So, as a first step, check the amount of RAM you have installed and upgrade your Mac using our RAM upgrade guide.Īfter ensuring that your Mac has enough RAM (the obvious question is how much is enough? We recommend maxing out the amount of RAM the Mac supports), the next phase is to hunt down those memory hogging apps that are slowing down the computer. To solve the problem you’ll need to consider the following: first, does your Mac have enough physical memory to run all the apps you’re trying to use? Second, what software is using the most of the computer's hardware resources? And lastly, how can you quickly release the pressure from your memory modules? Quickly Identify Memory-Draining Appsĭue to the hardware requirements, newer Macs come with at least 8GB of RAM to ensure a smooth user experience, but the same cannot be said for older models. If there is ever a time that your Mac suddenly becomes very slow and unresponsive – even crashing – then it’s a very good sign that the Mac has a memory problem.