At the end of the year, business users often experience a slowdown that provides an opportunity to catch up on overdue tasks. It’s important to ensure that your Mac is ready for the new year. Here are the steps you should take:
1. Confirm backups: Review your backups to ensure that your documents, spreadsheets, presentations, images, videos, and other files are properly backed up.
2. Check system health: Run Apple Diagnostics to confirm that your Mac is operating properly and address any issues that arise.
3. Install system updates: Make sure to install performance enhancements, software fixes, and security patches to help your Mac run more reliably and securely.
4. Review installed apps: Remove unnecessary programs that are consuming disk space and resources on your Mac.
5. Update apps: Download and install updates for your software programs to ensure efficient and secure operation.
6. Review automatic startup items: Remove old programs that are loading unnecessarily at startup and robbing your system of memory and processor capacity.
7. Confirm malware protection: Ensure that your Mac’s antimalware protections are operating properly and run a full malware scan.
8. Remove junk files: Clean up internet caches, web browser cookies, and other sources of unneeded files to free up disk space and improve performance.
9. Archive unneeded files: Delete unnecessary files or archive them to an external hard drive or cloud storage service.
10. Tidy files and folders: Organize your files and folders on your Mac to ensure that they are stored in appropriate permanent locations.
11. Physically clean the Mac: Complete the maintenance routine by physically cleaning your Mac to ensure proper functioning.
By following these steps, you can ensure that your Mac is ready for the new year and operating at its best.