This Infographic Lists All Possible Culprits That Might Slow Down A Mac

Like any other old technology, a computer has got its life cycle. With the passage of time, any computer is going to slow down and vanish eventually. Mac machines are no exception. But, if all of a sudden your Mac runs much slower than it used to, something must be wrong. Ask yourself, How often do you feel frustrated with your Mac acting up? For example, it takes forever to startup, apps keep freezing up the whole system, or it just hangs randomly. If these sound familiar to you, you’d better watch out. Why? Because a slow computer not only wastes your time, but it’s also a source of anxiety that affects human health according to scientific study. PCs or Macs, it doesn’t matter.What should you do? Find out the culprit and fix it! However, the process isn’t easy as it may sound. Figuring out what’s causing a Mac to run slowly can be as challenging as fixing it.

Fortunately, SoftwareHow has dug into the topic and come up with a nice infographic that lists all 26 possible culprits that might be slowing down your Mac.  Like us, they also recommend the CleanMyMac app from MacPaw to clean up Mac hard drive. See their detailed review on CleanMyMac 3 if you’re unsure whether to try the app or not. Now enjoy the infographic!

Quick recap: all the causes for a slow Mac fall into the following four categories.

#1: Personal Habits

• Uptime Too Long
• Too Many Login Items at Startup
• Too Many Applications Open At Once
• Files and Folders Stored On the Desktop
• Too Many Widgets on Dashboard

#2: Hardware Issues

• Lack of Memory (RAM)
• Underpowered Processor
• Failing Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or Solid State Drive (SSD)
• Outdated Graphics Card
• Limited Storage Space
• Migration between PowerPC and Intel

#3: Third-party Software/Apps

• Web Browsers Full of Junk Files
• Slow Internet Connection
• Malware and Virus
• Illegal or Unused Third-party Software
• Time Machine Backup in Process
• Improper iTunes Installation or Setting
• iCloud Sync
• Apple Mail Crash

#4: Mac OS X System

• Outdated OS X
• Corrupted or Wrong Firmware
• Permission Conflicts or Damage
• Spotlight Indexing Issues
• Broken Preferences Files
• Loaded Notifications
• Unused System Preference Panes