Switch to a Different Website. If a website has set download speed limits on their end, or if their. Flip Between Windows in Current Application – Command+`: Much like you can Command+Tab your. One of the best ways to keep your Mac in speedy shape is to clean up your app clutter, disable resource-hogging startup apps, and uninstall unwanted apps (especially menubar utilities that run in.
“No matter what I do, my Mac is still slow”, an average tech-consultant hears this phrase multiple times a day. Give a person even the most powerful computer, and pretty soon it will be cluttered with apps, extensions, and things that are too much for it to handle. To reverse it, one has to go back and сlean up the mess, removing memory agents one by one. Prepare for a fight — every byte of memory is at stake. So let’s put your Mac on a diet and get it more free RAM to breathe freely.
First, remove desktop clutter. Get a combination of Setapp apps that clear away unneeded desktop files.
Download Declutter Free“Your system has run out of application memory”
How do you know your Mac is low on memory? Floating “rainbow wheels” aside, you may notice your Mac now takes ages to load. You’ll also see many browser applications crashing. You’ll be also thrown warning messages as “Your system has run out of application memory”. To help it, you should first visit the Activity monitor to see memory usage on Mac.
How to check RAM usage on Mac
Go to Applications and type in Activity Monitor in the search bar. This invokes a good old Activity Monitor that should tell how much free memory you’ve got left.
A shortcut to open Activity Monitor:
Press F4 and start typing Activity Monitor in the search bar.
I’ve attached a screenshot from my Mac and as you can see my memory usage almost reached full capacity. Here’s what it all means:
App memory: taken by apps and processes
Wired memory: reserved by apps, can’t be freed up
Compressed: inactive, can be used by other apps
Swap used: memory used by macOS
Cached files: memory you can really use
Wired memory: reserved by apps, can’t be freed up
Compressed: inactive, can be used by other apps
Swap used: memory used by macOS
Cached files: memory you can really use
Notice the colored graph under Memory Pressure. If your graph is all but red and yellow, your Mac is really gasping for fresh memory. It seems counter-intuitive, but “available memory” your Activity Monitor is not that important after all. In fact, it’s a system intended behavior to use all memory resources when available. On the contrary, the Memory Pressure graph is much more telling, so grow a habit to check this graph in the Activity Monitor every now and then.
How to check CPU usage on Mac
Open the CPU tab in Activity Monitor to keep in check CPU-heavy processes. Normally an app would be using 0-4% of CPU. If it takes abnormally more than that, go inside that particular item in the list and press the Quit button.
How to free up memory on Mac
Tip # 1. Remove Login Items to lower Mac memory usage
Login items are programs that load automatically upon Mac startup. Some of them covertly add themselves to the list and this is no good. If you’re looking to free up RAM, they are the first candidates for deletion. Don’t worry, you’re not deleting the app itself, you just stop it from auto-launching every time.
So, to remove Login Items and at the same time reduce your memory usage of your Mac, you need to:
- Open System Preferences and select Users & Groups.
- Click your nickname on the left.
- Select the Login Items tab.
- Check programs you don’t want to load as your Mac starts.
- Press the “–” sign below.
Now, you won’t see these apps pop up the moment you turn on your Mac. Although this method doesn’t require some superpowers of yours, some special Mac optimization and memory cleaner tools may do the job faster and ensure the smooth performance of your Mac. CleanMyMac X is an excellent example of such software. Here’s how to disable Login Items with CleanMyMac X:
- Download it for free and go to the Optimization tab.
- Check Login Items to see the list of apps that get opened when you start your Mac.
- Click Remove.
As you’ve already come to the Optimization module of CleanMyMac, you can also fix hung apps and heavy memory consumers there. In this way, you’ll free up the solid amount of RAM on Mac — 100% free of charge.
Tip # 2. Free up disk space if Mac is low on memory
The available space on your Mac’s drive translates into virtual memory. This comes to save you when you’ve run out of physical RAM. So now your computer relies on your hard drive space to keep your apps going.
The classic geek rule of thumb holds it that you should keep at least 20% of disk space on your startup drive. Not only this potentially reduces your future spending on iCloud storage but it also keeps your Mac speedier.
What to delete to free up space:
- Large unused files, like movies
- Old downloads
- Rarely used applications
- System junk
But here’s a simpler solution to save your time — clean up your drive with CleanMyMac X— the app I’ve mentioned above. Many users recommend it as an excellent way to free up more space because it searches for large & old files, useless system files, Photo junk, mail attachments and shows everything you can safely delete. Interestingly, it finds about 74 GB of junk on an average computer.
Extra trick: How to free up RAM on Mac with CleanMyMac X
If you have downloaded CleanMyMac, you may also take advantage of its amazing feature — the ability to free up RAM in a few seconds. Try this next time you see “Your system has run out of application memory” message.
- Go to the Maintenance tab on the left.
- Click Free Up RAM.
- Click Run.
As simple as that!
And you can do it even if you download a free version of the app.
Tip # 3. Clean up your Desktop
This tip always comes at the bottom of instructions and unfairly so as it is quite effective. Without even looking at your Desktop I would assume it’s cluttered with mountains of icons. Thing is, your macOS was designed in a way that it treats every Desktop icon as a little active window. The more icons, the heavier memory usage on Mac. So in order to release available memory resources, it’s recommended to keep your Desktop clean.
You don’t have to do it all by yourself. With apps like Declutter and Spotless, every desktop cleaning session will be scheduled in advance and executed automatically. Your only job is to define the rules on how your files should be organized.
Tip #4. Clear cache files
Another way to free up RAM on Mac is to clear it of cache files. Of course, it won’t save you gigabytes of space, but deleting cache regularly, you can help your Mac run faster and avoid system issues.
So, to remove cache files on your Mac, you need to:
- Open Finder.
- From the Go menu, select Go to Folder.
- Type ~/Library/Caches in the field and press Go.
- In the window that appears, you will see all your cache files.
- Press Command+A to select all files or delete files one by one.
- Enter your user name and password to confirm.
If you find some files still in the folder after you emptied it, maybe you have some windows open on your Mac. Just like that, you can save up some space on your Mac. Don’t forget to empty the bin afterward.
Tip # 5. Tune up Chrome’s Task Manager
Although Google Chrome is not the one to blame for massive memory usage, it can indeed affect your Mac's performance. If you use Chrome as your primary browser, you probably have many windows opened there. Chrome runs a lot of processes to ensure a fast browsing experience for you. So, it uses your RAM for storing your tabs, plugins, and extensions. Look at how many entries Google Chrome has in Activity Monitor:
The question then arises, 'Why does Chrome use so much RAM?' The thing is that each process is responsible for a separate plugin or extension of your browser. For example, when a tab unexpectedly falls, you need to refresh it to continue your work there. If one process were responsible for all tabs and extensions, you would need to restart the whole browser instead. Can you imagine how many times would you do that? That’s the proper answer to why Chrome uses so much RAM.
I’ve been using Chrome for some years only to discover (recently) that Chrome had a task manager of its own. You can use it to force quit memory-heavy processes in the browser. It’s a handy tool because it lets you see how a page weighs on CPU usage on a Mac.
- Go to Chrome settings (dotted icon in the top right corner)
- Click More tools -> Task Manager
To free up even more RAM, close the GPU process. The GPU Process, though helpful in theory to accelerate pages, eats up a considerable amount of memory. Click to end it to free up RAM on your Mac.
Tip # 6. Manage RAM usage with CleanMyMac X menu
CleanMyMac X has another useful and convenient feature for managing your Mac’s performance and memory usage. As you install CleanMyMac X and start it for the first time, it’s icon will appear in your menu bar. Click the icon to open the CleanMyMac X menu. Here you can find updates on the current condition of your Mac and perform quick tweaks to increase your Mac's speed. Whenever you feel like your Mac underperforms, open the CleanMyMac X menu to check how much RAM is available and free it up as well.
Tip # 7. Close Finder windows
Okay, suppose you’re still asking yourself, how do I clear RAM on my MacBook Pro/MacBook Air. The next trick is as magical (you’ll see for yourself) as it is time-saving. It’s no secret that each window in the Finder eats up RAM. But how many open windows are there? Some of them are collapsed or stacked in some blind spot on your screen. This Finder command merges all your windows into one. See how to do it:
Click on Finder > Window > Merge All Windows
Now you can manage Finder windows more effectively and free up memory on MacBook.
What else you can do to minimize memory usage on Mac
I’ve saved the easiest tips for the end, as long as these ones are self-explanatory.
- Replace AdBlock (very memory-demanding) with a lighter extension
- Keep fewer opened tabs in the browser
- Restart your Mac more often to free up RAM
- Close all hung-up print queues
That was my take on how to make your Mac a bit speedier to use. If you’re looking for more guidance, check simple ways to speed up your Mac.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to check application memory on Mac?
To check RAM usage on your Mac, go to Activity Monitor (Applications > Utilities). In the Memory tab, you will see all the active processes that are using your Mac’s RAM. At the end of the window, there is a Memory Used graph, which indicates how much application memory is used.
How to find out whether your Mac needs more RAM?
Your Mac may be using almost all its RAM, but you don’t need more if it’s using it efficiently. Open Activity Monitor and go to the Memory tab. The Memory Pressure graph shows the current condition of your RAM: green color means your Mac’s using RAM effectively, while yellow is a sign that some application or process is using too much of application memory. The red memory pressure signals that your Mac needs more RAM.
How to quickly free up RAM on your MacBook?
To free up RAM on your Mac, firstly, you should find out what app uses so much of your memory. The memory-heavy programs are listed in Activity Monitor, Memory tab. If there is an app you aren’t using at the moment, click it and press the “X” sign to quit it. This will, in turn, free some of the application memory
These might also interest you:
It’s not a secret that MacBook doesn’t have the best sound system among laptops. Very often the sound of some YouTube videos is so low, so I have to put the MacBook on my chest to hear when I am in a noisy environment. I researched various ways to amplify sound on MacBook and here is what I found.
So, how to make Mac volume louder than maximum? There are multiple ways to make volume louder ranging from DIY equalizers to paid tools such as Boom 3D and its alternatives. There also browser plug-ins to which amplify sound when watching YouTube or Netflix in Chrome. However, anyone using those tools must be aware of possible negative effects.
Is this an OS problem?
I read in some forums that the problem with the low sound level on Macs is because Apple intentionally limits the max volume to protect the speakers. To test this hypothesis I used the MacBook with both macOS and Windows (Bootcamp) installed.
I used NIOSH Sound Level Meter to measure the sound output. I also used the same video on YouTube and the same browser (same version) with all sound controls set to maximum. While I understand that this is not the perfect setting it’s as close I could get.
During the test, I found that macOS was louder than Windows by 10.3 dB. Another myth debunked!
macOS settings
Before trying to use non-traditional methods make sure that the settings on the MacBook are properly set. If they are not then simply settings them properly may be enough at this point.
Go to System Preferences (link) and click on the Sound panel. In the dialog box click on Sound tab
First, make sure that the Balance is set in the middle. If you move the Balance all the way to the left then right speakers will be muted.
Next, make sure that the Mute box is unchecked. If it is checked then obviously will be no sound at all.
If you check the box “Show volume in the menu bar” then you will be able to control the volume level from the menu bar. Moving the volume slider in this dialog or from the menu bar has the same effect as using F11/F12 keys on the keyboard or volume control on the Touch Bar.
Tip
If you are using F11/F12 keys the volume level changes in big increments, so it is hard to set the exact sound level you need. In this case, use hold Shift and Option (Alt) keys with F11 and F12. You will be able to change the volume in quarter increments and get the precise volume level.
MacBook volume suddenly low
Sometimes the sound volume gets low all of a sudden. While there are multiple reasons for this the two most common fixes are:
1Force Quitting all applications or restarting the computer. Some applications take control of the speakers and do not properly release. It happens with Safari a lot. Another application that has this problem is Team Viewer.
With TV you can either force quit after the session or uncheck the “Computer sound” option. Restarting computer is another way of quitting all applications.
2 Resetting NVRAM/PRAM and SMC. NVRAM and PRAM keep a lot of settings in the memory including some information about speakers. When those settings got corrupted they may prevent changing the sound volume on MacBooks.
If you need instructions on resetting them check my other article: 18 Ways to Fix MacBook Black Screen
How to increase volume in iTunes
If iTunes is your main app to listen to the music and podcasts or watch movies there is a way to boost its volume.
Start iTunes. And then either go to Equalizer item from Window menu or use Command+Option(Alt)+E key combination.
![Mac maximize window Mac maximize window](/uploads/1/3/4/0/134047581/813454134.jpg)
This will bring up an Equalizer window where you can either choose a preset (the default is Flat) or boost all frequencies manually. I decided to do the latter and compare volume before and after with the same music file.
When I only increase Preamp to the max the volume did increase by about 4dB according to my app. The sound was noticeably higher and at times painfully so for my ears. When I maxed out all frequency bands the sound got distorted, but the volume got higher by an additional dB (5dB total).
Note: I am not a sound expert so I used the sound test I found from the internet which was already recorded on a very high level. It is possible that if I had the sound file with a lower level I would get even better results. But the point of the exercise does not accurately measure the sound but rather find out ways to boost the sound on the Mac beyond the max.
Other media players
If you watching downloaded movies or DVD I recommend trying another very popular app – VLC media player. You can download a DMG file (installation package) from here.
Right off the bat VLC is louder then iTunes by about 2.5dB (in my test) if you just set the volume of the player to the maximum.
How To Maximize App In Mac Os
Then if you go to VLC Preferences and click on Audio tab, there will be an “Always reset audio start level to” setting which by default is set to 100%. I moved it up all the way to 200% and tested the sound again. This time the gain over base iTunes level was 5.5dB.
Then I found VLC Equalizer. To get to it go to Window menu and then click on Audio Effects or simply use Shift+Command+E key combination. I enabled Preamp and set it to the max. This time the level was higher by 6.5dB over base iTunes measurement. I had to use headphones for testing to avoid damaging my ears.
Raising Youtube and Netflix volumes
While we found out the way to boost volumes for music and movies played by iTunes and other media players it doesn’t help with YouTube clips or Netflix movies because they require internet browsers to watch.
Fortunately, if there is a need to do something in Chrome there is almost always a plug-in for it. One of the best Chrome extensions for this purpose is “Ears: Bass Boost, EQ Any Audio!”.
After installing it in Chrome click on the new icon in the extension bar. The configuration menu can also be opened in the full window.
The basic version of the extension is free, but if needed one can upgrade to Pro version for $0.99 per month.
Again, I compared the sound volume of YouTube clip before and after volume boost in Ears plug-in.
And yes, the plug-in has delivered. The boost from the free version was about 5.3dB.
So, if you looking to increase volume on anything you watch or listen on Chrome browser then Ears extension is exactly what you need.
So far we explored some options to boost sound in specific applications on Mac: iTunes, VLC, browsers. But I don’t want to have multiple ways to do the same, I want to have one way to boost audio system-wide.
Is this possible? The answer is yes. First, let’s review some paid tools and then see if we can find some free alternatives.
Commercial apps to boost audio system wide
Audio Hijack from Rogue Amoeba
Audio Hijack was on the market for many years. It has lots of functions including capturing audio from any app and device on Mac, podcast recording, etc. I am only interested in volume pumping functionality the app provides. The app is very expensive: $59 for a single license, but they allow to download a trial version which I used for testing.
After download click on New session, choose Increase volume from the Templates. I tested 2x and 4x override options. Again, I used iTunes clip, but first I turned off equalizer settings.
At 2x boost the sound level increase by 3.6dB (almost the same as iTines with Preamp), at 4x it was even higher by 5.6dB (a little less than VLC media player maximum).
Boom 3D
Another paid app is Boom 3D from Global Delight. They used to have quite popular Boom 2 app which was discontinued. The new app costs less than Audio Hijack: $39.99. I don’t know how often they do promotions, but at the time of writing they were selling their app for $19.99 ($20 discount).
Similar to Audio Hijack Boom 3D can be downloaded as a 30-day trial version. But unlike the app from Rogue Amoeba Boom 3D requires installation. After the installation you need to restart your Mac (very annoying) because Boom replaces the built-in output with its own driver.
After restarting the Mac they ask to sign up on the logon screen. You can skip sign up part by clicking on the button in the top right corner, which I did to avoid giving them a bogus email.
But boy, it was worth all the hassle. I move the boost level to the max and ran the same iTunes test and Boom 3D came out as a winner. The increase was highest with 7.3dB total improvement.
Another cool thing about Boom: they provide application level audio control. It’s very handy when you want to have iTunes play back on the background, but need incoming messages from Slack be loud so they don’t get lost.
How To Maximize App In Macbook Pro
To uninstall Boom click on hamburger icon in the top right corner, select About and at the bottom of About screen click on “Uninstall Boom 3D” button.
How To Minimize Or Maximize Screens
Boom 3D alternatives
Some users recommended EqMaq2 as an alternative to Boom 3D.
Installation process is even more demanding than Boom’s. First, it required a driver update, then permissions to change the system. Fortunately, it didn’t require restart this time.
First, I thought it increases the volume too, but it only works as an equalizer. So if you need a system wide equalizer (for instance, when you run Spotify) then EqMaq2 could be a perfect tool for the purpose.
What’s good about EqMaq2 is that it’s free because it’s an open source software. Obviously, donations are welcome because even open source developers need money.
Another thing I liked about EqMaq2: it was easy to uninstall by clicking on Uninstall button on the main screen.
DIY booster (free)
Since EqMaq2 did not do what I needed, and I didn’t want to pay for commercial apps I decided to try a DIY option.
How To Maximize App In Macbook
The steps are following:
- Install Soundflower
- Install AU Lab. AU Lab was an application that comes with macOS in Applications/Utilities, but in Mojave it was removed. Now you can download it from iTunes page.
- Just unzip the file and start it.
- AU Lab will ask access to Microphone, so you have to give the access in Preferences -> Security and Privacy panel, Microphone section.
- Now in Sound panel in Preferences change the Output from Built-in to Soundflower 2ch.
- Back in AU Lab in Stereo In/Stereo Out factory configuration set Audio Input Device to Soundflower (2ch).
- In Output Settings change Audio Output Device to Built-in Output.
- Click on Create Document button.
Well, the results were more than underwhelming. The sound thru AU Lab was in fact 9dB lower than with iTunes baseline!
Word of caution
I must say that some of the boosters are very effective, so I need to warn readers about two things:
When I was researching this topic I found several users complaining that Boom and other apps damaged their MacBook speakers. I believe they were trying to use MacBook as DJ equipment.
Mac Maximize Window
If you need super loud music I suggest to buy good external speakers instead using volume booster apps. The good reason to use latter is to raise the volume of audio files which were recorded on a low level.
Any sound over 85dBA can cause hearing damage. If you are in the environment where the noise is over 85dBA for 8 hours the damage to the hearing can be permanent. The level of 100dBA can cause permanent damage after 15 minutes!
Conclusion
If you need to boost the volume level in iTunes you can do it inside the app. The boost you get is comparable to the most commercial apps.
If you need to improve the audio of YouTube or Netflix videos install Ears Chrome extension and watch the movies in the Chrome browser.
If you need system wide volume booster go with Boom 3D. It’s cheaper than Audio Hijack and provides the most powerful boost from all solutions we covered in this post.