Ways to Fix the Most Common Mac Problems

It’s no surprise you’re here looking for ways to fix Mac issues. Even though Macs are known for their reliability, that doesn’t mean that you’ll never have problems with these machines.

If you want to know how to fix Mac problems yourself, this post will help. Keep reading to learn some of the most common Mac issues and how to fix them.

Failure to Boot

The Mac failing to start is one of the most common Mac issues out there. It isn’t that it doesn’t power on at all. You get a black or grey screen at the beginning that doesn’t go away.

You’ll need to enter safe mode to begin troubleshooting this issue. Hold the shift key when you power up your Mac and hold it down until the Mac logo disappears. Once it does, you can release the key and enter safe mode.

Once you’re in safe mode, you can run a disc check that scans your hard drive and directories for startup issues. Once the disc check completes, restart your Mac to see if your machine boots normally.

Bad Login Items

One of the other common startup problems is a slow startup. Mac machines usually boot quickly. If it takes too long, there may be something wrong.

In some cases, the Mac won’t boot at all.

You’ll need to head back to safe mode to solve this issue. Once you get into safe mode, you can go through your settings menu to check on your login items.

Click on system preferences and go to the users and groups section. From there, you’ll see a login items option.

This screen will show you a list of Mac users and the programs that start when the Mac turns on. Turn off any unnecessary items to see if it resolves the problem. Once your Mac starts up again, you can re-enable your login items one-by-one until you find the one that causes your machine to start slowly.

Slow Machine

If your Mac is new, the chances are good your machine can handle any task you throw at it without issues. However, that won’t always be true. While Macs have great hardware, that doesn’t mean that hardware will last forever.

As time goes on and your Mac ages, it will get harder to keep up with your demand. That makes it harder for it to run big applications or several applications at once.

One of the most common reasons for a slow machine when this happens is when you leave your internet browser open for too long. Internet browsers don’t always close tabs out of memory properly and can use up a lot of memory. Regularly restart your browser to see if that helps your speed issues.

Other applications can also have this problem. If restarting your internet browser doesn’t fix the issue, try restarting your Mac to clear out your memory.

Bluetooth Not Working

As Bluetooth is becoming more mainstream, more devices than ever are starting to use it. That means you can’t afford for it not to work when you need it most.

Luckily, there are a few ways you can troubleshoot your Bluetooth if it isn’t working on your Mac. The first and most common reason for malfunctioning Bluetooth is the product you’re trying to use. Try connecting another Bluetooth product to see if you can establish a connection with it.

If the other product works, it isn’t an issue with your Mac. In this case, the best thing to do is to remove that device from your Mac and set it up again.

If none of your devices work on Bluetooth, you can reset your Mac memory to try and clear the issue. You can do this by restarting your Mac.

Of course, there are more Bluetooth issues out there. Check out https://setapp.com/ to learn more.

Bad File Associations

Your Mac is usually smart enough to know which applications to open files with. However, sometimes things go wrong. There will be times where certain file types don’t open with the correct application.

This problem is the result of bad file associations. Your Mac stores a list of the file types you use and the programs used to open them. If this list gets corrupted or you have an unknown file type, your files won’t open correctly.

To solve this issue, select the file you want to open. Press the Ctrl + I key combination to get the program menu. From there, you can choose the correct program to open your file with.

Loud Fans

In most cases, your Mac won’t make much noise. Apple does a great job of optimizing its machines to help them run smoothly and quietly. However, sometimes things go wrong that make your Mac heat up and run the fans harder.

One of the common causes of this is constricted air flows for the fans. Your Mac needs to blow hot air out of the machine to keep it cool. If it can’t do this, your Mac will get too hot.

Turn your Mac off and look at the vents on the machine. Clear out any dust in the vents to restore the airflow. You should have quieter fans if this were the reason for the noise.

Now You Know How to Fix the Most Common Mac Problems

You don’t need to spend a ton of money at a Mac repair shop if your machine faces issues. Now that you know how to fix the most common Mac problems, you have what you need to keep your Mac running smoothly. There are more problems you can fix yourself, so don’t be afraid to jump in and fix things yourself.

Are you interested in learning more tech tips? Head back to the blog to learn more about making technology work for you.