Here’s how to check your RAM and solve any problems you might find.

What Is RAM?

RAM—which stands for Random-Access Memory—is a temporary data storage that your system uses to execute programs and process applications. This memory allows a computer to transfer files to and from your system drive while carrying out tasks. You may think of it as a “short-term memory” as compared to your hard drive or SSD, which would be the long-term storage. Your hard drive is your internal storage where you keep all your documents and files on your Mac.

Macs are generally wonderful computers. However, they come with their own limitations. Most Macs ship with around 8GB of RAM by default. Some users choose to upgrade this to around 16GB or more at the time of purchase, as it is not always possible to upgrade the RAM afterward.

Old files and cluttered caches can reduce your Mac’s RAM memory and cause your system to slow down significantly. Some applications require a lot of RAM to work efficiently, such as video editing apps and 3D design software, which is why power users choose to invest more in more RAM for better performance.

Symptoms of RAM Issues

Mac memory storage (or RAM) is often occupied by apps, even by browsers such as Google Chrome or Safari. If your system memory is proving insufficient to cope with a program’s demands, you may get a pop-up warning similar to the one below:

This warning only appears in the direst of circumstances. Other general indications of low RAM on your system include:

Everything on your Mac slows down, from opening apps to playing videos to typing documents. Apps become unresponsive and freeze. There’s a delay between you typing on your keyboard and the text appearing on your screen. Your entire Mac freezes and the cursor turns into the iconic colorful spinning pinwheel.

Many of these issues are caused by a lack of available RAM on your system and are an indicator that you should check your RAM usage and try to optimize your Mac’s performance.

How to Clear the RAM on Your Mac

The most effective fix for a lack of available memory is to upgrade your RAM. However, that usually isn’t possible on a modern Mac. Luckily, there are also a few software fixes you can perform to free up some memory.

1. Restart Your Mac

Restarting your Mac is the simplest way to free up RAM. When your Mac restarts, it’ll empty the RAM and any disk caches, which should make your Mac run smoother once the system loads up.

If your Mac is unresponsive, press and hold the Power button to force it to shut down instead. You may lose unsaved progress in your open apps if you do this.

Read More: How to Restart or Force Shut Down Any Frozen Mac

2. Close Your Open Apps

RAM helps your Mac complete multiple tasks at once, but we usually only need our Mac to do one or two tasks at a time. Closing extra apps from the Dock can allow you to free up some of the memory being used.

You can also use Activity Monitor on your Mac to take a look at what processes or applications are using the most RAM on your system. To do this:

Open up Activity Monitor on your Mac. You can do this from Finder> Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor. Click on the Memory tab at the top of the window. This should sort all the processes on your Mac by the amount of memory used. If you find a process that you want to quit, select it and click the info button (i) for more information about it. Then choose to Quit that process.

You can use this to take a look at what processes are using the most memory on your Mac. This method can also be used to see if anything suspicious is going on in the system background.

Activity Monitor lists the processes by their system name, hence you might be confused at what each task actually is. Your best bet is to search for the task on Google. For example, kernel_task is a task that is essential for macOS to work.

Don’t quit any tasks if you don’t know what they do, since they might be crucial to your Mac working properly.

3. Clear Cache Files

Another method to free up memory on your Mac is to clear cache files. Caching involves temporarily saving small bits of information about an app or a website to help it load faster. These files can clog up your cache and put more strain on your RAM over time.

You can easily clear your cache using the following method:

Open Finder on your Mac. Press Shift + Cmd + G on your keyboard. Type ~/Library/Caches in the text box, and press Enter. A window containing all your files will pop up. Press Cmd + A to select all the files and folders. Then press Cmd + Delete to delete all of them.

Make sure to empty the Trash to permanently delete these files from the system.

4. Disable Login Items

Your Mac’s RAM only stores temporary data for applications that are actively running. Every Mac has login items, which are programs that start up as soon as you turn on your system. Since they start immediately after turning on your Mac, they also start using RAM immediately, which can cause a strain on your Mac’s memory.

Therefore, it is a good option to disable unnecessary startup items. To do this:

Open up System Preferences on your Mac. Click on Users & Groups. Select your primary account, and click on Login Items at the top of the screen. From here you can identify all your login items. Remove any unnecessary login items to free up RAM usage after system startup.

5. Update macOS and Apps

Software updates are known to optimize the performance of a machine, and macOS is no different. It is always important to keep your system updated to the latest version of the operating system to ensure optimal performance. You can check if there are any updates available for macOS by going to System Preferences > Software Update.

Similarly, updating all your apps inside the Mac App Store can help reduce memory usage and streamline the performance of your system.

6. Fix kernel_task, a High CPU Usage Bug

You may have noticed a task called kernel_task absorbing a large amount of processing power in Activity Monitor. One of the functions of kernel_task is to help manage CPU temperatures. This task usually drains a lot of resources when an application is trying to use too much CPU power. When this happens, a Mac’s fans automatically turn on and are usually very loud, even if the computer isn’t hot.

However, if there isn’t much load on your system, and kernel_task is still absorbing too much power, one of the following issues could be the cause:

A cooling system or fan inefficiency A failed or disconnected temperature sensor Your Mac’s SMC (System Management Controller) needs a reset

The first two problems can only be fixed by getting your Mac checked by an Apple Authorized Service Provider. However, if you’re experiencing severe issues, Apple recommends that you perform a system management controller (SMC) reset first. This is essentially a hard reset for your Mac and should help your RAM and other hardware components start from scratch.

Note that you won’t lose any data in the process. However, it’s always advisable to make a backup first, just in case.

Do You Need More RAM?

The tips above can help you temporarily free up the RAM on your Mac. However, if you find yourself running out of available memory all the time, it may be worth considering upgrading your RAM to meet your requirements.

Unfortunately, this may not be possible depending on what system you have, thus you may need to purchase a new Mac with increased RAM to meet your needs.