Although Apple designs Macs to maintain themselves to a degree, making a habit of incorporating your own maintenance routine is essential for keeping your computer running smoothly and optimising its performance. If you have been searching for solutions to speed up Mac computers, these preventative maintenance tips are a perfect way. My Computer Works offers Mac computer repairs in Horsham, West Sussex if your mac is running into problems you cannot fix without expert help.
Maximising your Mac’s capabilities and life span with your own maintenance routine will help you avoid needing to buy a costly new device.
Mac Maintenance Tips
Whether your Mac is brand new or you have had it for a few years, there are steps you should take to maintain your computer and extend its life span. There are three main categories where you can apply preventive maintenance to ensure the continued performance of your computer and optimise its functionality. These categories include updates, cleaning practices, and security measures. Mac computers and laptops are costly, so implementing these actions will ensure you get the most out of your purchase.
Keep Software Updated
The easiest way to maintain your Mac is by keeping its software and applications up-to-date. Your Mac will notify you when updates are available for macOS and the apps built into it, but you are responsible for managing any additional third-party application updates. Staying up to date is vital for your computer because these updates include essential things like bug fixes, security patches, and new features that ensure your Mac operates smoothly.
Declutter & Clean
A crucial part of preventative maintenance on your Mac is to declutter and clean up its desktop, files, and browsing data. Over time files get duplicated, moved to the trash, and junk files build up. These unnecessary files take up disc space in your computer’s storage drive and affect the speed of your Mac. By permanently deleting these files and downloads you no longer need, you can enhance computer performance because it isn’t using up energy from booting irrelevant data.
Decluttering also applies to apps you are not using and unnecessary browsing data. Every time you go online, it adds a browser cache; over time, these caches can get big. Depending on how often you get online, it’s wise to delete browser caches regularly. You should also remove any user and system caches stored by your computer.
Reducing the number of Startup items is another way to improve the speed of your Mac. These are applications that automatically turn on when you start your Mac. If there are items that you do not regularly use, deleting them or disabling their launch on Startup will optimise your computer.
Security Measures
Updating your computer’s software is vital for various reasons, but more importantly, for security measures. The security features included in Mac operating systems are needed, but they don’t always provide the best security, so having additional software like antivirus software is crucial. Antivirus software offers real-time protection, constantly monitoring your computer for malware and suspicious activity.
Sometimes unauthorised software attempts to make changes to your computer that impair its functionality, so having software continuously check for this optimises your Mac.
Common Problems & Solutions
Even with solid preventative maintenance measures, you are likely to experience an issue now and then because, for all of its advancements, technology could be better. You’ll experience some common problems you can manage without spending money on repairs or new devices. The most common issues Mac owners are faced with include the following:
- Startup Problems
- Keyboard Problems
- Trackpad or Mouse Problems
- Screen or Display Problems
- Internet Connectivity Problems
- Unresponsive Apps
The issues in each area vary in severity, but there are basic solutions to try and fix the less severe problems on your own. For many, simply turning the device, mouse, or Wi-Fi off and back on or unplugging it and plugging it back in solves the problem. For more serious issues, you should seek out a computer repair service.
Use Safe Mode
You may experience Startup issues if your computer fails to turn on or start up at all. For these problems, boot your computer up in Safe Mode by turning it on, then press and hold the Shift key, which will make the Apple logo and a login screen appear. Safe Mode boots up the computer with the bare minimum software needed and runs a check to see if a Startup item is causing the problem.
Keyboard Complications
For keyboard issues such as stuck or auto-repeating keys, the solution is to go to settings and check System Preferences for the keyboard and adjust the speed and repeating keys to your liking. With wireless keyboards, you should first double-check that Bluetooth is enabled. If that does not solve the problem, the same steps for laptop keyboards apply.
Trackpad and Mouse
For problems with the trackpad or mouse, many solutions could apply. For issues with the trackpad, go to System Preferences in settings and adjust them. Check that Bluetooth is enabled if you use a wireless mouse that isn’t connecting. For USB mouse connections, the solution may be as simple as unplugging it and plugging it back in. If those don’t work, try the same solution as for the trackpad. Otherwise, ensure that your systems are up-to-date.
Display Problems
Screen or display issues can be more complicated, but some are simpler. For example, if you don’t see an image, check that the brightness settings aren’t all the way down. If the screen flickers, go into Safe Mode and revert to the factory display settings.
Internet Connectivity
When you experience internet connectivity issues, they may be solved by going into settings, forgetting the network, and reconnecting.
Freezing Apps
Sometimes an app doesn’t work correctly and freezes, preventing you from exiting or doing anything else on your computer. When this happens, try to force quit the app by pressing the command-option-escape keys, which bring up the force quit menu, and then you’ll highlight the app you want to force quit.
Seeking Expert Help
Sometimes, troubleshooting common Mac problems does not solve the problem, or the problem could be more severe and requires expertise to fix. When this happens, you should seek a computer repair service for help. At My Computer Works, our technicians are experts with access to the latest tools to fix your computer. We specialise in MacBook repair services in Horsham, West Sussex, so if you are experiencing problems with your Mac or want more tips on how to speed up your Mac, we are well-equipped to handle many issues.Contact us here for any MacBook computer repair services you may need!
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