How to free up RAM on Mac (MacBook Pro, Air, iMac)

There were days when Macs were equipped with 4 GB of RAM. Modern MacBooks, though, come with more memory — you can get up to 64GB. However, over time, even they may become slower. One of the reasons that may cause the issue is high RAM usage. 

In this article, we’ll explain what RAM is, how to check RAM usage, and, most importantly, describe 10 easy ways to reduce memory usage on Mac. Let’s go!

What is RAM

RAM stands for random access memory. It is where everything that is currently being used is stored — apps, data, and components of the operating system. This space is short-term, meaning that it changes based on the apps you run. What matters is that you have enough RAM in order to open and utilize all of the apps you need. 

How to check RAM usage on Mac

Go to Applications and type in Activity Monitor in the search bar. This invokes a good old Activity Monitor that should tell how much free memory you’ve got left.

A shortcut to open Activity Monitor: click Command-Space and start typing Activity Monitor in the search bar.

I’ve attached a screenshot from my Mac, and as you can see, my memory usage has almost reached full capacity. Here’s what it all means:

Notice the colored graph under Memory Pressure. If your chart is all but red and yellow, your Mac is really gasping for fresh memory. It seems counter-intuitive, but the amount of available memory on your Mac is not that important after all. In fact, it’s a system’s intended behavior to use all memory resources when available. On the contrary, the Memory Pressure graph is much more telling, so grow a habit of checking this graph in the Activity Monitor every now and then.

How much RAM do I need?

There is no easy way to answer this question. However, here is a general recommendation: since you cannot upgrade RAM in newer Macs without purchasing a new computer, ask yourself what main tasks you are going to complete on it within three to five years before purchasing a Mac. If you will mainly work with texts or use your Mac for internet browsing, 8 GB of RAM should be enough. But if you plan to work with photo or video editors, play a lot of games, and use other resource-intensive apps, it is better to invest in a Mac with 16 GB of RAM. In fact, 32 GB would be even better in such cases.

How to lower RAM usage on Mac

1. Check CPU usage on Mac

Open the CPU tab in Activity Monitor to keep CPU-heavy processes in check. Usually, an app would use 0-4% of the CPU. If it takes abnormally more than that, go inside that particular item in the list and click the Quit button.

2. Free up RAM on Mac with CleanMyMac 

Freeing up memory can be a one-click task if you choose a dedicated app to do it for you. CleanMyMac is an Apple-notarized Mac cleaner that helps declutter, optimize, and protect your Mac. It has a helpful Menu that can help prevent many issues on your Mac. Try it next time you see the “Your system has run out of application memory” message.

1. Download CleanMyMac for free.
2. Click the CleanMyMac icon in your menu bar.
3. Click Free Up on the Memory panel.

When your Mac underperforms, open the CleanMyMac menu to check your memory usage. You can also quit apps that consume a lot of your memory: click the Memory panel and review the list of applications under Top Consumers.

3. Remove Login Items

Login Items are programs that load automatically upon Mac startup. Some of them covertly add themselves to the list, which is no good. If you’re looking to free up RAM, they are the first candidates for deletion. Don’t worry, you’re not deleting the app itself; you just stop it from auto-launching every time.

So, to remove Login Items and at the same time reduce your memory usage of your Mac, you need to:

1. Open System Settings > General > Login Items.
2. Look for Open at Login.
3. Click programs you don’t want to load as your Mac starts.
4. Click the “–” sign below.

Now, you won’t see these apps pop up the moment you turn on your Mac.

4. Restart your Mac more often to free up RAM

Restarting your Mac is basically the simplest way to deal with numerous issues at once, and freeing up memory is just one of them. Basically, it empties RAM and clears out all temporary files. It is a good practice to develop a habit of restarting your Mac every few days.

5. Free up disk space

The available space on your Mac’s drive translates into virtual memory. This comes to save you when you’ve run out of physical RAM. So now your computer relies on your hard drive space to keep your apps going.

The classic geek rule of thumb holds that you should keep at least 20% of disk space on your startup drive. Not only does this potentially reduce your future spending on iCloud storage, but it also keeps your Mac speedier.

What to delete to free up space:

• Large unused files, like movies
• Old downloads
• Rarely used applications
• System junk

To see how much free space you have available, go to the Apple menu > System Settings > General. Here, click Storage.

Your Mac has a few built-in tools for managing disk space. Look under the Storage bar to access them and delete unneeded things here and there.

6. Clean up your Desktop

This tip always comes at the bottom of instructions and unfairly, so it is pretty effective. Without even looking at your Desktop, we would assume it’s cluttered with mountains of icons. The thing is, your macOS was designed in a way that it treats every Desktop icon as a little active window. The more icons, the heavier memory usage on Mac. So, in order to release available memory resources, it’s recommended to keep your Desktop clean.

To clean up the mess, Control-click your Desktop and select Use Stacks. This feature organizes your files and makes it easy to delete things in bulk.

7. Clear cache files 

Another way to free up RAM on Mac is to clear it of cache files. Of course, it won’t save you gigabytes of space, but by deleting cache regularly, you can help your Mac run faster and avoid system issues.

So, to remove cache files on your Mac, you need to:

1. Open Finder.
2. From the Go menu, select Go to Folder.
3. Type ~/Library/Caches in the field and press Return.

   

4. In the window that appears, you will see all your cache files. 
5. Press Command-A to select all files or delete files one by one. 
6. Enter your username and password to confirm. 

If you find some files still in the folder after you emptied it, maybe you have some windows open on your Mac. Just like that, you can save up some space on your Mac. Don’t forget to empty Trash afterward. 

8. Optimize your Mac performance

CleanMyMac has another convenient feature that helps give your Mac a little speed boost. By using Performance, you can manage login and background items that may slow down your Mac without you realizing it.

1. Open CleanMyMac and go to Performance.
2. Run a scan.
3. Review your login and background items and remove unneeded ones to optimize memory and CPU resources.

That’s it! 

There are a few tricks that will help you fix your RAM issues. Read on.

9. Update your Mac

Sometimes, RAM usage may increase because your system is not optimized well. One of the ways to do it is to update your Mac to the latest macOS version it is compatible with — every new macOS comes with improvements and enhancements that may keep your Mac in a better shape. 

Here’s a quick reminder about how to update your Mac: 

1. Go to System Settings > General > Software Update.
2. Click Update Now or Restart Now and follow the on-screen instructions to install any update that is available. 
3. While waiting for the update to download, enable automatic updates. 

10. Tune up Chrome’s Task Manager

Although Google Chrome is not the one to blame for massive memory usage, it can indeed affect your Mac’s performance. If you use Chrome as your primary browser, you probably have many windows open there. Chrome runs a lot of processes to ensure a fast browsing experience for you. So, it uses your RAM for storing your tabs, plug-ins, and extensions. Look at how many entries Google Chrome has in Activity Monitor:

The question then arises, “Why does Chrome use so much RAM?” The thing is that each process is responsible for a separate plug-in or extension of your browser. For example, when a tab unexpectedly falls, you need to refresh it to continue your work there. If one process were responsible for all tabs and extensions, you would need to restart the whole browser instead. Can you imagine how many times you would do that? That’s the proper answer to why Chrome uses so much RAM.

I’ve been using Chrome for some years, only to discover (recently) that Chrome had a task manager of its own. You can use it to force quit memory-heavy processes in the browser. It’s a handy tool because it lets you see how a page weighs on CPU usage on a Mac.

1. Go to Chrome settings (dotted icon in the top right corner).
2. Click More tools > Task Manager.

   

   
   

To free up even more RAM, close the GPU process. The GPU Process, though helpful in theory to accelerate pages, eats up a considerable amount of memory. Click End Process next to it to free up RAM on your Mac.

11. Close Finder windows

Okay, suppose you’re still asking yourself, “how I clear RAM on my MacBook Pro/MacBook Air?” The next trick is as magical (you’ll see for yourself) as it is time-saving. It’s no secret that each window in the Finder eats up RAM. But how many open windows are there? Some of them are collapsed or stacked in some blind spot on your screen. This Finder command merges all your windows into one. See how to do it: 

Click on Finder > Window > Merge All Windows.

Now you can manage Finder windows more effectively and free up memory on MacBook.

12. Keep fewer opened tabs in the browser

Regardless of the browser you use, it may be a real memory hogger. Most commonly, it is Chrome that is blamed for significant RAM usage. However, the truth is that any browser can eat up memory, especially if you have dozens of tabs opened at the same time. Therefore, another tip is to keep fewer tabs in the browser. You can either close the unnecessary ones or save them to the reading list or bookmarks if you need to access them later.

That was our take on how to make your Mac a bit speedier to use. If you’re looking for more guidance, check simple ways to speed up your Mac.

Frequently asked questions? 

How do I know how much RAM I need? 

The easiest answer is to consider the main tasks you need your Mac for before purchasing it. For most Mac users — those using Mac for internet browsing and working with texts — 8 GB of RAM is enough. Those using resource-intensive apps like photo and video editors or playing a lot of games will need 16 or 32 GB of RAM.

How to reduce RAM usage on Mac quickly?

There are two ways to quickly reduce RAM on Mac: either find a resource hogger in Activity Monitor and quit it or use a third-party Mac cleaner app like CleanMyMac that can do the job for you.

How to prevent high RAM consumption on Mac? 

High RAM usage is normal for resource-intensive apps. But if you want to lower it, there are a few quick things you can do right away: restart your Mac, close unnecessary browser tabs, and quit unused apps.