Like any computer, a Mac is an expensive piece of kit and if you want it to last you for a number of years then it is crucial that you take the right steps to look after it and maintain its condition. Taking care of your Mac will help you keep up with your work schedule and boost your productivity.
The condition that you choose to keep your Mac in comes down to one person and one person only – that is you. From safety to cleanliness, we share with you our top tips for taking care of your Mac. These steps will not just keep your mac safe but will help you protect your personal identity and data as well. Here’s how you can take care of your mac like a pro!
Table of Contents
Keep Your Desktop Clean
This may sound like an obvious point but many of us who use our Macs regularly can tend to neglect their general cleanliness. Cleaning your desktop such as wiping down the screen and polishing the keyboard can help you maintain it and prevent early signs of wear and tear. There are plenty of online forums where Mac users share their tips and tricks for cleaning their setup and you may find some of them very useful. It is important to note that cleaning doesn’t just mean a quick dust and wipe from time to time.
It is also crucial that you clean the hardware. Dust particles can get into your Mac which as a result can cause it to overheat. This can affect your system by slowing it down and making programmes unresponsive. Purchasing a Mac is a big financial commitment so you should treat it with care and clean it regularly to maintain its condition.
Close Apps That Are Not in Use
If you have multiple apps open at one time, then they could be using up your resources and slowing down you Mac. Whether you are using your Mac for gaming, work, or staying in touch with friends, no one wants to experience sluggish loading pages and slow speeds. You may think that by closing an app using the red “X” that you have closed the app down for good. However, this is not always the case.
In fact, you could be running multiple apps without knowing which could eventually cause your Mac to overheat. Browsers take a lot of RAM especially when multiple tabs are open. If you are a Gmail users you probably open different tabs to switch between emails which is “Tab Nightmare” for many people. You can try simpler yet powerful app like Boxysuite to reduce your tab overload and free up RAM & space. Many applications automatically start upon boot. Close any apps that are utilizing your mac resources but are not useful.
Maintain Anonymity
You may be familiar with the term VPN. Installing one onto your Mac can help you stay protected when searching online. Using a VPN can have a number of benefits such as shielding your activity on public wi-fi and giving you the ability to access restricted content. It is without a doubt that a VPN is ideal if you care about your privacy online and luckily installing one onto your Mac couldn’t be easier.
There are many VPN services that you can make use of to stay anonymous. You can learn how to install a VPN on your Mac with the help of Setapp and the installation process is fairly simple. You can browse the Hutpost website for some useful information and read all the information you need at your fingertips.
Regularly Back Up Your Data
Macs do have some great qualities. After all, that’s probably why they are so popular. However, they can crash from time to time and run into hard drive problems. Especially if they haven’t been well maintained. If you aren’t already, then you should be making a conscious effort to back up your data regularly. There is nothing more heart-breaking than losing some important files or photographs that you can no longer salvage. To avoid data loss, you can backup your contacts, local files, documents and online profiles/passwords to google, cloud or external devices & drives.
Depending on what you use your Mac for you may run into times where you are backing up your files, but they no longer will fit on your Mac. Luckily there are solutions for this like an online cloud-based service. If you are struggling to back up your Mac then with a quick online search you will gain access to an abundance of helpful blogs and forums where people share their tips and tricks. It can be a lengthy process depending how much your Mac needs to back up. However, if you make an effort to do this more regularly the process should get quicker and more importantly you will save and protect your files.
Clear Out Old Files
Most of us all fall guilty to leaving old files on our Mac. However, to preserve your hard drive space, it is important to regularly free up space in order to help your Mac run smoothly. It may sound like an obvious tip, but it is one that we easily forget to do. For best performance, it is recommended that you try to always leave space free in your hard drive. A hard drive which is constantly jammed full of files can affect the performance of your Mac thus making it slower. The more you keep your hard drive organised the easier it will become to sift through files and get rid of unwanted items that you no longer need.
Scan For Malware
It is sad but true that like other PC’s, Macs are susceptible to viruses. There has recently been a rise in Mac malware attacks, and they are not a threat to be ignored. It is advised that you scan your Mac for malware if it starts to show any signs that you notice are unusual. When it comes to detecting a malware attack your Mac can react in several ways.
If you notice your Mac has slowed down or you are all of a sudden being bombarded with ads, then these could all be signs that your Mac is under threat. Having a knowledge of the signs could help you catch a malware attack and hopefully fix it before it gets out of control. It is possible to successfully remove malware from your Mac so don’t be too disheartened if this was to happen. However, it is important that you educate yourself on the signs, so you are aware in your Mac is at threat.
Conclusion
The above mentioned steps will help keep your mac safe, maintain your privacy and protect your data from hackers and malware. In case, you have lost your data due to some malfunction or system crash, you can take read this guide to recover lost data.
We hope this article helped you take care of your mac. Stay tuned for more informative guides!
