10 Ways to Speed Up Slow Internet Connection on Mac

Find yourself waiting forever for websites to load? Have problems with video calls, playing games, or working online? Probably your internet needs a speed boost. But what can you do to ensure the best online experience?

Don’t worry; in this article, we’ll go over all tested troubleshooting steps to resolve troubles with the slow internet. Read on and learn how to make the internet faster and your online activities stress-free.

Why is my Internet so slow?

There are many different factors that could be slowing down your internet speed. It can be anything from the browser you use to the cluttered system or your router’s location. Some of these things have nothing to do with your Mac at all like a router; some can be easily fixed through a simple action.

However, no matter the reason, it may destroy your productivity if your internet connection is slow. That’s why we’ve gathered 10 ways to fix the Mac slow internet. Let’s ensure that your connection is as fast as lightning!

How to speed up the internet on your Mac

This guide provides some of the common and the most helpful ways to make your internet faster. Try out these tricks to get a smooth web experience!

1. Test your internet speed

If you keep asking yourself how to speed up your internet, first of all, test your speed. Sometimes your internet is slow because you’re paying for the slow internet. Visit your internet provider’s website and find out what plan you have. Then run one of the speed tests (there are many of them available online, but one of the most popular is Speedtest.net) to check whether the numbers match. If they do match up, then your network is working fine, and you just pay for the slow internet. However, if the numbers are different, read on to learn how to improve internet speed.

2. Run network diagnostics

Do you see a spinning beachball when you try to load web pages? It may not be clear whether the page takes a long time to load or whether your connection is broken. To check it out, do the following:

1. Quit all open apps and connect to the Wi~Fi network if possible. 
2. Press and hold the Option key and go to the Wi-Fi status menu.
   
3. Here, choose Open Wireless Diagnostics.
4. Click Continue to run the diagnostics.

If the problem pops up, follow the suggested advice to deal with it.

3. Test all your Macs

If you have more than one Mac, check whether the internet connection is slow on each of them. If you see the slowdown only on one computer, then most likely, the problem lies in this particular Mac. For instance, it may have an unusually weak Wi-Fi connection. Try to go to the Wi-Fi menu in the menu bar and choose Turn Wi-Fi Off. Wait a few seconds and turn it on. These simple actions may fix your MacBook internet slow connection.

4. Restart your router

Router issues can cause problems with the internet. If your internet is as slow when your smartphone or other device is connected to Wi-Fi, chances are, the trouble is not with your Mac. To fix the slow connection, try restarting your router. Simply turn it off, wait a few seconds and turn it on again. You can also try to relocate your router so it’s closer to the place where you usually connect. Make sure no objects will affect the signal, like microwaves and various metal things.

5. Enable wireless security

Do you use Wi-Fi and notice that your Internet running slow? Then check whether you’ve turned on security settings on your router. If the security is not enabled, how do you know that all your neighbors aren’t just enjoying the free access? It’s worth checking the router's manual, setting up the highest security level, and choosing the appropriate password no one can guess easily.

6. Use an Ethernet cable instead of Wi-Fi

While the wireless internet is more convenient, connecting directly to the router with a cable provides a faster connection. Many people don’t realize that and still use Wi-Fi even if they are close enough to the router to use the cable. In fact, Wi-Fi rarely achieves the speed that Ethernet can due to the signal loss, distance from the router, and many more. The best solution is to plug your Mac in using a cable, and you’ll notice the considerable speed boost.

7. Close unnecessary apps and browser tabs

Internet running slow on Mac? If you have dozens of apps and websites open, such as Skype, Safari, Mail, Facebook, Twitter, and many more, then they are all trying to connect to the internet from time to time to update and synchronize. It makes the Mac internet slow, and the websites start to hang. That’s why close unnecessary apps and tabs in your browser. Believe us; your Mac will thank you for that!

8. Switch to another web browser

Which web browser do you use? Chances are that it’s either Chrome or Firefox. However, if you open up the Activity Monitor and see how much RAM your browser uses, you may be a bit surprised. A single tab opened may take up 20 percent of your RAM. Why? The answer is simple: these popular browsers are not optimized for a Mac. If you want to increase the internet speed, try switching to Safari. It is considered one of the fastest web browsers out there, and it usually wins the speed tests on Macs.

9. Clean up your Mac and increase the overall speed

It goes without saying that a cluttered system affects your Mac performance. If you want to get a better browsing speed, you need to clean up your Mac from all the clutter it contains. Surely, you can remove the junk manually, but a smart utility like CleanMyMac X will save you tons of time. With its help, you can easily remove large and old files, broken downloads, app leftovers, caches, log files, and much more. CleanMyMac knows what to clean and what not to clean, making it incredibly safe. Once you get rid of all the useless files, you’ll not just get the faster internet but a better running Mac.

10. Call your internet provider

If you’ve gone through all the steps and your internet is still slow, then it’s time to call your internet provider. The problem may be on their end, and most likely, they are doing their best to resolve it this minute. However, if your internet provider can’t give you the speed you want or you are not satisfied with their customer service, consider finding a new provider. Make a little research to choose the one that fits all your requirements.

That’s it. We hope our guide has helped you and you finally made your Mac faster. Last but not least piece of advice: just make sure to do regular cleanups and maintenance with utilities like CleanMyMac X to prevent problems with slow internet on Mac. Staying connected matters, right?