The internet is considered the gateway connecting your Mac to the rest of the world. Life can be slow, but a slow internet connection is not, especially if you want to download movies, make video calls, play online games, use social media, etc. Sometimes your internet connection is slow, interrupting your gaming, browsing, and other activities. Therefore, in this article, TipsMake will guide you on how to speed up your internet on your Mac.
Even if your internet speed is already stable, you should still fine-tune and optimize some settings to maintain and improve connection speed. Additionally, you should also remember to update your Mac to the latest version, as these updates include fixes related to network connectivity.
An important thing to remember is that your internet speed will never exceed the maximum speed offered by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). So if you pay for a 2 Mbps internet connection, don't expect to actually achieve 20 Mbps.
Here are some ways to speed up your internet connection on your Mac that you can try.
Check your internet connection speed.
Before learning how to speed up your internet on a Mac, the first step is to check your current internet speed. There are many ways to do this, the simplest being to use internet speed test websites, and one of these websites is SpeedTest.net.
SpeedTest.net will test your internet speed in both uplink and downlink directions, and provide useful statistics so you can compare it to the average speed of your internet service provider.
Alternatively, you can check the connection speed provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) by looking in your modem or router's configuration, as it usually displays the actual connected speed, indicating the maximum speed you can achieve on the DSL line. For example, 6 Mbps, 20 Mbps, or even more.
Alternatively, you can open Network Utility (located in the Applications => Utilities folder) and then ping the network. Some websites, such as speedtest.netn, also measure ping times – the time it takes for a network connection to access a specific server, such as google.co.uk.
Normal ping times are only a few tens of seconds. If you detect ping times of several hundred thousand seconds, this is an alarming sign that your Mac or network connection may have problems.
1. Use a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi.
You're not alone; many other users are unaware that using a wired Ethernet network is significantly faster than using Wi-Fi.
The reason why Wi-Fi rarely achieves the same connection speeds as wired networks can simply be due to signal loss, network congestion, and reduced connection speeds, not to mention the increasing number of Wi-Fi access points configured to use the same radio frequency, which will certainly significantly reduce available bandwidth.
The simplest solution to speed up your internet on a Mac is to use a wired connection, and you'll notice a significant increase in internet speed.
2. Move the Wi-Fi Router
If your purpose for using Wi-Fi is simply convenience and the ability to connect on iPhones and iPads, make sure you've placed your router in the best location, free from obstructions. Move the router to a location where you frequently connect to Wi-Fi or a central location in your home, and ensure the antennas are pointed in the right direction to maximize internet speed on your Mac.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Wi-Fi signals can be significantly obstructed when passing through thick walls, so it's best to place the router in your room, or you can move it closer to the router for faster connection speeds.
Another tip is to replace your router (if it's too old) with the latest model, such as a router compatible with the 802.11n Wi-Fi standard, which supports faster connection speeds and longer physical range.
Additionally, try changing the radio channel your router is broadcasting, as most users use the default channel (usually channel 6), which can easily cause signal conflicts.
3. Choose the fastest internet service provider.
This advice might seem redundant, but if you want to experience fast internet speeds, you'll definitely need to choose the right package from your internet service provider. Depending on where you live, choose packages of 20 Mbps, 50 Mbps, 100 Mbps, or higher – speeds that are sufficient to download a movie in just a few minutes.
Check with your internet service provider to see if you are eligible for an upgrade or if you can change your current plan to a faster one. If not, try switching to a different internet service provider if they are currently offering promotions or discounts.
4. Check your router and Mac network configuration.
Routers or modems are the tools that connect your Mac to the outside world. So if the connection is slow, try checking your router and Mac's network configurations to see if any settings are incorrect.
You can access your router's network configuration directly on your Mac by entering the router's IP address (such as 192.168.2.1, which is the default address) in your browser's address bar and viewing the options displayed on the screen.
You will be prompted to enter the Admin password before making any settings changes. Most routers have log files that record actions; these logs can provide you with clues in case of any technical issues, and you can check your connection speed with your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Additionally, you should also check your Mac's network configuration, as some settings may be misconfigured or have been changed.
Follow the steps below to check your network configuration on your Mac:
Step 1 : Access System Preferences , select Network in the Internet & Wireless tab . Now you can see the basic status of your wired and Wi-Fi network connections, such as whether your Mac is connected to a wired or Wi-Fi network.
Step 2 : Click the Advanced button in the bottom right corner of the Network window to open advanced options, which will show you more information about network settings.
Step 3 : Check each tab in the upper corner (as shown below), including the TCP/IP, DNS, WINS, 802.1X, Proxies, and Hardware tabs.
The hardware settings are usually configured automatically, so choose the optimal settings for your network. The values you will see include:
Speed : 100baseTX
Duplex: full-duplex, flow-control
MTU : Standard (1500)
For example, if the Duplex settings are changed, you can revert them to the standard settings. Only set the values to non-standard for a specific reason. Otherwise, keep them as they are.
5. Activate Wireless Security.
Activate Wi-Fi security or change your Wi-Fi password to ensure no one else can use your internet connection. If you don't change your password , your neighbors could steal your Wi-Fi and use it for free, leading to a slower internet connection.
Security settings in wireless router configurations typically include Open, Shared, WEP, WPA, and WPA2. Choosing one of these options, such as WPA2-PSK, provides a level of security and allows you to set a password that is virtually impossible to guess. You can also explore other security options to find the best security solution that supports your router and devices.
6. Reduce Time Capsule backup time.
Time Machine can back up Time Capsules via Wi-Fi, and by default, this is once every hour. When you back up in this way, Time Machine will use a significant amount of Wi-Fi bandwidth, so Wi-Fi bandwidth will not be available for you to use, connect to, and access the internet.
While this isn't a major issue unless the backups are very large, you should still consider changing the Time Machine backup frequency to speed up your Mac's internet connection and troubleshoot network-related problems.
To do this, you don't necessarily need to open Time Machine to customize the settings. Simply open Terminal from the Applications => Utilities folder and enter each of the commands below, then press Enter. Note that the backup interval in this command is only in seconds, so if the backup time is 1 hour (default), the interval value in the command is equivalent to 3,600 seconds:
defaults write /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.backupd-auto
StartInterval -int
For example, the command below sets Time Machine to back up every two hours:
defaults write /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.backupd-auto
StartInterval -int
If you don't want to manually type and execute commands in the Terminal window, you can use a third-party application called TimeMachineScheduler as an alternative.
Download and install TimeMachineScheduler here: Download TimeMachineScheduler
7. Close unnecessary applications and tabs in your browser.
Your internet speed may slow down if you have dozens of tabs open in your browser or applications that require an internet connection. If you have many apps and websites open, such as Safari , Mail , Skype , Reeder , Facebook , Twitter , etc., these apps and websites require an internet connection to sync and update.
Even iCloud and some other apps can 'steal' your bandwidth for syncing. So you should only open apps when you feel it's absolutely necessary.
8. Optimize, clean up, and reset the Safari browser.
Most Mac users choose to use Safari, partly because it's one of the best browsers and comes pre-installed on Macs. However, like other browsers, after a while, Safari will accumulate cookies, browsing history, bookmarks, etc. This is the reason why Safari gradually slows down. Below are some ways to speed up Safari, giving you a faster browsing experience:
Step 1 : On the Safari menu, open Preferences , then access the Privacy tab and click the Manage Website Data… button => Remove All .
Step 2 : Clear browsing history: Go to Safari menu => Clear History to clear browsing traces and erase browser browsing data.
Step 3 : Disable Safari extensions: Safari Menu => Preferences => Extensions tab , disable extensions one by one or disable all of them.
Disable Safari extensions (Safari -> Preferences -> Extensions tab) either one or all of them.
Step 4 : Delete the com.apple.Safari.plist file in the ~Library/Preferences folder . Deleting this file will cause you to lose some options, such as which files will be recreated when you open the browser the next time.
9. Switch to using a different browser.
Safari is considered one of the fastest web browsers currently available because it's optimized for Macs. However, Mac users can choose and use other popular browsers like Firefox or Chrome and see if their browsing speed is faster than Safari.
10. Optimize internet speed on your Mac using third-party applications.
Several specialized third-party applications can optimize and speed up your Mac's internet connection. These often include applications that clear bookmark caches and browsing history in Safari. Additionally, applications that free up hard drive space and memory can also help speed up your Mac's internet.
One of the best system cleaning applications is MacPaw's CleanMyMac 3, which works on both El Capitan and macOS Sierra.
Download and install CleanMyMac 3 here: Download CleanMyMac 3
Above, TipsMake has provided and guided you through 10 ways to speed up your internet connection on your Mac. From now on, if you feel your internet connection is slow, you can apply the methods above to improve it. Good luck!