How to free up memory on Mac (and improve performance fast)
Have you ever wondered why your Mac seems to struggle sometimes? Maybe you’ve noticed your apps are slow to load. You’re seeing the spinning wheel more often. Your browser sometimes tells you it’s feeling overloaded.
Everything’s technically working, yes.
But it’s not working as well as it could. And often, random-access memory (commonly known as RAM) is the culprit.
Need to run Windows apps on your Mac, but worried about RAM shortages? Try Parallels Desktop free for 14 days and see how it can help you manage resources.
RAM vs storage: What’s the difference?
Your Mac’s RAM isn’t the same thing as its storage.
- RAM is your Mac’s short-term memory. This affects overall performance and is where your Mac handles active apps and tasks.
- Storage is your Mac’s long-term memory. This affects overall capacity and is where files, apps, and system data live.
Even with plenty of storage space available, a RAM shortage can slow down performance on your Mac.
Why is my Mac using so much memory?
Your Mac uses memory for active apps, background processes, system services, cached files, graphics rendering, browser tabs and extensions, and more. Anything that runs on your device runs at least partially through your RAM.
High memory consumption typically happens either because one or more of these processes is highly demanding on your device, or because many smaller processes have stacked up in the background.
What is memory pressure?
Memory pressure is a tool in your Activity Monitor that can help you see how efficiently your Mac is using its RAM. Conveniently, this means it also shows when your Mac is using too much RAM and where that demand is coming from.
In your memory pressure chart, you’ll see one of three colors.
- Green means your Mac is handling well
- Yellow means your RAM is starting to bog down, and your device might need more of it to keep performing at this level
- Red means that your Mac doesn’t have enough RAM available for what it’s doing
When your Mac reaches yellow or red levels of RAM usage, it will default to the swap memory feature.
Swap memory allows your Mac to use part of your solid-state drive (SSD), or your computer’s long-term storage, as a temporary RAM supplement when your actual RAM is at max.
This temporary RAM ends up being much slower than your actual RAM, which is why you sometimes experience performance dips.
Another feature your Mac may rely on when its memory pressure is too high is compression. This means your device will take any inactive data using up your RAM and compress it, rather than swapping it. Then, when you need to use that data again, it gets decompressed right away.
How to check memory usage on Mac
Here’s how you can check your Mac’s RAM usage step by step.
- Open your Activity Monitor, found in Applications > Utilities
- Click on the Memory tab
- This will show you the Memory Pressure graph in the lower corner. Remember, green is good, yellow means you’re running out, and red means you’re all out of RAM
- Sort the list of processes and apps using the Memory column to see your biggest culprits of memory consumption
This window can also help you see what your Mac has done to manage its own RAM shortages.
- Compressed memory shows you how much data is currently compressed to save RAM
- Cached files shows you how much data is being stored as temporary files in your Mac’s memory to speed up performance
- Swap used shows you how many of your Mac’s processes have been swapped to your SSD instead of running on RAM
Note: It’s normal for your cached files to be high, and as long as your memory pressure is green, it isn’t a cause for concern.
How to free up RAM on Mac step by step
Need to manage your RAM usage? Here are a few quick steps you can take to improve performance.
1. Quit unnecessary apps
Close any apps you aren’t using (or browser tabs, for that matter!).
If apps aren’t responding to being closed, or if they leave processes running in the background after being closed, you can use the force quit feature to stop them.
To force quit your apps, press Option + Command + Esc at the same time, select the app you want to close, and click Force Quit.
2. Disable startup programs
Some apps will want to start as soon as your system does. But if you’re not using them right away, these startup items can just end up being extra load on your device.
Go to System Settings > General > Login Items to see what’s starting up with your device. Some will be fine to leave, like your antivirus and essential processes, but check for any apps that might run at startup that you don’t rely on.
3. Restart your Mac
The classic IT trick—have you tried turning it off and on again?
There’s a reason this is a support go-to. Rebooting does the same thing for your device that sleep does for your brain. It gives your Mac a chance to reset and clear up your RAM’s cache, so it can start fresh on boot.
4. Reduce your browser tab overload
Browsers can use a surprising amount of RAM. Chrome has a reputation for being particularly hefty on RAM resources, even with its own memory saver mode on.
Be sure to close any tabs you aren’t using (bookmark them for later if you need to), and check your Activity Manager to see which tabs or browser extensions are using the most memory.
5. Remove background processes
Hidden processes don’t just happen at startup. Your Activity Monitor will also show you any background processes using up RAM when they don’t need to—things like menu bar apps, tools for syncing files and data, and so on.
6. Update macOS
New versions of your macOS typically come with improvements to memory management. Be sure to check for updates and keep your device running at its peak.
How to clean up your Mac’s hard drive
If your Mac is showing high levels for swap memory, that means you’ll need to clean up files in your device’s long-term storage, its SSD.
Over time, your operating system builds up junk files, which take up precious space and waste your Mac’s resources. Too many old files and programs can cause your computer to feel sluggish, and cleaning up your drive by deleting temporary files and emptying your trash can speed things up.
This can also impact your Mac’s performance with swapping memory.
The rule of thumb for your Mac is that for every GB of RAM you have, you want 2 GB free on your SSD for swapping.
If you don’t have enough storage open for memory swapping, it can bog down your device.
So let’s take a look at how you can clear up drive space to help improve performance.
Steps:
- First, go to your System Settings > Storage to see your space situation and identify any temporary or unnecessary files.
- Remove large files with your Mac’s storage management tools. The Reduce Clutter option can help you find files you no longer need. You can always transfer them to the cloud by selecting Store in iCloud if you think you might need them later.
- Empty your trash to get rid of leftover deleted files. They’re still taking up space!
- Delete old files from your Downloads folder. There are probably many in there you’ve forgotten about, including some that got duplicated elsewhere on your device.
- Remove unused apps with the Review Files feature on your Mac. It can help you find unsupported or out-of-date apps and remove them.
When freeing up memory isn’t enough
Some software is just inherently demanding on your Mac’s RAM, and smooth sailing will depend more on settings and resource allocation than cleaning up storage and bloat.
Running development environments
Development environments have high bars for minimum available RAM on your Mac. These days, they typically need 32GB of RAM or more set aside for them, which can end up being a strain on the system—especially if it ends up in memory swapping.
Running design tools
Similar to development environments, design software often requires at least 32GB of dedicated memory, and can bog down the system—or refuse to run altogether—if it has less than that available.
Running multiple OS systems
Running more than one OS at the same time through virtualization so you can access things like Windows apps can be pretty hefty on your RAM.
By default, it splits your RAM resources, but this can be adjusted to improve your device’s performance in your virtual machine’s settings.
2 methods for optimizing memory when running Windows on Mac
Running Windows in a virtual machine (VM) on your Mac will take up part of your Mac’s RAM. Proper performance for both your macOS and your Windows operating system will depend on settings and RAM allocation.
It’s a delicate balance, too.
Giving Windows too much RAM will slow down macOS.
Giving Windows too little RAM will slow down Windows.
Method 1: Adjust RAM allocation in Parallels Desktop
Here’s a step-by-step look at how you can balance RAM resources to keep both systems running with Parallels Desktop.
- Shut down your VM
- Open your VM’s Configuration settings
- Go to Hardware > CPU & Memory
- Adjust your RAM allocation as needed
When adjusting your RAM allocation, keep in mind that Windows shouldn’t take up more than 50% of your Mac’s total available RAM. You still need to leave some available for macOS!
Method 2: Use performance profiles in Parallels Desktop (advanced)
Parallels Desktop includes several different preset profiles based on common uses that can balance your Mac’s resources when running a Windows VM.
These profiles, optimized for uses like productivity, gaming, and development, can help you with:
- Automatically optimize your Mac’s resources
- Balance RAM consumption
- Reduce background drain
- Switch quickly between macOS and Windows
Should you upgrade your Mac’s RAM?
The question first should be whether you can upgrade your Mac’s RAM.
While you can add RAM to some devices, the RAM for Apple silicon Macs are integrated directly into the processor, which means it can’t be upgraded. What you get originally with one of these devices is forever what you will have.
This puts a much heavier emphasis on software management to balance the RAM resources you have.
Frequently asked questions about memory on Macs
Have questions about managing memory and optimizing resources on your Mac? Find answers here.
How do I clear RAM cache on Mac?
Restarting your Mac clears RAM cache. macOS also manages memory automatically using compression and swap.
Why is my Mac slow even with plenty of storage?
Storage and RAM are different. If your RAM is maxed out, your Mac will start moving data over to your storage as a temporary form of RAM using its swap memory feature. This temporary RAM is much slower than normal RAM, so your device will slow down even if you have free disk space.
Does Parallels Desktop use a lot of memory?
Parallels Desktop allocates a set amount of RAM to Windows. This can be adjusted in your VM’s settings, either to a custom setting that works for your device or using a preset performance profile. Proper configuration ensures your Mac remains responsive.
What’s better: More RAM or cleaning up files?
Both will be better in specific circumstances.
If your Mac is using a lot of RAM but has plenty of SSD storage space available, then clearing your RAM will improve multitasking.
If your Mac is running low on SSD storage space, then cleaning up files will improve your Mac’s capacity. This will also give you more flexibility to swap storage if needed for more intense processes.
Keep your Mac fast
To maintain your Mac’s performance, you’ll need to watch for the signs of performance degradation—and mind the processes you have running.
You can always track your Mac’s performance using its memory pressure monitor to see changes and heavy consumption, and trim down on background apps to reduce memory usage on your device. Cleaning up disk space can help make sure there’s backup RAM available when your main RAM is used up.
And adjusting allocation settings for more intense processes like running a Windows VM can help ensure your device has enough resources for everything it needs to do.
Download Parallels Desktop and try it free for 14 days to see how you can optimize the way your Mac and Windows share system resources.
