- This video is a tutorial on how to de fragment your hard drive on Mac computer. This not only shows you how to de fragment your hard rive but also gives you.
- Top 5 Best Mac Disk Repair Software 1. To start, we have one of the most popular data recovery solutions. Disk Drill is quick, reliable, and intuitive, so you won’t need any technical skills to solve your problems. If worst comes to worst, you can use it to retrieve over 200 file formats with numerous scanning methods.
It is a most lightweight free disk defragmentation software which occupies minimal space on your system and helps you defrag Windows 10, 8, 7 and other versions. With the multiple processes of installing and uninstalling of files in your system, the files tend to save in huge chunks on your hard drive. Other Possible Methods to Defragment a Mac: To achieve more free space for your device and organize files on the hard drive are the only purpose of defragmenting the Mac. It is very clear from our above discussion; it is difficult to defrag Mac. We should give it a try if there is a simple way to do it. Utilization of an Easy & Powerful.
You might be experiencing some performance issues with your Mac, and you knew from your PC days about defragging computers. Well, you won’t find any command or utility to do that on Mac. The point is that the Mac File System is designed differently than Microsoft's, and it defragments files automatically. However, there are still some situations when you may need to defrag Macbook once in a few years.
In this article, we’ll tell you how to defrag a Mac, all advantages and pitfalls of doing this, and what alternatives to defragging are out there. Anxious to find out? Then let’s start!
Do you need to defragment a Mac?
First of all, let’s find out why we do a Mac disk defrag. To cut a long story short, defragmentation aims to boost a computer’s performance by reorganizing the data on your drive. As a result, the related bits are grouped, and loading files and programs take less time. Simply put, Mac defragment moves everything back in order and can greatly speed up a slow system.
However, despite the obvious advantage, a Mac running any OS X version later than 10.2 generally doesn’t need to be defragmented. This is because OS X and macOS have their own built-in Apple Mac utilities that clean up fragmented files from the hard drive. Therefore, for most users, it eliminates the need to perform a regular defrag. But there is an exception to every rule, and in a few rare cases, a defrag for Mac can make a difference.
When do Macs need to be defragged?
If your hard drive is more than 90 percent full, the macOS may have problems with automatic defragmentation routines. This situation is common for multimedia creators who produce plenty of large files in pro tools like Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, or Photoshop.
Therefore, if you have hundreds or even thousands of large (1GB and larger) movies, audio files, or creative documents, you should consider removing them to free up the storage. Another alternative is defragging a Mac.
Concerning the first option, there is a fast and safe way to remove unnecessary files from your Mac — a powerful app CleanMyMac X. It finds above 74 GB of junk on an average computer, including old and large files, app leftovers, and system clutter. It helps to boost computer performance, so you probably won’t even need to defrag a Mac.
However, if you still wonder, “How do I defrag my Mac?” read on. We’ve prepared all the essential guidelines for you.
How to defragment a Mac
One of the simplest and most user-friendly Mac defrag methods is to use a trusted third-party defragmentation program. But before choosing and installing the app, make sure to back up your data. Should something go wrong, you’ll be able to restore all necessary files easily. You can use Time Machine, iCloud, Dropbox, or any other external storage at hand for this purpose.
When choosing the defragmentation app, pay special attention to the compatibility requirements. Macs running operating systems older than OS X 10.2 are not compatible with the latest modern defragmentation software, so finding a relevant tool is challenging.
Once you’ve installed the program of your choice, open the utility and follow the instructions of a disk defragmenter for Mac. Give the process plenty of time to complete without moving your computer anywhere until the defragmentation is finished. Usually, you’ll need to restart your Mac as well.
Will defragmentation harm my HDD?
You may not worry: OS X defrag will not harm your HDD. As you already know, disk defragmentation can greatly speed up the traditional hard drive. It’s because HDD fragments all the data and stores it in multiple locations. And it may take quite a time to read the file with its pieces situated in different places. The procedure for arranging the data is not harmful to your HDD and aims to boost the computer’s performance. And while it is not advisable to turn to such extreme measures, defragmenting a hard drive disk is a safe procedure if, of course, performed accurately.
Why you should never defrag Mac’s SSD
The process described above is applied only to the hard drives. If you have a newer Mac with SSD (solid-state drive), you should never defrag its data. SSDs operate in a different way to a traditional HDD and already have a built-in automatic maintenance process. Therefore, it is not necessary to defrag a solid-state drive to boost Mac’s performance.
Furthermore, all defragmentation attempts can even hurt your SSD. Flash memory used by a solid-state drive has a finite lifespan because of the limited write and read cycles. And disk defragmentation is a process of reading the data from one place and writing it to another. So if you defrag SSD, you will perform thousands of write operations each time on the drive. It can speed up the degradation of a solid-state drive and lead to its wear and tear. And that’s not what you need.
What are alternatives to defragment a Mac?
If your Mac is running slowly, you don’t necessarily need to defrag Mac hard drive. Sometimes it’s not your HDD that’s having problems. Therefore, try some alternative methods that may help you speed up the system without disk defrag on Mac.
Repairing Disk Permissions
“Try repairing your disk permissions” is a standard Mac troubleshooting tip. Permissions are file settings that affect the ability to read, write, and execute the file. And if they are no longer set correctly, software that uses the file may not work right.
In OS X Yosemite or earlier, the file permissions on a startup disk can be repaired with the help of Disk Utility. Note that beginning from OS X EI Capitan, disk permissions are automatically protected, and there is no need to verify them with Disk Utility.
How do I repair my Mac startup disk?
Here are the steps for optimizing your Mac:
Open Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities).
Choose your startup disk.
Click the First Aid tab.
Click Verify Disk Permissions to check permissions.
Click Repair Disk Permissions to repair any inconsistent permissions.
If you don’t want to repair disk permissions manually, you can easily perform the action with the utility we mentioned above — CleanMyMac X. It has the Maintenance module that will help you optimize your Mac, including verifying startup disk and repairing disk permissions. Thus, you’ll ensure that your Mac’s operating system is functioning properly. You can download CleanMyMac here.
Therefore, before defragging your Mac, try to perform the Mac disk cleanup to increase the disk speed. It’s an easy and risk-free process that will not take more than a few minutes.
General speedup tips
Sometimes your Mac needs a good kick-start to run smoothly. Here are some tricks to speed up your computer.
How do I improve my Mac performance?
1. Update macOS software
Try to update your software to the latest versions as it performs better than the previous ones. Usually, system updates include performance and bug fixes that could be the reason for slowdowns.
2. Delete unnecessary files
Ensure that your Mac has at least 10 percent of total drive storage available at any time to perform background actions and provide enough space for temporary files, caches, and virtual memory. Once again, CleanMyMac X is a great solution for finding and removing useless and large files that take gigabytes of space on your Mac.
3. Stop programs from launching automatically
A large number of apps may launch simultaneously when you turn your Mac on. Some of them run in the background and are only visible in a menu bar, so it’s even hard to define if they’re actually running. You can stop them from loading by opening System Preferences, clicking on Users & Groups, and choosing Login Items. You’ll see a list of applications that launch during the startup. You can switch off the ones you don’t need by clicking the minus sign (-) button.
If you’re looking for some utilities that can help with all of that and even more, try Mac maintenance software like CleanMyMac X, It will optimize Mac performance safely and quickly.
We hope this article was helpful, and you found the answers to all your questions here. Thanks for reading and share this article if you liked it!
If you have ever used a computer, you would have heard about the defragmenting device. It consists of a set of instructions to improve your device’s performance. Microsoft Windows has this particular option for their customers to defrag their Mac device.
But if you are a Mac user, you will not find any such utility on your device to improve the performance. Maybe this is because the Mac is designed differently in comparison to the other devices, and it can defrag the files as well. But the ability of this feature is somehow limited. So, if you want to do better than that, you would help with some external tools. Therefore, if you are interested in how to defrag Mac, a detailed step by step guide is given below.
Other Possible Methods to Defragment a Mac:/DriveGenius4Defrag-580a6ed43df78c2c739e0fe5.jpg "How to defrag my mac for free")
Here is a Basic Concept of Defrag
It is a process in which scattered files are put into order on your hard disk. This process will remove gaps between your recorded files by putting them back to a whole file. It is the usual function of the defragging to force everything back in order & removes any blanks that have been created during the use. So, after putting everything back in order, this will make it easier for the computer to find any file you are looking for.
Besides, click to find out how to fix disk write errors on Steam and how to Remove Dropbox from Mac.
Why Do We Need Defragment on Mac?
Basically, you need to know how to defrag Mac device to boost its performance. This will be done by putting the files back into the order on your device.
If you have an OS X lower than 10.2, then it would not be compulsory to begin the defragmentation procedure. Similarly, if you are using a lower version of Mac OS, it has built-in utilities to clean up the fragments. Then, in many cases, you wouldn’t have to use this tool as a built-in feature of your device will do it. But having said that, you will need manual defragmentation for better performance. If you are installing applications, uninstalling them, and upgrading your phone, then you would need to know how to defrag Mac.
PS: here, you will learn more about how to How to Get Text Messages on Mac on Mac and how to use an external hard drive, as well as how to fix Copy and Paste Not Working on Mac.
How Often is It Required to Defrag Mac?
First, check your hard drive if it is 90% full, and then there will be problems with your Mac’s automatic defragmentation program. Mostly, this issue is faced by multimedia creators, because it is part of their job to make large files via Photoshop or Adobe.
So, in case your Mac is full of large files, then the only way is either delete these large files or defrag Mac hard drive. And the defragmentation is very effective for improving that performance of your Mac, as it will make the response time better. So, you should know how to defrag Mac.
Defragment Mac
The solution to Defrag a Mac:
As Mac has not provided with any utility or built-in command to defrag it, there is only one way to do it by using a trusted 3rd party defragmentation tool. It is a very time-consuming process to defragment. Then during this process, you cannot use Mac in any way; otherwise, the data will be destroyed. You are strongly advised to backup all your data before you defragging the Mac. You just have to follow the instructions carefully and make sure first that it is compatible with the Mac device (Mac OS 10.2 is not compatible with most of the modern defragmentation tools).
Other Possible Methods to Defragment a Mac:
To achieve more free space for your device and organize files on the hard drive are the only purpose of defragmenting the Mac. It is very clear from our above discussion; it is difficult to defrag Mac. We should give it a try if there is a simple way to do it.
1. Utilization of an Easy & Powerful Software:
After deep research for such software on the market that tells you how to defrag Mac, the most popular and highly suggested is iMyFone Umate Mac Cleaner. This is specially designed for Mac management. If you wish to get more space for your Mac, it offers six main features
- i. Clean up your junk files
- ii. Delete your large files
- iii. Delete your duplicate files
- iv. Erase your private data
- v. Speed up your Mac
- vi. Manage apps & extensions
It can be used in the latest Mac OS 10.15 Catalina. Let’s find out why is it the best alternate option and what features do affect the performance directly.
Besides, if you are bothered with the macOS Big Sur slow or The macOS Installation Couldn’t be Completed issues, this tool can help you too.
i. Clean up your junk feature:
- It offers Deep Clean and Quick Clean modes to find and remove junk files on the Mac.
- That Quick Clean mode only intensifies the burden of the computer operation rather than improving its performance.
- It deletes the files like app junk, system junk, iTunes junk, files on the trash bin, downloaded files, outdated iOS backups, or unused disk images.
ii. Delete your large files:
- This will find all those files bigger than 50MB by scanning Mac and its hard drive and then delete them.
- All possible files in this would be images, audios, videos, archives, documents, or other.
- This can also delete the files that are hidden on Mac.
iii. Delete your duplicate files:
- It will give you the option to choose a file directory on the Mac to get and remove duplicates easily.
- All possible files would be videos, images, audios, archives, document, or other.
- It will also provide support to preview your files on the Finder.
- The good thing about it is that it will keep original files for you to avoid that you delete them by mistake.
iv. Speed up the Mac:
This option will really help your Mac to run faster. It will disable all login applications, remove apps that take too much space, and also deletes those launch agents. Some of its properties are here
- It will remove all startup items on your Mac automatically and deletes them with 1-click.
- Those programs that are taking most of the RAM & CPU space can be deactivated at one time. But there will also be the option to do it optionally.
- It deletes the launch agents.
Above mentioned are the abilities of iMyFone Umate Cleaner. It is quite handy for defragging your Mac & making it run fast. It is effortless to use. You should download it, scan it, and delete it.
2. Fixing up Disk Permissions:
Here is another method that will tell you how to defrag Mac, and it is to repair your disk permissions. It is actually troubleshooting way on Mac.
The method is very easy. Let’s have a look.
1: Turn on your Mac & go to ‘Disk Utilities.’
2: First, choose ‘Startup Disk’ and then ‘First Aid.’
3: Choose ‘Verify Disk Permissions‘ to check it.
4: Finally, choose ‘Repair Disk Permissions‘ to correct any irregular permission.
3. Update Mac OS Software:
If all methods are failed, and you don’t know how to defrag Mac, then your final option is to update your Mac OS software. The method is pretty simple.
1: Go to ‘Apple Menu‘ and choose ‘System Preferences.’
Mac Disk Defragmenter Free
2: Then, choose ‘Software Update.’
If there are any updates, you will see them and then just download these updates & install them.
A Brief Conclusion on How to Defrag Mac
Is There A Disk Defragmenter For Mac
Now, if you are wondering how to defrag Mac? Yes, it is possible and straightforward. Mac is designed to defrag your hard drive, but sometimes it does not. In such cases, all you are required to do is to do it manually, also, we have also explained some other methods to fix your slow running Mac. If you want to do it fast and effectively, then the best option is using Umate Mac Cleaner.
A Few Realities About Defragging Mac
If your Mac is having some problems with speed and you are thinking about how to defrag Mac, then you have to consider some facts about it. The following are a few facts you should know.
For people who have a problem with your Mac and would like to try defragging Mac, please learn more about the facts below:
- Always remember one thing that is only the hard drives need defragging. If there is any Solid State Drive in your Mac, no need for it.
- You don’t have to defrag Mac daily. The OS X adds small files in one time, so don’t waste your efforts on defragmentation.
- And the Hard drives work very fast when they are at the start, but then this slows down as data written to the bottom. So, don’t use all that available space because it will create holes in the hard drive.
- After years of usage of Mac, your system will start slowing down due to the addition and deletion of the data. And that OS X upgrades also disorganize the data. Therefore, you will need to defrag your Mac.
- Mac OS collects a bunch of the small files and organizes them in the large space.
- Mac’s HFS + File system guarantees the space that is recently freed will not be utilized on that So, the system tries to find a larger free area that is present on your drive.
- Whenever you opening a file, your Mac system verifies first whether those files are fragmented or not. And if they are fragmented, your Mac OS will defrag Mac files automatically.
Different Possible Methods to Defrag Mac
There are other possible methods instead of using the tools mentioned earlier if you are facing performance problems with your Mac and don’t know how to defrag Mac. The following are some ways that will make sure your Mac performance.
Method 1: Please Install Latest Updated of the MacOS:
If you install the latest updates of your macOS, this will offer stability, better security, and speed to your Mac. This is not only going to update the installed tools, but you wouldn’t need any defragging software to improve its performance. So, you don’t have to worry about how to defrag Mac.
1. Go to the ‘Open System Preferences‘ and click on the update option to check for any updates.
2. And if you found the update is visible, then choose the option of Update Now to install it.
After updating the software, be sure that the apps are also updated.
Method 2: Remove Large and Useless Files:
If you remove the large and unnecessary files, the performance of the Mac system will be improved. This is another method to avoid defragging the Mac drive. The following are the steps to delete those extra files.
1. Go to the drive and open the ‘Search Window.’
2. hoose the “+” icon and select the file size you would like to search.
3. After getting the results from the search, you can choose the files that you want to delete. You can delete the required files by moving them to Trash Icon after right-clicking the file. And don’t forget to empty your trash too.
Method 3: Now, Boot Mac in Safe Mode:
The final method to get rid of performance issues and steer clear of defragmentation on Mac is to boot your system in Safe Mode. In this way, there is no need to install any application, and also, it will also remove your cache files.
1. The first step is to restart the Mac, then press & hold the shift key immediately until your Apple Log becomes visible.
2. Once you see that login window, release the shift key. You will have to log in twice, and then unlock the startup disk, after that, please log in to the folder.
Safe mode will then remove the directory or cache issue when to start up again. To go back to normal mode, you will be requested to restart your Mac without pressing any key.
“Now, whenever someone asks you how to defrag Mac, you can answer that with all the necessary details and methods. After reading the above article, you have all the information to improve the performance issue on your Mac. If by any chance, the data is deleted, then Recoverit Data Recovery will be able to help you get back those deleted files. You can share this step-by-step guide with your family and friends so that they can improve their Mac performance easily.”