Sep 22, 2014  In my experience, Apple operating system and software downloads are typically slower (and sometimes 'time-out') for the first day or two after new releases.

Does this sound familiar to you? You were sitting in front of your Macbook Pro surfing the Internet or working on a project. All of a sudden, you saw the spinning beach ball.

  1. Jun 30, 2020  Ensure macOS Software Update is not Downloading in Background If you have automatic macOS updates, then a new version of macOS may be downloading in the background, which you are not aware of. To check and cancel this download and increase your.
  2. Follow the instructions below to manage your background apps and processes: Click Finder Go Applications Utilities. Click on Activity Monitor. Click on the CPU tab. This will show you which apps are taking up much of the CPU power on your computer. Choose the app or process you want to close.

One second, two seconds…finally you started to cry out: “Why is my Mac laptop so slow?”

Though Mac machines are generally considered to be faster than Windows PCs, it’s not uncommon for a Mac to start acting up with symptoms like taking forever to boot, freezing while opening an app, or mouse cursor becoming unresponsive, etc.

You are not alone!

As Apple advocates for more than a decade, we’ve probably encountered more performance issues than you. Fortunately, we were able to fix most of them, and today we still use our old MacBooks from time to time.

Here we are going to share the fixes we’ve discovered along the way, and you are going to learn:

  • The four main reasons why a Mac can run slow.
  • Solutions to fix your slow Macbook and make it fast again.
  • Bonus tips to mitigate the risk of future slow-downs.

The tips below should also apply to other types of Macs such as iMac, MacBook Air, Mac Pro/Mini, etc. Use the Table of Contents below for better navigation.

Why is My Macbook Pro so Slow?

Whether you own an old 2012 MacBook Pro, or a shiny new 15-inch 2017 MacBook Pro with 512GB flash storage, over time it can run slowly. There could be so many causes, but in general, they all fall into the following four categories.

1. Personal Habits. If you keep your Mac running all the time, let too many apps join the fun on startup, or multitask with loads of heavy applications open — more often than not, your Mac will hang.

2. macOS System. A newer macOS usually performs better than an old one, but no system is perfect. You may experience firmware or permission issues that impede performance as well.

3. Software Issues. Apps, whether pre-installed or third-party ones downloaded elsewhere, can consume lots of system resources when used improperly, which eventually will slow down a Mac.

4. Outdated Hardware. Every piece of hardware has a lifespan; your Macbook is no exception. An outdated hard drive or lack of RAM can be the bottleneck of your machine.

These are just the high-level reasons. Check out this infographic that outlines 26 specific reasons why a Mac might run slowly. You may find what’s hanging up your machine.

Note: If your MacBook Pro is slow only after updating to the latest macOS version (i.e. macOS 10.15 Catalina), the best fix would be restarting your machine several times since the new macOS needs time to re-index or update data saved in the disk drive. For example, Photos can take a while to update the entire picture library; Spotlight re-indexing tends to be time-consuming as well.

Moving on… The Solutions!

Now that I’ve learned the reasons behind a slow mac, what should I do to fix it? We break down the solutions into two categories:

  • The Manual Methods: best for those who are tech-savvy and don’t mind taking the time to do so. We list a number of things you can do manually to fix your slow Mac.
  • The Quick Technique: best for beginners or those of you don’t have time to implement manual fixes. We recommend using CleanMyMac X to scan your Mac and fix all issues the app finds.

Note though, the solutions we suggest below only work when your Mac can boot up normally. If it cannot, or you hear strange sounds coming from the machine (particularly from the internal Mac hard drive), contact Apple support or schedule an appointment with a Genius Bar in your area.

How to Fix a Slow Macbook Pro: The Manual Methods (4-6 hours)

The methods introduced below are the best manual fixes we have explored. The order is based on a combination of estimated time required and expected effectiveness after implementation. They are, however, by no means the only solutions, and you don’t have to complete all the methods as it’s very unlikely you’ll be able to. Meanwhile, read this checklist on how to speed up Macbook Pro.

Method 1: Manage login items to tune startup times

  • Time: 5-10 minutes
  • Effectiveness: Low-Moderate

When to use: your Macbook Pro runs extremely slow on startup.

Why it helps: disabling login items (auto-run applications or services) you rarely use helps your Mac better allocate system resources to load the processes you do use, you’ll reach the login or desktop screen more quickly.

How to do: follow the steps in this YouTube video.

Method 2: Clear off cluttered Desktop items & Dashboard widgets

  • Time: 20-30 minutes
  • Effectiveness: Moderate

When to use: your Macbook Pro takes a bit longer to load the first screen after startup.

Why it helps: because macOS treats each desktop item (be it a file, a Dock application, or a Dashboard widget) as a small task, it uses resources to load it when starting up. Reducing the number of such items can make the first screen show up quicker.

How to do:

  • Keep fewer files on Mac desktop. Try to group those files you saved directly on desktop, put them into few folders, and if possible move them folders like Documents or Pictures.
  • ​Remove unnecessary apps from the Dock. Move your mouse cursor to an app, right-click, select Options and click Remove from Dock.
  • Clear unused Dashboard widgets. Go to Dashboard, press option button and move your cursor the widget you don’t want to show, click “x” on the upper left corner.

Method 3: Clean up hard drive to free up more disk space

  • Time: 1-2 hours
  • Effectiveness: High

When to use: your Macbook Pro is running out of space, and it slows down or freezes more frequently.

Why it helps: macOS utilizes free hard disk space as “virtual memory” in addition to RAM (Random Access Memory). If your MacBook Pro is running out of storage, that means little virtual memory can be used by the system if needed. This may cause your Mac to freeze more frequently — even when you just launch a few apps. In general, having at least 10% of free disk space can often prevent the problem from happening.

How to do: try the tricks below.

Note: if you want to save time, CleanMyMac is a nice tool for this purpose. It automatically detects and cleans extra junks that can take up gigabytes of disk space.

  • Empty Mac Trash bin.
  • Clear web browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.) files such as caches, history, plugins, etc.
  • Uninstall unused applications.
  • Remove unused language packs on your Mac.
  • Go to the “Movies” and “Pictures” folders, delete large or duplicate items you’ve already backed up. You can use Gemini 2 to find them more quickly.
  • Go to the “Download” folder and get rid of items you don’t need.
  • Transfer big files or folders to your external hard drive or another computer.
  • And other ways you can think of to lighten your Mac hard drive.

Method 4: Verify and repair disk permissions with Disk Utility

  • Time: 15 minutes
  • Effectiveness: Moderate

Update: beginning with OS X El Capitan (including macOS Sierra), it’s no longer necessary to verify or repair permissions as Apple has made system file permissions to be automatically protected.

When to use: your Macbook has issues launching some applications, and doing so slows down your Mac.

Why it helps: corrupted or damaged file permissions can cause certain applications to run abnormally or unable to run at all, thus affecting the overall Mac performance. Matt from CNET brought his sluggish Mac back to health using this method. Note: it’s harmless to repair file permissions.

How to do: check out this Apple support article or this YouTube video for a step by step guide.

Method 5: Lighten web browsers to improve Internet surfing

  • Time: 20 minutes
  • Effectiveness: Low-Moderate

When to use: your web browser (Safari, Chrome, or Firefox, etc.) just seems stubborn to load pages or becomes unresponsive.

Why it helps: web browsers are notorious for dragging down computer performance after extended use. By implementing the things below, you can expect a much smoother net surfing experience.

How to do:

  • Have fewer tabs open at once, especially when you read online magazine sites which tend to have heavy pages (ads, flash queries, etc.)
  • Remove those browser extensions you rarely use — (Safari here, Chrome here, Firefox here).
  • Clear browser cache, cookies, plug-ins, and history. This can also free up much hard disk space. See this guide for how.
  • Get rid of Adware (flash ads), this article from the Boyce Blog is worth a glance.
  • Safari tends to eat up more RAM as time goes by, but a simple quit and restart will help it get back to “normal.”
  • Reinstall your web browser if necessary.

Method 6: Identify and knock out heavy apps/processes with Activity Monitor

  • Time: 15 minutes
  • Effectiveness: Moderate

When to use: your Macbook starts to run slower after opening several applications, but you have no idea which application is the culprit.

Why it helps: Activity Monitor is a task manager on Mac that shows you both running applications and inactive processes. The list allows you to have a clear understanding of which one is devouring too many system resources (CPU, memory, disk, network, etc). Once you find the culprit, you can also use Activity Monitor to quit or force quit the app/process easily.

How to do: see this video from MacWorld.

Method 7: Reset SMC and NVRAM to fix odd hardware errors

  • Time: 30 minutes
  • Effectiveness: Moderate-High

When to use: your Macbook Pro acts oddly (it takes forever to figure out which disk to boot from, it’s slow to shut down, the fan is running non-stop, screenshots are not adjusting correctly, battery indicator lights are behaving incorrectly, etc.), and overall your Mac performs poorly.

Why it helps: NVRAM (or PRAM in older Macs) stores certain settings in a location that macOS can access quickly. SMC has roles in controlling thermal and power management on Mac. Resetting NVRAM and SMC helps resolve the issues mentioned above, and it’s a safe thing to do.

How to do: check out this video for how to properly reset NVRAM and this video for SMC.

Method 8: Update your Macbook Pro to latest macOS version

  • Time: 1-2 hours
  • Effectiveness: Moderate

When to use: your Mac is still running an older macOS version (e.g. High Sierra or Mojave), and you meet the basic requirements of the new upgrade — latest macOS 10.15 Catalina, you need at least 2 GB of RAM and 15 GB of free space on the drive.

Why it helps: a newer macOS version typically runs faster than an older one, though it depends on the model of your Mac machine.

How to do: there are a few things you need to check before getting ready to update your MacBook to macOS Catalina. For example, check whether your model is compatible, whether you have enough storage space, and most importantly backup your data, etc.

Method 9: Disable fancy features in exchange for performance

  • Time: 15 minutes
  • Effectiveness: Low-Moderate

When to use: best for those who are using an older Mac with limited hardware configuration, and don’t particularly favor fancy interfaces and visual effects.

Why it helps: by disabling or turning off features like Notifications, Transparency, and Animations, Magnification, File Vault, etc., you can boost Mac performance since fewer system resources will be used.

How to do:

  • Reduce Transparency and Animations.
  • Minimize windows using and change the Genie Effect to Scale Effect.
  • Optimize Notification center and turn off real-time notifications you don’t need.
  • Disable Launchpad effects.
  • Get rid of preference panes. Go to System Preferences, locate a pane you want to remove, right-click (or Control-click), then remove it from the pop-up menu. It may ask you to type the admin password.
  • Disable FileVault Disk Encryption option.

Method 10: Upgrade hardware (RAM, SSD) to have a real boost

  • Time: it depends (at least 2 hours)
  • Effectiveness: High

When to use: you are using an old Macbook Pro, and you’ve tried every method you can to fix your slow Mac but it’s still slow.

Why it helps: adding more memory (RAM) or replacing your HDD (hard disk drive) with a new SSD (solid-state drive) will give your Mac a real boost in performance. The only con is the upgrades can be pricey.

How to do:

Note: whether you choose to upgrade RAM or SSD, you’ll need to open the bottom case of your MacBook, a screwdriver may worth adding to your shopping cart as it will help you remove the screws much faster.

Add extra RAM: depending on your MacBook model, the RAM that best fits may be different. Learn more from our review here. It’s best to also check out this page to see memory specifications for your Macbook Pro model. It comes with an illustrated guide on how to replace the memory. This video from CNET is also worth checking out.

​Upgrade to an SSD: If you still want to use your old MacBook Pro for professional work (video/graphic editing, 3D modeling, etc.), the best option is to replace the hard drive with a speedy SSD, see our picks here. Once you purchase your desired SSD, watch this video for how to install it step by step.

How to Fix a Slow Macbook Pro: The Quick Technique (5-10 minutes)

The manual methods can be quite time-consuming to implement and may require you to have a certain level of technical skills. Fortunately, we’ve got two awesome Mac optimization apps that can save you time fixing your slow Mac.

Option 1: Using CleanMyMac X to scan & clean up your MacBook Pro

CleanMyMac X – an app developed by MacPaw and rated as the winner in this Mac cleaner software review. As its name indicates, this app aims to help you clean your Mac and free up more storage space. It does this by locating junks and unnecessary files via analyzing your macOS system: Photos, Mail attachments, large and old files, etc. In addition, you can use the app to batch uninstall unwanted programs, and permanently erase files that are private to you. CleanMyMac is super sleek and intuitive, just hit Scan to get started and then Clean to fix issues.

Option 2: Using MacBooster to improve your Mac’s overall performance

MacBooster – an app developed by the IObit team. This app stands out for its all-in-one concept. It includes a handful of useful utilities that can monitor the overall status of your Mac system. The Virus & Malware Scan module, for example, helps identify possible security threats and removes malware. To get started, simply run a quick System Status scan and it will find and suggest fixes. You can also move on to the Tools sections for further optimization.

Tips to Avoid Mac Running Slow

  • Shut down your Mac when you are away. Restart regularly.
  • Do not save everything to the desktop or the main drive (where your system files are stored). A full boot volume can lead to a slow startup and other performance issues.
  • Try not to install third-party apps that you don’t need. They can take a lot of precious disk space as well as system resources while running. Also, outdated apps can have problems running due to macOS incompatibility. Learn how to uninstall Mac apps the right way.
  • Use a lightweight browser like Safari or Chrome, Firefox tends to slow down over time (Safari or Chrome acts up too, sometimes). Avoid opening too many tabs at once while you are browsing the web, try not install too many extensions/plugins.
  • Clean up the hard drive (especially when the startup disk is almost full) on a regular basis, e.g. once a month. You can do this manually, or use a tool (like the ones we recommend above).
  • Always keep your software up-to-date if possible, ideally you should always install apps from App Store or the software provider’s official website, instead of third-party download sites which may bundle Adware or malware.
  • If you regularly use your MacBook Pro for work at an office, consider elevating it with a laptop stand or a cooling pad as this helps avoid overheating issues.
  • Don’t immediately update your Mac to the latest macOS version (to date, it is macOS 10.15 Catalina). Let the early birds test out first, then choose to update when you feel it’s the right time.
  • Don’t blame your Mac when it’s slow. Figure out the reason first and fix it right away. You never know when a small issue can evolve into a serious one.

Any Questions?

Do you find the information and techniques we’ve shared above helpful? Did you manage to tune up your MacBook even a little bit? We’d like to hear from you, contact us and let us know.

Fair disclosure: we are just normal loyal Mac fans like you. We don’t claim ourselves to be Mac experts, nor have we ever worked for Apple. All the information shared here is merely a walk-through of the knowledge and experience we’ve used to resolve our own Macbook Pro performance issues. Due to complexities of the subject matter, your results may vary. Also, some of the recommendations contain third-party affiliate links. If you decide to purchase one of them, we will receive a commission for the sale, part (if not all) of the earnings will be used to maintain this site, for example, paying for the domain and hosting services. Nonetheless, we recommend them because we use the tools with our Mac machines and find them truly great. Make sure you only use what works for your issue, and don’t over-spend on things you don’t need.

This page was last updated on March 15, 2020.

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After summer comes macOS. This long-standing tradition started by Apple is the most exciting moment of the year — seeing your Macs improve and gain new bells and whistles. In 2019, we’re welcoming Catalina, the 10.15 version of macOS named after Catalina island in California. Apparently, it’s hot.

The operating system boasts a whole lot of new macOS features like Sidecar, iOS apps porting, and major Photos update. To try the features right away, you can install Catalina from the Software Update tab.

However, be prepared for some troubleshooting. The acquaintance with the new macOS doesn’t always go smooth — and with macOS 10.15 deeming support for lots of software, many things will not go smooth. We’ve collected the key macOS Catalina issues you may encounter, along with the ways to fix them.

macOS 10.15 Catalina problems and their fixes

Giving up Catalina is a decision you can choose to make. But before rolling back, ensure you use every bit of advice as to how you can fix the common problems. Sometimes, a quick fix can solve your concerns.

Get macOS problem fixes on Setapp

Beta or not, you can safely install any version of the new macOS. Setapp and its 150+ apps will solve every Mac concern you have.

Problems with macOS Catalina you can solve:

macOS 10.15 Catalina won’t install

This is the classic problem that arises with every macOS release: The installation won’t start or you face the “Catalina installation stuck” problem — when it freezes and you see no progress on the install. No matter how many times you start over, you keep getting an error trying to install Catalina.”

How to fix:

  • Apple recommends to reset SMC. Shut down your Mac, and hold Shift + Ctrl + Option + Power button for about 10 seconds, with your cable plugged in. Click on the power button and wait for your Mac to start up.

  • Try resetting NVRAM or PRAM. Shut down your Mac, and hold Option + Command + P + R for about 20 seconds. Wait for your computer to restart.

  • Reinstall from macOS recovery. Hold Option + Command + R to reinstall. Once you see the startup screen, start the installation again.

  • Some users reported they were prompted to enter administrator password several times to complete the installation. So it might be something for you to try as well.

  • In most cases, macOS Catalina cannot be installed on Macintosh HD, because it doesn’t have enough disk space. If you install Catalina on top of your current operating system, the computer will keep all the files and still need free space for Catalina. So the easiest fix would be to clean up your system with CleanMyMac X before upgrading. All the system junk, app leftovers, and unneeded files will go away in a minute.


  • Backup your disk and run a clean install. This will wipe away your current system files, leaving space for macOS Catalina — so yes, this option is for the brave. If you use a solid backup solution, you’ll keep your data safe, though. Get Backup Pro is a nice way to do it — unlike Apple’s Time Machine, the app allows running bootable backups.

Say you’ve cleared up and backed up your disk. But your Mac still gets stuck at the installation and shows “not enough space” error, so you can’t get out of the cycle. In this case, there’s another fix you can try:

  1. Reinstall Mojave. No worries, this won’t delete your disk. Reboot your Mac and hold Command + R to enter the Recovery Mode. Click Reinstall macOS.

  2. Restore from your backup. If you have a Time Machine backup, enter the Recovery Mode again and select “Restore from Time Machine Backup.” Select the backup from the list and restore your files.

Some users also report they tried to reboot into Safe Mode and take the installation from there; the others used a newly created admin user — but most attempts have been unsuccessful.

We must agree that macOS 10.15 is one of the slowest systems in terms of installation. But if you use the hacks described above and have a little patience, you’ll be able to get to the “Catalina installed” point.

If you can’t login after upgrading to Catalina

There’s a known problem of failing to login after the installation. Unfortunately, the only way to fix it — at least for now — would be to roll back to Mojave:

  1. Clean up your Mac with CleanMyMac X and backup your data.

  2. Save passwords to ensure you don’t lose license keys and settings.

  3. Create a bootable installer of Mojave (after Catalina goes public, you can download Mojave here).

  4. Delete macOS Catalina: Apple menu > Restart > Command + R > Disk Utility > your startup disk > Erase.

One of the things Mac users are particularly excited about is the new Sidecar feature. It comes as a handy solution for those wanting to expand their workspaces. You can either mirror your Mac’s screen to iPad or use your iPad’s screen as an extension of a Mac.

If the only reason you’re here is because you want Sidecar, we have to warn you it might not work with your new macOS. Reddit is full of user reports about the feature unavailable on macOS Catalina. Most likely, this is the issue of compatibility.

How to fix:

Here are the ways to fix Sidecar problems:

  • Get the new iPadOS 13. Unfortunately, macOS Catalina doesn’t work with iPadOS 12. So basically, you have to use the recent operating systems if you want to try Sidecar.

  • Make sure your Mac is one of the compatible devices. Sidecar works on:

    • 2019 Mac Pro
    • Late 2018 Mac mini +
    • Late 2018 MacBook Air +
    • 2017 iMac Pro
    • Mid 2016 MacBook Pro +
    • Early 2016 MacBook +
    • Late 2015 iMac +

  • Try connecting your iPad with a cable. With Sidecar, you should be able to connect your iPad wirelessly. If this doesn’t work, the cable might solve the issue.

Battery drain on macOS Catalina

Many of the previous macOS releases were known for battery life concerns — greedy apps, Safari and Chrome draining battery, or power-saving not working. There has been no major battery drain issues reported by the Catalina users so far.

How to fix:

Just to make sure you don’t encounter the problem as well, here are a few precautions:

  • Check for apps that use significant energy. For a quick insight, check Apple’s in-built Activity Monitor. It shows the “Energy impact” for every application — calculated based on CPU, network usage, and other factors.

  • Have a solution for battery health monitoring. iStat Menus is a perfect fit if you need detailed analytics on disk activity, CPU usage, battery life, memory load, and much more. The app shows all the data right in your menu bar. Plus, you can customize what’s being monitored flexibly.

  • Use Screen Time to limit the use of apps. This is the brand-new app on macOS Catalina, which helps you live a healthier Mac user life. Set time limits for the use of specific apps or app categories and schedule downtime. The main goal is to track how much time you spend on the computer, but you can also use it to optimize battery life on Mac.

Apps not working on macOS Catalina

In the attempt to speed up your Mac’s performance, Apple is killing 32-bit app architecture with the release of Catalina. This means you have to switch to 64-bit, for good. You might see the messages like this when trying to launch an app:

The chances are it’s one of the oldies.

How to fix:

CleanMyMac X can pretty much solve every app problem on macOS Catalina.

Uninstall all 32-bit apps in a click

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  • Use Updater to search available app updates. Maybe the app is not working, because it needs upgrading. If you’ve missed the update notification, you won’t know about this. To solve the issue, CleanMyMac X will show you the full list of apps with available updates from developers. The best thing is you can run a batch update right in the app.

  • Uninstaller gives you an easy way to reset or get rid of 32-bit apps. The Apple way of checking for 32-bit applications is quite easy: access About This Mac > System report > Applications. However, once you find apps with the outdated architecture, you’ll have to go and uninstall each of them separately. The Uninstaller feature in CleanMyMac X simplifies things for you — filter by 32-bit and get rid of each of them.

  • If there’s no particular reason an app misbehaves, try resetting it. Guess what, CleanMyMac X has it covered too. In Uninstaller, click on the arrow button next to the app and choose Reset. As easy as that.

While app notarization takes time, you can expect many apps being unavailable after the release of Catalina. This doesn’t mean they are gone for good, though. Contact developers or follow official developer announcements to find out about compatibility plans.

OneDrive client problems on Catalina

Due to Catalina’s new security settings, Microsoft’s OneDrive may have a problem accessing your drive — even if you allow a full access. This is because macOS 10.15 comes with two disk volumes by default.

How to fix:

There are no surefire fixes just yet, but you can try to troubleshoot OneDrive by setting it up from the very beginning. This worked for some users, according to the Reddit discussion:

  1. Unlink your account and quit OneDrive.

  2. Remove OneDrive client from your Mac and delete the folder.

  3. Set up OneDrive again and make sure you allow full disk access in Security & Privacy.

iCloud problems on macOS Catalina

The most common issue with iCloud is that users are unable to download their folders. You can try downloading iCloud files separately — but that’s going to be a pain if you have an extensive library.

How to fix:

The best fix would be using Forklift app for your file management. The app is Catalina-ready and allows connecting local drives, Dropbox, iCloud, and tons of other storage sites.

If you’re setting up iCloud, there might be another issue standing in your way: Not being able to agree to the Terms and Conditions. The window will just keep popping up on your screen. An easy way to fix this would be to access System Preferences > Internet Accounts and then click on the iCloud icon. You’ll see a static Terms and Conditions window — click Accept and you’re good to go.

Replacing iTunes on Catalina

The new macOS 10.15 brought along the end of iTunes and the birth of the new Music app. Basically, it looks the same — but with music-only content. There’s a huge difference for people who rely on syncing Apple Music with third-party apps. The new app doesn’t support XML file support, which makes playlist syncing impossible across many apps. So if you use Apple Music for DJing, you’ll definitely have a problem.

How to fix:

The only fix to suggest here would be to stay away from Catalina if you need your XML apps to work with iTunes.

Music library issues

New Music app keeps freezing

There have been reports about the new music app freezing on Mac. Well, it’s the first splitting of iTunes, so it’s no wonder it doesn’t go smooth. In most cases, your Mac will keep showing the “library updating” status.

How to fix:

  1. Create a backup of your entire music library.

  2. Move your music out of the music folder.

  3. Go to ~/Library and remove every file related to “Music” and “iTunes.”

  4. Delete music caches in ~/Library/Caches.

  5. Restart your Mac and try to access the library again. It should be working now.

Memory usage problems with Apple Music app

Another problem you may come across is the Music app eating too much of your space. One user wrote the app used over 30GB of memory on his Mac.

How to fix:

Apparently, the problem is related to the memory management of Album Art. It is getting better, though. According to user reports, memory usage goes back to normal after restarting the app.

Mail search is broken

According to forum posts, your mailbox might get pretty messy after the upgrade — with no search functionality whatsoever. So if you try searching by keywords or recipient/sender name, the app will keep showing the numerical number of results. The reason could be the new Spotlight integration.

How to fix:

  1. Open System Preferences > Internet accounts and remove your mail account.

  2. Restart your computer and once again add your mail account to the app.

  3. Try searching through your emails — it should be working now.

There have also been some early reports about emails missing from the Mail app — so you might want to wait for it to get fixed before upgrading, especially if you rely on Apple Mail.

Slowing down and overheating macOS Catalina problems

So here’s the thing: macOS Catalina should be faster than Mojave. 32-bit architecture was one of the things slowing an operating system down. It’s gone, and so are the issues with slow apps. Unfortunately, you can expect your Mac go slow and overheat anyway.

How to fix:

  • Too many login items often cause your Mac to go slow. To eliminate the problem, disable apps from launching at startup. Go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items. Check the apps you don’t want to run at startup and click on the minus button.

  • Reset SMC. This is a universal fix that helps solve the issues with overheating, battery life, slow Mac, and more. The process is pretty simple and doesn’t impose any risks of losing your data. To reset, shut down your Mac, but leave a charger plugged in. Hold Shift + Ctrl + Option + Power button for about 10 seconds. Click on the power button and wait for your Mac to start up.

Dock disappearing on macOS Catalina

On the Apple forum, people mentioned Dock disappearing from their screen after upgrading to Catalina. The nature of this mistake is unknown — some users connect it to PRAM resetting, the others say they had the issue when trying to work across two screens.

How to fix:

Try Option + Command + D. If it doesn’t work for you, do the following:

  1. Go to Settings > Dock

  2. Change the Dock’s size so that it starts flickering

  3. Change the hide/show settings

  4. Customize the Dock’s position on screen (you can do it randomly).

Close the window and check whether it’s working now.

Internet not working after upgrading to Catalina

If you’re putting macOS 10.15 over your current system, you’re likely to encounter Internet connection problems.

How to fix:

The radical way would be to clean install macOS Catalina — it’s healthier for your Mac and will probably fix the issue. If you’re not ready to take a risk, try rebooting your Mac.

There has been a user report saying that Sophos caused the problem of network connection. So uninstalling it may be a fix as well.

Bluetooth not available on macOS Catalina

Well, that’s a problem. Definitely a huge one if you use AirPods. Deleting your Bluetooth.plist files might be the way to solve this.

How to fix:

  1. Open Finder > Go > Go to Folder

  2. Type Library/Preferences

  3. Find a file with the name “com.Apple.Bluetooth.plist” and delete it.

Safari extensions not working

After

While Apple is trying to transition to iOS-compatible extensions, it gradually deems support for many web extensions formats. On Catalina, you’ll face the problem with .safariextz files not working.

How to fix:

Mac Slowing Down After Update

Just like with 32-bit apps, there’s no way to fix the missing extensions. If you can’t find a good alternative, you can switch to Chrome or another browser.

Storage filling up too fast

If you notice unusual storage filling up progress, this might mean your Mac captured too many redundant files during the Catalina installation. In most cases, these are APFS files and Time Machine backups.

How to fix:

If you can use a good Time Machine alternative like Get Backup Pro throughout the upgrade, do it. Otherwise, you can remove Time Machine leftovers after installing Catalina with CleanMyMac X. In the Maintenance tab, select “Time Machine snapshots thinning,” and run a cleanup.

To remove snapshots manually, use the following Terminal commands:

1. To view the list of snapshots:

tmutil listlocalsnapshots / tmutil listlocalsnapshots /System/Volumes/Data

2. To delete snapshots:

deletelocalsnapshots

Here’s a quick review of all mentioned fixes, which you can take with you:

Mac Slowing Down After Software Update Windows 10

Is macOS Catalina stable?

Mac Slow After Software Update

The short answer is yes — if you use it right. So before you decide to downgrade back to Mojave, make sure you’ve done the following things right:

  1. Backup your Mac with Get Backup Pro or any other reliable tool before running an installation.
  2. If you still need some of the Mojave functionality that won’t be available in Catalina, install the new macOS on partition.
  3. Make your Mac as clean as possible before upgrading.
  4. Get iPadOS 13 if you want to use the Sidecar feature.
  5. Get rid of 32-bit applications, even if this means killing your darlings.
  6. Backup your Music and then empty the folder along with music-related Library caches. The new Apple Music app is still pretty much unpredictable, so you need to ensure you don’t lose your playlist.
  7. CleanMyMac X is a solution for many Catalina issues, so you need it — badly. To cut the cost, you can get it through Setapp and receive extra tools like Get Backup Pro and Endurance.

If you want to dive more into macOS Catalina bugs fixed, check out the Reddit discussion.

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