A Newbie’s Guide to Keeping Macbook Happy and Safe

A Newbie’s Guide to Keeping Macbook Happy and Safe

Those who make a switch from Windows to Macbook will certainly encounter adjustment problems. And there are quite a few things to learn. Thus, it is only natural that some individuals begin to panic and are uncertain whether they will be able to make it.

There is absolutely no reason for these sentiments. Like with everything else, experience comes with time. Of course, it helps if you are looking to learn from sources other than hands-on experience. 

This article could be one of those sources. If you are serious about taking the best possible care of your Macbook, you will definitely not want to miss out on these tips. And keep in mind that the more of these you use, the better off you will be.

OS and App Updates

Whenever a new OS version comes out, you need to get it on your computer as well. These updates offer new features, stability, and performance improvements. The same thing applies to applications. Whenever you visit the official app store, make sure to update mac apps as well.

Everyone will tell you that you should be doing it and there is absolutely no reason not to. After all, the only thing you need to do is confirm that you want to update and leave it in the background to download.

Regular Data Backup

One can never be certain about the safety of their data. Computers are machines and these tend to break down when you least expect it. Thus, you need to make sure that the most crucial files are in the safest possible conditions.

Some people would suggest that you make better use of cloud-based services like Dropbox or iCloud. The latter comes with five gigabytes for free and if that is still not enough, you can always upgrade the plan for just a single dollar per month. On top of that, clouds are great for freeing up storage space and lessening the burden of a hard drive.

Services That Are Running in the Background

Open your Activity Monitor and take a closer look at some of the applications and services that are running in the background. Sort them by CPU usage and see which end up at the top.

Resource consumption is not something that you can overlook as it can get out of hand pretty quickly. So what would be the best thing to do? Killing every single heavy-consumer is more or less impossible, but you can still shorten that list.

Also, there is an option for doing some replacing. For instance, if your internet browser consumes a lot, look for an alternative. Try out many different browsers and see which of them is the best. 

Malware and Anti-Virus

Some have these silly claims that you do not need anti-virus software for a Macbook. It is difficult to fathom where these ideas come from. If anything, you need something like this now more than ever with all kinds of viruses and malware out there waiting to pounce on those who do not care about their security. 

Finding a decent anti-virus software should not be an issue. And even if you are not willing to spend any money, free options are also available. 

Removing Useless Files from Disk

Keeping things in order is not easy, but you should still look to do everything that you can. One of the problems that are somewhat overlooked has to be a lack of space on a hard drive.

Warning messages and all that can be pretty annoying so be sure to keep things in check. Like already mentioned, there are clouds that you can transfer some of your files to. 

Keeping applications and other stuff that serves no purpose is also not something you ought to be doing. Instead of letting it take up precious space, simply delete them.

Temporary files like caches should also be cleaned thoroughly. Software like CleanMyMac is a good example of how you can take care of the business. 

Clean Desktop

One should never put all their icons on the desktop. Some believe that things are going to be much easier this way as they can access everything immediately.

However, one thing that these people do not realize is the fact that a cluttered desktop slows down the overall performance heavily. Not to mention the fact that this behavior makes you look like a messy person. 

Organize everything in the folders and make things easier for everyone and everything involved in this.

Dust and Dirt

Not all matters are related to technical stuff. You could end up with more dust and dirt inside the computer than it is possible to manage. Whenever you notice a sudden increase in fan noise or overheating, it is time to finally clean all that stuff that accumulated over the years.