Not everyone has migrated to the new Mac and in many cases it is not even necessary. This is because many still have hardware powerful enough to continue functioning for many years to come. So, if you want to be included in this group of users, see how to recover an old Mac and give it more speed.
How to recover an old Mac and give it more speed!
Keep everything updated
Most Mac users benefit from updating to the latest version of system software available for their specific computer for greater compatibility, security, and sometimes performance. If you can update an older Mac to MacOS Sonoma, Monterey, or Big Sur, it's generally a good idea for most users to do so, as these newer versions continue to receive important security updates.
But not all older Macs support the latest and greatest version of macOS, and some Macs continue to use much older versions of system software, sometimes intentionally. Many Mac users have similar situations, preferring older system software over newer versions for various reasons.
Speaking of updates, don't forget to update your applications too. Many will continue to run on older system software versions and will continue to receive important software updates. This is particularly important for web browsers, where newer versions of web browsers will have security fixes to help protect your computer while you browse the web.
Clean your hard drive
Whenever possible, remove unnecessary files, apps and junk from your older Mac to free up hard drive space.
Macs work best with at least 20% of the drive's total capacity available as free storage, allowing plenty of room for swap/virtual memory, caches, installing updates, and working with files and applications.
A useful application for cleaning a hard drive and finding large files is OmniDiskSweeper, a free tool that will help you see what's on your hard drive and where it is. Whether or not to remove items, however, is up to you.
Clean up unnecessary startup items
Disable any unnecessary login items and/or startup applications, which will help speed up the startup process on all Macs, but is particularly noticeable on older Mac hardware.
Use light applications
Whenever possible, try to use lightweight, resource-efficient applications so that you can reduce the strain on your Mac's available resources. An example of a lightweight, resource-efficient application is something like BBEdit, which is a super powerful text editor for Mac, but it doesn't consume many resources to use.
Maximize RAM if possible
While modern Macs all have RAM soldered in and are not upgradeable, many older Macs offer direct access to RAM, allowing for memory upgrades.
Whenever possible, increase the RAM capacity on a Mac as much as possible, which can significantly improve the computer's performance. This applies to all Macs, not just older ones.
There are plenty of memory upgrade kits for older Macs on Amazon, and installing RAM is usually just a matter of unscrewing a few screws, snapping the RAM into place, and putting everything back together—a little patience goes a long way.
Use a solid state drive (SSD)
If your old Mac has a spinning hard drive and you can upgrade it to an SSD, you should do so. There's nothing that offers a performance boost like an SSD, and it's well worth the investment. Everything will be faster, from launching applications, to copying files and the general workflow.
You can explore internal SSD options on Amazon and there are many upgrade kits available.
Combine an SSD with increased RAM and it can make an old Mac feel like a new one!
Clean hardware and dust
Keeping your hardware physically clean not only looks good, it also makes your computer more enjoyable to use. If you have an old Mac with dirt on its keyboard and case, cleaning it can make a big difference in how you enjoy your computer.
One of the best approaches is to use a slightly damp microfiber cloth, but everyone has their own methods and sometimes you need to use a stronger cleaning product to remove dirt or sticker residue.
Use a lightweight browser
Safari is an excellent browser for most older Macs, but if the MacOS version is old enough, Safari will no longer be updated, which can pose a security risk.
Using other lightweight browsers that are still up to date may be an option, such as Firefox, Brave or Epic.
Chrome runs normally on older Macs, but it can be notoriously RAM-hungry and resource-intensive.
Disable all visual effects and eye candy
Disabling visual effects such as transparency and various zoom movements will improve your Mac's performance by reducing the load on the processor and GPU.
Typically, you can turn off effects like transparency and animations in System Preferences > Accessibility.
With all this you will be able to recover an old Mac and give it more speed.