The average lifespan of a Macbook is about seven years, which is impressive for any laptop. However, to make your Macbook last this long, you need to take good care of it.
Taking good care of it doesn’t just mean not dropping it!
If your MacBook is a recent purchase, or you’ve had one for years but aren’t sure how to take care of it, these Mac maintenance tips will make sure you get seven years out of your computer or more.
1. Manage the Storage
If you want to make sure your Mac stays running in peak performance, it’s important to manage the storage. Of all the maintenance tips for Mac, this might be the most important.
If the storage starts to get full, your Mac will slow down and programs may crash often.
You can go through the storage and offload anything you don’t need anymore, or put it on the Cloud. There are also programs you can buy that will go through the storage for you and offload anything that isn’t being used.
2. Update It Periodically
Updating the operating system is key to keeping your Mac running smoothly. When running an old operating system, there might be issues that come with it because the new operating system is built to fix bugs.
Many people put off updating their OS because it takes some time and can be an inconvenience. Don’t! Instead, take the time as soon as possible to get your operating system up to date and you’ll find that your computer runs more smoothly.
It may also fix bugs you didn’t even know you had.
3. Make Sure To Actually Shut Your Mac Down
A lot of people put their Macbook into sleep mode rather than shut it down. It’s important for your MacBook maintenance that you don’t do this. Instead, even if it’s just once a week, shut it down properly.
This gives it time to rest. It’s more inconvenient, certainly, because it takes longer to start up. It’s tempting to just close the lid and walk away.
However, you’re likely to notice a massive improvement if you just take some time to let it rest.
4. Close Apps
Whether you’re looking for MacBook Pro maintenance or MacBook Air Maintenance, closing the apps on either laptop is essential. Don’t leave things running in the background — instead, close the apps.
If you have apps running in the background that you don’t need, this is very likely to slow down your computer a huge amount. Take a second every few hours, or at least once a day, and close the apps you don’t need.
If you click on the battery symbol in the top right corner of the toolbar, you can actually see which apps are using a lot of energy. Internet browsers such as Google Chrome are the ones likely to be the culprit, so don’t have multiple running at once.
5. Keep a Case On Your MacBook
It’s as important to take care of the hardware on a Mac as it is the software.
When it comes to how to care for a Mac, people debate hard cases vs. soft covers. Soft cases keep your Mac enclosed and if you drop it, provide cushioning. Hard cases, however, protect it from everyday scratches and wear-and-tear, and can often be kept on it while it’s in use.
The most important thing is that you pick a good quality case. You can read up on the pros and cons of either and make a decision for yourself, but it’s important to read the reviews about the case.
Picking the cheapest one is likely to result in disappointment if you do drop your computer or scratch it!
6. Clean It
It’s also important to clean the surface of the Mac, as well as cleaning out the storage.
Your Mac can gather dust, crumbs of food, and anything else and as well as the fact it’ll start to look rough, it can clog up the ports on the sides and cause them to stop working. It could also stop the keys from working or interfere with the trackpad.
Clean it gently, and be sure not to use harsh products. You should also clean the screen.
7. Reset the SMC
The SMC (System Management Control) is what controls the power on a Mac. If your battery life is starting to drain a little too quickly, the SMC might be at fault.
You can do this by pressing Shift-Control-Option on the Mac after shutting it down, as well as holding the power button at the same time. You might notice a drastic improvement in battery life after doing so.
Of course, batteries are often the first thing to become faulty on a Mac, so they might need to be replaced after a while. Replacing batteries are also good Mac maintenance, but that should only need to happen once every few years.
These Mac Maintenance Tips Will Keep Your Computer Running Great
If you want to get that full seven years out of your Mac, or even longer, these Mac maintenance tips will really help you out. Make sure to keep an eye on your storage, shut it down rather than put it in sleep mode, and perform these other tasks and the effort will pay off.
You’ll get a longer laptop lifespan and notice a huge improvement in performance!
Is something wrong with your MacBook? Fruit Fixed can help you out. Contact us today for help with your MacBook.
