It comes in proper Mac colorways, and henceforth doesn’t take away the beautiful aesthetics of a Mac, it also gives me a broad range of input options. It comes with an HDMI, an SD-Card reader, a micro SD-card reader, two standard USB type A readers, and a USB-C port, which allows for passthrough charging.

The Satechi ST-SCMA2M also only needs one Thunderbolt 3 port to connect, and that’s all what I need.

The sleek form factor and the multitude of ports are pretty good, which makes me recommend this hub for everyone.

3. Headphones

Love listening to music while getting work done? Well, if you want to be able to listen to your music all the time, you should grab a pair of headphones.

Although all MacBooks comes with a headphone jack, when purchasing headphones to go along with your MacBook, I highly recommend looking for wireless headphones.

No matter your budget, you’ll get good wireless headphones in every price range, from sub 100$ to +300$.

When looking for a good headphones to complement your MacBook, I suggest that you think about the essential features. Do you need good microphones because you find yourself in conference calls a lot? Do you need active noise canceling because your workspace is too loud otherwise?

Outline all the features you want to have and then look for the headphones that suits your needs. Nowadays there are a wide range of valuable options, there is one for everybody.

Of course, getting Apple headphones (Beats also included) you’ll get some features the other headphones can’t provide, so I advice you to look into the Apple headphones first. However, the features they offer are not game-changing at all, and if you find yourself liking the headphones of a different company more, go for them.

Personal Recommendation

As far as I’m concerned, one of the best headphones to complement your MacBook are the
Apple AirPods Pro.
The AirPods Pro have a super active noise canceling feature. In addition, they are super portable and perfectly integrated into the
Apple ecosystem.

If you are looking for one pair of headphones for all your needs, including to pair it with other devices, then your MacBook, the AirPods Pro Might be only headphones you’ll ever need.

AirPods Pro offers a great sound, and the battery life of about 4.5 hours with active noise canceling should be enough for almost everybody.

The only downside of the AirPods Pro is that they are quite expensive , and when compared to other headphones in their price tag, the sound isn’t that superb anymore.

However, due to their small size, the one headphones for all needs aspect, and their excellent active noise canceling, it’s pretty easy to recommend the AirPods Pro as headphones Companion for your MacBook. Additionally, the fact that they are designed by Apple gives them a unique connection with the MacBook and makes them easy to use.
See also:
AirPods 2 Vs. AirPods Pro – FIGHT!

4. External storage

One of the best utility apps that come pre-installed on the MacBook is Time Machine. Apple’s backup program is fantastic, and everyone should take advantage of it. To do so, you need a reliable external hard drive or SSD storage.

In addition, having an external storage solution allows you to free up space on the MacBook’s internal storage.

When looking for the perfect external storage solution, the most important thing is reliability. If you find yourself needing the backup, you want to be sure that your external storage can handle it.

Another essential factor to consider is the type of storage, hard drive, or solid-state storage (SSD). Both have their pros and cons, but they are both greatoptions.

SSD’s usually come in at a little higher price but have higher write and read speeds, where hard drive mostly costs a bit less but can’t provide as fast speeds. It is said that SSD’s don’t have the same lifespan as hard drives, however, although this is technically true, no regular user will ever have problems with this.

Personal Recommendation

I wouldn’t recommend going all out on a high capacity, lighting-fast external SSD as your solution for external storage, except you need the fastest speeds to transfer data.

As far as I’m concerned, western digital’s “my passport” line is a perfect option for everyone. The hard drives offer a quick transfer speed and very high capacities while maintaining a reasonable price. They also have no known reliability issues, and personally, I use two of them as my storage solutions.

For time machine, I use a LaCie rugged 4TB hard drive that I got as a present. However, while it’s quite appealing and also is very reliable, the price of this hard drive is only justified by its looks, and there are more great options out there.

5. A backpack

Laptops standout feature is their portability. MacBooks are powerful machines that’ll go where ever you take them. Whether you use it to get work done on the train, edit videos in the airplane, or take your lecture notes in the auditorium, the MacBook is part of your daily carry.

In order to facilitate that portability of a MacBook or, for that matter, any Laptop, you’ll need a means of transportation for it. I highly recommend a backpack for transporting your MacBook. It is easier to carry than a sleeve, and it also has room for additional stuff you bring around.

When getting a Backpack for your MacBook, ensure it has a good pocket for your device. It should be padded well, and if there are zippers close to it, look for a lining that separates the zipper from the MacBook.

Once you’ve made sure that the backpack has a functional pocket for your MacBook and does not damage it while carrying around, find a bag that fits your needs. If you carry around a camera with you a lot, maybe you want a backpack that allows you to take your camera with you also. Do you need waterproofing?

As with the headphones, make a list and look for the backpack that ticks all the boxes for you.

Personal Recommendation

To carry around my 16’ MacBook Pro, I use Douchebags the “Backpack”. With a dedicated Laptop compartment right against your back, it keeps the MacBook safe from all the other stuff I lug around on a daily basis. The main compartment is also easily accessible and has sufficient space for all the stuff I need to carry around.

In addition, the “Backpack” has a simple, yet modern and fresh look that perfectly complements the MacBook. If you are also into photography, there is a camera inlet that fits perfectly into the “Backpack”. So carrying around your camera and the MacBook is easy and secure.

While it a bit pricy, it ticks all my boxes and is the perfect means of transportation for my MacBook.

When you ask a geek for help because of some issues with your Mac, iPhone, but also printer or internet connection, the first question they throws at you is always the same:
Have you tried turning it off and on again?
But why rebooting a device solves almost, all the problems?
As a software engineer I’m aware that every system has glitches , it is impossible to have a flawless application. And often glitches only occur under certain conditions when specific events happen. If a problem occurred at every startup, it would be resolved immediately.

Occasionally, a certain combination of conditions and events causes the MacBook or iPhone to crash. A process could possibly accumulate RAM space, with a glitch known as
memory leak.
By restarting, the memory resets, execution starts again, the program is reloaded, and the software variables are initialized. The conditions that caused the anomaly no longer exist. They may reoccur by executing the same operations, or the cause may not even appear any longer, since it might be caused by something not directly related to how we used the software.

As for network devices , like routers or switches, some routing tables might be corrupted for some reason. Or the connection to some service might be lost, like a DNS server, whose work is to translate web addresses into IP addresses. In these cases, or in similar cases, restarting the device will clean the internal tables and force a reconnection with the other network components, often resolving the problem.

Lastly, I recommend that you restart your devices once in a while, even if they work. It doesn’t hurt to reboot your iPhone or your Mac every now and then and give it a fresh start!
See also:
How To Force Restart a MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro

Here’s how you can do it too but only if you qualify…

As you may already know, the first generation of the MacBook Pro with a touch bar suffered from keyboard issues. It came with Apple’s butterfly keyboard which was meant to be thin and streamlined but turned out to be a right pain in the butt for many of those people who used it.
I happened to be one of those people. Now, I actually enjoy using the butterfly keyboard which is a very controversial statement but I like the way it feels but what I don’t like is when it fails on me. The keyboard begun failing on me just as I was really getting into the groove of writing about a year ago.
The problem was with certain keys sticking such as the enter key, backspace, tab, shift and a range of letters spread across the keyboard. This was a real nightmare and lead to many hours of frustration as the keyboard would often put the same letter ten times. I even resorted to an external keyboard for a while which meant typing out and about was a hassle.

So, I conducted some research online and found out that I wasn’t the only one who was facing this issue. And to my excitement, Apple offered a keyboard replacement programme for my MacBook which was very nice
So, I
made a genius bar reservation
and got on the next train to Leeds to get this issue resolved. I arrived and they were very friendly and had obviously had people complain before about these problematic keys. So, I showed them the problem and they were more than happy to get it sent off for me which was perfect.
It took around five days I think in total which was Great and I went back into Leeds to pick it back up. When I got it back I was blown away to find out Apple had pretty much just given me a whole new laptop for free.

The internals were still the same, and it was my MacBook but they had made some changes. They gave me a new display, a new metal case, top and bottom, a new battery, new trackpad and a brand new keyboard which had been updated to the 2019 version. This keyboard works much better than the previous one and even has some changes to the backspace key and option key.
The total for this repair job amounted to $359.83 and I wasn’t charged a penny. This was great news as not only was I low on cash but I had also just bought a Pret lunch which really meant I had no cash to spare.
I am using that keyboard exactly a year on to type this blog post on and it handles it no problem which is Great news.

If you think you qualify for this and are experiencing keyboard issues on your MacBook between 2016 and 2019 then
visit this link
to check out Apple’s repair programme.

When it comes to deciding on what laptop to buy, I have always been a strong believer in the idea that an expensive product, while costing more upfront, will provide much more value in the course of time.

This value ranges from simple daily experience to generating a full-time income through content you can produce on the device. Because a laptop is such a powerful tool and it’s portable, it offers you the ability to create almost anything.

The computer I’m currently using is the base Apple MacBook Pro 13 inch from 2019. I choose a MacBook because of the content I could create which would simply be much more challenging and in some cases impossible on other devices.

Premium Hardware

I have always valued the importance of quality when it comes to those things that really matter in my life. While a laptop is certainly not a basic item, it allows me to work, play and innovate through a thin and light device that I can take anywhere.
When using a MacBook I always get the feeling that Apple engineers spent sleepless nights meticulously crafting every aspect of the device. I can say the same about just a few other pieces of tech.
From the well-balanced keyboard to the force-touch trackpad everything works like magic. I have owned this device for almost a year now and the hardware is just as functional as the first day. The touch bar is also a nice touch and while pretty useless most of the time it usually reminds of the lengths Apple will go to innovate.

The display is sharp and color-accurate enough to suit my needs. I find that a good display is hard to notice but a bad one is quite easy.
Overall hardware is far too undervalued and quite honestly underrated in the tech world and a device like the MacBook makes using the computer far more intuitive and enjoyable.

See also: MacBook Pro 2019: Quick Vadict

Premium Software

Apple is popularly known for updating the software on their devices each year. This is great because it means the Cupertino based brand is always working around the clock to improve the user experience.
This is another thing I can’t always say about other companies. As a MacBook user, I often feel as though Apple has customed tailored the product for my use and if not is working towards that goal through future updates.

Apple’s software is simple but powerful. It has been refined for years to improve user’s experience and you can notice it in day to day use. Everything from an easily accessible dock to spotlight search to dark mode and apps, macOS is extremely powerful and provides the tools you need to get work done.
I have always appreciated Apple software as a minimalist because it stays true to simple design language and easily prevents you from getting distracted.

Optimization

This is by far the best reason to pick Apple when it comes to buying a laptop. Unlike most Windows devices where a different company is usually the one creating the hardware than the software, Apple custom engineers the hardware to fit with the powerful software.
From the touch bar to force touch on the trackpad, every aspect of the device feels like it’s designed to work together.

Apple also offers unprecedented Continuity allowing you to use most of your important iPhone apps on the Mac. This means you can leave your iPhone behind and still receive text messages.
Everything syncs seamlessly from photos to music the overall Mac experience that much better.
See also: Continuity for iPhone, iPad, Mac, explained

All things considered, if I were to recommend any laptop it would by far be the MacBook. Whether that be the MacBook Air to the Pro is dependant on your usage situation, but you can be sure you will receive a premium product tailor-made to suit your needs.