RAM is where all the active processes and programsrun. If you run too many programs on your Mac, it can slow down and you mightneed to clean up RAM to continue using your system without lag.

You can free up RAM on Mac by deleting old and unimportant folders, disabling extensions, and keeping fewer icons on the desktop. Another way would be using a lighter, faster browser, like Kingpin, that doesn’t allow extensions.

• Feb 27, 2018 Free Up Memory on Mac. In case you do not have enough memory for better performance, here are some methods how to free up ram mac. Launch the Terminal application, which is the default app on every Mac. Enter the following command: sudo purge. The next step is to enter a password, after that your inactive memory will be cleared.
• Jun 03, 2021 The Memory Cleaner tab will tell you how much RAM is available on your Mac and how much is currently being used. You can use the Memory Usage or Apps & Processes tabs to see exactly how that memory is being used. When you’re ready to free up your RAM memory, go back to the Memory Cleaner tab and click Clean Memory. Once the cleaning is.
• It's also possible that the problem isn't memory, per se., but CPU (one rampant process can degrade performance across the entire system), so switch to the CPU tab in Activity Monitor and look for any abnormal usage - most apps should be using 0 - 1% of CPU.
• This will help you to free up memory resources, thereby improving Mac’s performance. How to Free Up RAM on Mac To maintain the maximum performance of your MacBook Pro or iMac, it is essential to have enough free hard drive space and a sufficient amount of RAM.

If your system shows signs of slowing down, it ispossibly because apps or files are eating into your free space. The speed ofyour MAC is negatively affected by a fully occupied RAM.

Here are a few tell-tale signs of rapidly diminishingstorage capacity of your RAM:

In the Activity Monitor app on your Mac, click Memory (or use the Touch Bar) to see the following in the bottom of the window: Memory Pressure: Graphically represents how efficiently your memory is serving your processing needs. Memory pressure is determined by the amount of free memory, swap rate, wired memory, and file cached memory.

• Loading time is long
• Apps are crashing
• Keystrokes are unresponsive
• Webpages don’t open

How To Free Memory On Mac

Check RAM usage

One thing you can do to stay ahead of storage orperformance issues is to frequently check RAM usage. To do this, go toApplications and open the Activity Monitor. This shows you a comprehensive listof what processes are using up RAM, how much free space you have left, the sizeof your cached files, and even a bar that shows the pressure on Memory.

So, if you’ve been thinking, “How do I clear theRAM on my Mac?” you can do one or several of the following:

#1 Clean out desktop icons

The more iconsyou have on your desktop, the slower your system gets. Every icon, whether an imageor a shortcut, is recognized as a window by Mac. Remove the icons you no longeruse and give your system a neat desktop. Right-click on the desktop to displayUse Stacks. When you select this, all your icons are organized into folders accordingto their file types.

Desktop > Use Stacks

#2 Disable startup programs

There are some programs that activate as soon as youturn on the system. These programs, also called Login items, could be just thebooks you read on Mac or your email or browser and so on. But they reserve aportion of RAM with them and slow down the system. To disable them, go toPreferences and open Users & Groups. Slide to the Username panel on theleft and click on it to display the passwords and login items tab. Click on thelatter to see the programs that start automatically with Start Up. Select theones you want to remove from the list and click on the “-” sign atthe bottom of the list.

Like so: Preferences > Users & Groups > Username > Login items > Select programs > “-“

#3 Use a lighter, faster browser

You can get Mac to speed up by simply switching to an additional browser like Kingpin. It is a default incognito browser that doesn’t add much additional pressure on RAM. The really fun part is Kingpin does not allow extensions or pop-ups and you know how some extensions take up a lot of memory and slow down the performance of the entire system. So this feature makes Kingpin lightweight and fast. It also comes with an in-built ad blocker so other extensions are not allowed to operate.

#4 Remove old, unused apps

Over time, users end up saving dozens of apps withhundreds of functions. Naturally many fall out of use as they find new apps orstop using the older ones for some reason. Whether they are active or not, theystill occupy a large chunk of memory. It’s time to find them and eliminatethem. And the Activity Monitor is the place to start. Go to the ActivityMonitor and click on the Memory tab. This shows you all apps that are usingMemory and also the number of MBs they occupy. Select the apps you want toremove. Go to the top left of the screen and click on the Stop button. Thisshould take care of the issue.

Activity Monitor > Memory > Apps > Select > Stop

#5 Delete cache

Caches, too,sit heavy on RAM. If you can clean them out regularly, you can keep your systemperformance satisfactory. Users can find cache files in the Finder. Open Finderand then look for Go to Finder option in the Go menu. Open it and input ~/Library/Cachesin the search box. From the list of cache files that show up, select and clearthe ones you want to remove. Or, Press Command and A keys simultaneously toselect all and delete them. In the finalstep, you will need to confirm by entering your username and password.

Finder > Go to Finder > ~/Library/Caches > Go > Command + A > Username and Password

#6 Merge all open Finder windows

Finder windows are another reason your RAM is running out of space. And many of these windows are hidden away in plain sight on your screen. Gather them up and merge them so you can free up RAM. Open the Finder window, go to Windows on the menu, scroll down to the Merge all windows option and click it. Now all your separate finder windows are organized better and you have reclaimed RAM space.

In short: Finder > Windows > Merge All Windows

#7 Free up Mac discs

Sometimes when RAM is fully used up, the system turnsto its physical storage – disc drives. Hence it is important to keep this spaceavailable. Advanced users often keep as much as 20 percent of the disc spacefree to function as supplementary RAM.

Often this space is filled up with old, unused datalike once-favourite movies, songs or images, and lots of other irrelevant filesand folders. Imagine the free gigabytes you will have at your disposal if allthis goes. Sometimes a deep clean is all it takes.

#8 Open a limited number of tabs restart often

Some of the quick fixes include restricting the numberof open tabs. It’s simple math. If you are opening fewer tabs, you are usingfewer MBs. Another way is to restart your system to delete temporary files thatare affecting performance. You might want to back up important data beforeattempting this. Also, repeated restarts are not what you want in the middle ofan urgent task. So plan it out beforehand.

#9 Upgrade to the latest macOS

Mac updates come in on a regular basis. One way toensure that the system runs without memory glitches is to install updates asthey come by. New versions and editions usually come with improvements and theyare ultimately meant for a smoother user experience. From fixing bugs toincreasing user-friendliness, it is always better to go for the latest releasesof the operating system.

To sum up

So there you are. These are the most popular ways to free up RAM and make your system fast. Today most Macs are armed with 8 GBs of Ram and in most cases, it is sufficient for day to day functions. However, if you find yourself struggling for space, you could try the fixes mentioned above. Fine tune your settings, delete unused files and apps, disable auto-launches at startup, merge Finder widows, and delete caches, and so on. In addition, switch to an alternative browser that keeps extensions away for superlight and superfast browsing. Like all electronic gadgets, your Mac needs regular care. Since upgrading to the next higher RAM on the same device is not a feasible choice for many, it is important to keep an eye on the space available on it and make room as and when necessary.

The Optimized Storage features of your Mac help you save storage space by storing your content in iCloud and making it available on demand:

• When storage space is needed, files, photos, movies, email attachments, and other files that you seldom use are stored in iCloud automatically.
• Each file stays right where you last saved it, and downloads when you open it.
• Files that you’ve used recently remain on your Mac, along with optimized versions of your photos.

If you haven't yet upgraded to macOS Sierra or later, learn about other ways to free up storage space.

Find out how much storage is available on your Mac

Choose Apple menu  > About This Mac, then click Storage. Each segment of the bar is an estimate of the storage space used by a category of files. Move your pointer over each segment for more detail.

Click the Manage button to open the Storage Management window, pictured below.

Manage storage on your Mac

The Storage Management window offers recommendations for optimizing your storage. If some recommendations are already turned on, you will see fewer recommendations.

Store in iCloud

Click the Store in iCloud button, then choose from these options:

• Desktop and Documents. Store all files from these two locations in iCloud Drive. When storage space is needed, only the files you recently opened are kept on your Mac, so that you can easily work offline. Files stored only in iCloud show a download icon , which you can double-click to download the original file. Learn more about this feature.
  
• Photos. Store all original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud Photos. When storage space is needed, only space-saving (optimized) versions of photos are kept on your Mac. To download the original photo or video, just open it.
  
• Messages. Store all messages and attachments in iCloud. When storage space is needed, only the messages and attachments you recently opened are kept on your Mac. Learn more about Messages in iCloud.

Storing files in iCloud uses the storage space in your iCloud storage plan. If you reach or exceed your iCloud storage limit, you can either buy more iCloud storage or make more iCloud storage available. iCloud storage starts at 50GB for $0.99 (USD) a month, and you can purchase additional storage directly from your Apple device. Learn more about prices in your region.

Optimize Storage

Click the Optimize button to save space by automatically removing watched movies and TV shows. When storage space is needed, movies or TV shows that you purchased from Apple and already watched are removed from your Mac. Click the download icon next to a movie or TV show to download it again.

Your Mac will also save space by keeping only recent email attachments on this Mac when storage space is needed. You can manually download any attachments at any time by opening the email or attachment, or saving the attachment to your Mac.

Optimizing storage for movies, TV shows, and email attachments doesn't require iCloud storage space.

Empty Trash Automatically

Empty Trash Automatically permanently deletes files that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days.

Reduce Clutter

Reduce Clutter helps you identify large files and files you might no longer need. Click the Review Files button, then choose any of the file categories in the sidebar, such as Applications, Documents, Music Creation, or Trash.

You can delete the files in some categories directly from this window. Other categories show the total storage space used by the files in each app. You can then open the app and decide whether to delete files from within it.

Learn how to redownload apps, music, movies, TV shows, and books.

Where to find the settings for each feature

The button for each recommendation in the Storage Management window affects one or more settings in other apps. You can also control those settings directly within each app.

• If you're using macOS Catalina or later, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, click Apple ID, then select iCloud in the sidebar: Store in iCloud turns on the Optimize Mac Storage setting on the right. To turn off iCloud Drive entirely, deselect iCloud Drive.
• If you're using macOS Mojave or earlier, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click iCloud, then click Options next to iCloud Drive. Store in iCloud turns on the Desktop & Documents Folders and Optimize Mac Storage settings.
• In Photos, choose Photos > Preferences, then click iCloud. Store in iCloud selects iCloud Photos and Optimize Mac Storage.
• In Messages, choose Messages > Preferences, then click iMessage. Store in iCloud selects Enable Messages in iCloud.

• If you're using macOS Catalina or later, open the Apple TV app, choose TV > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Files. Optimize Storage selects “Automatically delete watched movies and TV shows.”
• In you're using macOS Mojave or earlier, open iTunes, choose iTunes > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Advanced. Optimize Storage selects “Automatically delete watched movies and TV shows.”
• In Mail, choose Mail > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Accounts. In the Account Information section on the right, Optimize Storage sets the Download Attachments menu to either Recent or None.

How To Free Memory On Macbook Pro

Empty Trash Automatically: From the Finder, choose Finder > Preferences, then click Advanced. Empty Trash Automatically selects “Remove items from the Trash after 30 days.”

Other ways that macOS helps automatically save space

With macOS Sierra or later, your Mac automatically takes these additional steps to save storage space:

• Detects duplicate downloads in Safari, keeping only the most recent version of the download
• Reminds you to delete used app installers
• Removes old fonts, languages, and dictionaries that aren't being used
• Clears caches, logs, and other unnecessary data when storage space is needed

How to free up storage space manually

How To Free Memory On Macbook Pro

Even without using the Optimized Storage features described in this article, you can take other steps to make more storage space available:

• Music, movies, and other media can use a lot of storage space. Learn how to delete music, movies, and TV shows from your device.
• Delete other files that you no longer need by moving them to the Trash, then emptying the Trash. The Downloads folder is good place to look for files that you might no longer need.
• Move files to an external storage device.
• Compress files.
• Delete unneeded email: In the Mail app, choose Mailbox > Erase Junk Mail. If you no longer need the email in your Trash mailbox, choose Mailbox > Erase Deleted Items.

Learn more

How To Free Memory On Mac Mini

• The Storage pane of About This Mac is the best way to determine the amount of storage space available on your Mac. Disk Utility and other apps might show storage categories such as Not Mounted, VM, Recovery, Other Volumes, Other, Free, or Purgeable. Don't rely on these categories to understand how to free up storage space or how much storage space is available for your data.
• When you duplicate a file on an APFS-formatted volume, that file doesn't use additional storage space on the volume. Deleting a duplicate file frees up only the space required by any data you might have added to the duplicate. If you no longer need any copies of the file, you can recover all of the storage space by deleting both the duplicate and the original file.
• If you're using a pro app and Optimize Mac Storage, learn how to make sure that your projects are always on your Mac and able to access their files.