Why is my Mac running slow?

Start with two quick checks

Before changing anything, find out what kind of slow you have. Open Activity Monitor from Applications → Utilities.

1. Check memory pressure

   Click the Memory tab and look at the Memory Pressure graph at the bottom. Green means memory is keeping up. Yellow or red means apps want more memory than is easily available, so macOS is compressing memory and moving it to disk. That makes switching apps feel sluggish.

2. Check the CPU tab

   Click CPU, then click the % CPU column to sort. If one app sits near the top for minutes at a time, it’s likely the cause. On a Mac with several cores, one process can show more than 100%, since the scale counts each core.

3. Check free storage

   Open System Settings → General → Storage. Apple lists a nearly full startup disk as a common reason a Mac runs slowly. macOS needs free space for swap, caches, and updates.

For what each number means, see how to check CPU and memory usage on a Mac.

The common causes, and what to do

• Too many apps or browser tabs

  Every open app and tab holds memory. Browsers like Chrome run tabs and sites in helper processes, such as Google Chrome Helper (Renderer), so a browser can quietly become the largest thing on your Mac. Quit apps you aren’t using with ⌘Q and close tabs you don’t need.

• One app stuck or working hard

  An app that’s exporting, syncing, or caught in a loop can hold the CPU for a long time. If you don’t need it right now, save your work and quit it. If it won’t respond, force quit it.

• Leftover work running in the background

  Development servers, build watchers, and AI coding agents keep running after you switch tasks. A node or python process from this morning can still be using memory this afternoon. Stop the ones you’re done with from the terminal where you started them.

• Background indexing after an update or migration

  After a macOS update, a migration, or adding many files, Spotlight and Photos analyze your files. You may see mds_stores, mdworker, photoanalysisd, or mediaanalysisd near the top. This usually settles on its own. Leaving your Mac awake and plugged in helps it finish.

• Syncing files

  iCloud Drive and other cloud storage apps upload and download in the background. cloudd and fileproviderd are busy when a lot of files change at once.

• Too many things open at login

  Apps that open at login stay running all day. Review them in System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions (Login Items on macOS Sonoma) and remove any you don’t need. The same screen shows apps allowed to run in the background.

• A nearly full startup disk

  Use the recommendations in System Settings → General → Storage to find large files, then move or delete what you don’t need. Empty the Trash afterward.

If it’s still slow

Once you’ve quit the obvious apps, a few more steps cover most remaining cases.

1. Restart your Mac

   Choose Apple menu → Restart. A restart closes everything, including processes that were left behind, and gives macOS a clean start.

2. Update macOS and your apps

   Check System Settings → General → Software Update. Updates often include performance and bug fixes, and an outdated app can behave badly on a newer macOS.

3. Check that your apps support your Mac

   Apple suggests quitting apps that aren’t compatible with your Mac, for example ones that need a different processor or graphics card. Check each app’s system requirements if one seems to struggle.

4. Run First Aid in Disk Utility

   Open Disk Utility from Applications → Utilities, select your startup disk, and click First Aid to check it for problems.

5. Consider your workload

   If Memory Pressure is yellow or red during your normal day, even after a restart, your work may need more memory than your Mac has. That’s worth knowing when you choose your next Mac.