Apple^® brand loyalists often purchase MacBook^® laptops due to their reputation of longevity and dependability. Yet, to ensure an optimal user experience, even Apple laptops require routine maintenance. If you own or are thinking of purchasing a laptop from Apple, here’s what you can do to extend its life span and enjoy your investment for as long as possible.

5 Tips for Maintaining an Apple Laptop

1. Run Disk Utility

If you’re experiencing an issue like app crashes or file corruptions, you may be able to solve it using Disk Utility. This function repairs the startup disk, preventing further issues from occurring down the road. Apple Support provides instructions for running Disk Utility, but be sure to print the page, as you’ll need to complete the process while your computer is in startup mode. 

2. Clean Off the Desktop

Every file you keep on your desktop requires RAM; having more items on your desktop will require more system resources. This can drain your laptop, leading to slow performance. In addition to removing files you don’t need to be immediately accessible, you can also organize files you do need into folders for a reduced impact on your system.

3. Regularly Back Up Your Data

Backing up your data will prevent you from losing all of your irreplaceable files, including text files and photos, in the event your computer were to crash completely. You can schedule backups using the Time Machine^®, found in the System Preferences menu.

4. Get Rid of Junk Files

For Mac^® users running macOS^® Sierra or a later operating system, the laptop’s Optimized Storage feature can delete junk files from the trash, move files to the iCloud^®, and reduce clutter automatically. This will help you maintain at least 10% of free disk space at all times, which optimizes performance. Of course, you can delete files and empty out your trash regularly in a pinch.

5. Keep Your Software Updated

Software updates can be time-consuming, but they’re well worth the wait. If you keep delaying them, you could leave your laptop vulnerable to bugs and performance issues. Visit the App Store^® and check on the Updates tab to make sure all of your programs are up to date. Your Mac may automatically alert you of operating system updates, but you can use Apple Support to learn how to check manually, too.

If you’re experiencing performance issues with your Apple laptop that can’t be solved using the techniques above, allow Experimax Aurora to help. Serving the Denver County, CO, area, these MacBook experts work exclusively with Apple products, delivering the best services and devices. Explore their repair services online, or call (720) 870-6956 to speak with a helpful associate.