How to free up RAM and reduce memory usage on macOS to speed up your Mac

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to free up RAM and reduce memory usage on macOS to speed up your Mac. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Over time, your Mac can start to feel sluggish when its RAM (Random Access Memory) becomes overloaded with active applications, background processes, and cached data. Because macOS uses available memory to keep frequently used apps and files ready for instant access, a full memory state forces the system to swap data to your startup drive, which is significantly slower. The good news is that freeing up RAM on macOS is straightforward once you know where to look. This guide walks you through identifying memory-hungry applications, clearing cached files, and adjusting system settings to restore your Mac's performance.

Quick Fix Steps

If your Mac is running slowly right now, try these steps in order before diving into the detailed instructions below:

1. Quit any applications you are not actively using, especially those running in the menu bar.
2. Open Activity Monitor (found in Applications > Utilities) and sort by the Memory column to identify the biggest consumers.
3. Restart your Mac to clear all temporary memory caches.
4. Check for macOS updates via System Settings > General > Software Update.
5. Ensure your startup drive has at least 10 to 15 percent free space.

Detailed Instructions

Identify Memory-Hogging Applications

The first step in reclaiming RAM is understanding what is using it. macOS includes a built-in tool for this purpose.

1. Open Finder, click Go in the menu bar, select Utilities, then double-click Activity Monitor.
2. Click the Memory tab at the top of the window.
3. Click the Memory column header to sort processes from highest to lowest usage.
4. Review the list and note any applications consuming an unexpectedly large amount of memory. Pay attention to the Memory Pressure graph at the bottom; if it is red or yellow, your Mac is under memory pressure.
5. Select an application you wish to close and click the X button in the toolbar, then choose Quit or Force Quit if the app is unresponsive.

Manage Login Items and Background Processes

Many applications launch automatically when you sign in and continue running in the background. Disabling unnecessary ones can free a substantial amount of memory.

1. Open System Settings from the Apple menu.
2. Click General, then select Login Items & Extensions.
3. Under Open at Login, review the list and toggle off any applications you do not need to start automatically.
4. Click the Allow in the Background section and disable background activity for apps that do not require it.

Clear System and User Caches

Cached files help macOS load content faster, but over time they can grow large and contribute to memory pressure. Clearing them can help, though macOS will rebuild essential caches automatically.

1. Open Finder and click Go > Go to Folder from the menu bar.
2. Type ~/Library/Caches and press Return.
3. Drag the contents of this folder to the Trash, then empty the Trash. Do not delete the Caches folder itself, only its contents.
4. Repeat the process for /Library/Caches (the system-wide cache folder). You may need to authenticate with your administrator password.
5. Restart your Mac to allow macOS to rebuild the necessary caches.

Reduce Visual Effects and Animations

macOS includes several visual enhancements that consume both memory and graphics resources. Reducing these can improve performance on older Macs.

1. Open System Settings and click Accessibility.
2. Select Display from the sidebar.
3. Enable Reduce motion to minimise animations when opening windows and switching between apps.
4. Enable Reduce transparency to lessen the graphical load on your system.

Manage Browser Memory Usage

If you primarily use your Mac for web browsing, your browser is likely the largest memory consumer. Most modern browsers include built-in tools to manage this.

1. In Safari, open Safari > Settings > Advanced and enable Show Develop menu in menu bar. Then use Develop > Empty Caches to clear stored data.
2. In Google Chrome, press Shift + Esc to open Chrome's Task Manager, then end any tabs or extensions using excessive memory.
3. Close browser tabs you are not actively using, or use a tab management extension to suspend inactive tabs.
4. Review your installed browser extensions and remove any you no longer need.

Free Up Disk Space

macOS uses available disk space as virtual memory when physical RAM is exhausted. If your startup drive is nearly full, swap performance will degrade significantly.

1. Click the Apple menu and select System Settings > General > Storage.
2. Review the recommendations and follow the suggested actions, such as optimising storage or emptying the Trash automatically.
3. Click Review Files and remove large or unnecessary documents, downloads, and media files.
4. Use the built-in Optimise Storage feature to automatically remove watched films and TV shows from Apple TV.

Troubleshooting

Memory Pressure Remains High After Restart

If your Mac continues to show high memory pressure after completing the steps above, the issue may be hardware-related or caused by a specific application.

• Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) and the Non-Volatile Memory (NVRAM) on Intel-based Macs. Apple silicon Macs handle these automatically.
• Boot into Safe Mode by holding Shift during startup. This disables third-party extensions and clears some caches. If performance improves, a third-party application is likely the cause.
• Run Apple Diagnostics by restarting and holding D on Intel Macs, or Option + D on Apple silicon Macs, to check for hardware faults.

Activity Monitor Shows High Swap Usage

The Swap Used value in Activity Monitor indicates how much data macOS has written to your startup drive because RAM was full. Persistent high swap usage suggests your Mac may need more physical memory than it currently has.

• Identify which applications are triggering the swap by sorting the Memory column and checking the Compressed Memory and Swap values per process.
• Consider upgrading your RAM if your Mac supports it, or closing memory-intensive applications when working on resource-heavy tasks.
• For older Macs that cannot be upgraded, consider using lighter alternative applications or upgrading to a newer model with more memory.
• If the issue persists, contact Apple Support or visit an authorised service provider for a hardware assessment.

When to Seek Further Assistance

If your Mac continues to experience memory-related performance issues after completing all the steps in this guide, it may indicate a deeper hardware or software problem.

• Back up your data using Time Machine before making any major changes.
• Consider reinstalling macOS as a last resort, as this can resolve persistent software-related memory issues.
• Visit the official Apple Support website or contact an authorised service provider for professional diagnosis.

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