8 ways to make your Mac boot faster

Your Mac tends to start very slowly compared to the beginning. Don't worry, there are many ways to help your Mac boot faster, let's find out.

1. Use Sleep mode instead of Shut Down

Shut Down and Sleep are two completely different modes. Shutdown means you close all running programs, including the operating system and shut down the machine. When rebooting, everything will have to reload again into RAM. MacOS takes a long time to boot up and all software has to be turned on from the beginning.

Use Sleep mode instead of Shut Down on Mac

Sleep mode is a much faster process. Depending on whether you're using a laptop or desktop computer, the Sleep mode works a bit differently. On desktop computers, such as iMac or Mac Pro, RAM will not be connected to the source in Sleep mode, while the other components remain the same.

When you continue to use, your computer will boot up very quickly, all the things you do are still there and ready to serve.

For laptops, this process is even more secure. The contents need to be written back to RAM, the RAM is still connected to the source, but the MacBook has already copied everything written in RAM to boot the drive. If the power is turned off (for example, the device runs out of battery), the memory stored in RAM is lost, you can still get back from the drive and continue the work.

Turn on the Sleep mode on the Mac by clicking on the Apple logo (there is also a Shut Down option), then clicking on Sleep . You can set your Mac to automatically enter Sleep mode under System Preferences> Energy Saver .

2. Do not let MacBook run out of battery

As mentioned above, when the MacBook is no longer connected to a power source, all content written in RAM will be lost. This means it will take some time for you to start over, as your computer needs to copy all the data to RAM. This is definitely one reason why your boot time is longer than usual.

To solve this problem, make sure your MacBook always has enough battery to operate.

3. Delete unnecessary things when logging in

Sometimes, you have to restart or turn off the Mac. If your computer takes longer than expected to boot, consider deleting unnecessary things to turn on the device. They can be the main factor causing the delay in starting the machine.

Go to System Preferences> Users and Groups, from where your username is highlighted, click on the Login Items page . You will see a list of applications that will start each time you log in. Mark the app that you think is not necessary, then click the minus sign '-' to remove them from the list.

Delete unnecessary things when logging in

You can also tick the 'Hide' option so they can run in the background without affecting you.

In addition to login items, there are some applications that can launch at a different point on the system without your knowledge. They are usually kept in a hidden folder. To access this folder, open Finder> Go> Go to Folder . , then type (or paste): / Macintosh HD / Library / StartupItems / .

This directory may be nothing, but if needed, feel free to delete unnecessary applications when your Mac boots.

4. Maintain a suitable free space

macOS also needs space to 'breathe', which is very normal operation on all operating systems. Daily tasks like downloading, updating or copying content on RAM to drive memory can take up a lot of temporary computer space. When this happens, a slow boot is inevitable.

There will be no specific number as to how much you need to leave, but about 10% of the capacity is minimal. When you start receiving macOS alerts about running out of space, it's time to free the drive on your Mac.

5. Turn off 'Reopen Windows' mode when Shut Down

When you choose to restart or shut down your Mac, there is always a window that pops up giving you the option to agree to reopen the program window when you log back in. This is a useful feature, but not everyone needs it.

Uncheck "Reopen windows"

As long as your programs are closed normally, you will not lose any data. For example, if you close a Safari window with lots of tabs open, but tick the 'reopen windows when logging back' option , your tabs will still be there, otherwise you'll have to manually open the application. Safari only.

If you do not need to reopen each application and window after shutdown, you can turn this option off. Go to System Preferences> Users and Groups> Login Options , click on the lock and type the password to change.

6. Reinstall macOS

If you've never reinstalled macOS for many years, you might be surprised at the speed of the device after that installation. By getting all the software from the outside, you have a clean machine. This is a great way to delete all the old extensions or applications you have not used for a long time.

First, back up all personal data with Time Machine. Note that any software and applications on your computer will need to download again after the installation process is complete. Now, you can reboot your computer in Recovery mode and reinstall macOS.

When you're done, you can get your backup data back from Time Machine back to your Mac.

7. Switch to SSD

If your Mac is old, your hard drive is probably still old. To find out, go to the Apple menu , select About This Mac . Then click on Storage and find Flash Storage .

If Flash Storage is not listed, make sure your Mac has an old drive. In this case, select Overview> System Report . Select boot drive in 'SATA / SATA Express' and find Medium Type below.

Hard drive type in Mac

If the Solid State does not appear, that means your Mac still owns the hard drive. You can speed things up a lot by installing an SSD in your computer.

8. Consider automatic login

Another way to speed up Mac boot time is to turn on auto-login. If you are the only user of the device, turn on automatic login in System Preferences> Users and Groups> Login Options .

If you are encrypting the drive with FileVault, this option will not appear. First turn off FileVault in System Preferences> Security and Privacy> FileVault (do not suggest this method if you often have to work outside).