Slow Internet on Mac? Here’s How to Fix It!

ByAkash

Slow internet on your Mac can really drive you nuts, right? It’s especially annoying when you’re busy with something important. And the frustration increases if you don’t know how to fix the issue. But the issue is pretty common, and it is very easy to fix it.

So, before yelling at your service provider or blaming the Mac, let’s explore some simple ways to troubleshoot and fix the problem. In this article, we’ll discuss what causes slow internet on Mac and how you can fix it.

Common Reasons for Slow Internet on a Mac

Before we try to solve the issue, its important to know the reasons behind slow internet on your Mac. Here are some common reasons for slow internet on your Mac.

  • Outdated macOS or Software: Using an old version of macOS or apps can slow things down. When you update, it usually helps fix bugs & improve internet speed.
  • Network Overloading: Do you have many devices connected to your Wi-Fi? If so, they might be sharing the bandwidth. This can make your Mac slower, especially if someone is streaming a movie or downloading big files.
  • Background Applications: Sometimes, apps are running in the background and using up your internet without you knowing.
  • Weak Wi-Fi Signal: Being too far from your Wi-Fi router may decrease the internet speed on your device. Walls and other barriers can weaken the signal, making everything slower.
  • DNS Issues: DNS servers help turn web addresses into IP addresses. If these settings are slow or wrong, websites might take longer to load.
  • Misconfigured Network Settings: If there’s something wrong in your network settings, like incorrect IP addresses or proxies, it can cause issues of slow internet speed. Sometimes these get changed without you knowing.
  • Internet Service Provider (ISP) Issues: Sometimes the issue is not with the device, but the ISP.

Step-by-Step Solutions to Fix Slow Internet on Mac

Now that we know the reasons behind the issue, let’s move to the solution part. Here are some methods that you can employ to fix the slow internet issue.

Restart Your Mac & Router

Restarting your Mac and router is the first thing you should consider doing. It’s amazing how often this can clear up little glitches and refresh your connection. Restarting your Mac will close all the background processors or small bugs that may be slowing down the internet speed. Similarly, restarting the router clears up any glitch or bug that may be slowing down the internet speed.

Update macOS and Applications

As mentioned above, outdated MacOS, or other apps may slow down the internet speed. So, it is recommended to regularly check if you are running the latest version of macOS or other applications. Here’s how to check if you have the latest version of macOS.

  • Go to the Apple menu.
  • Click “System Settings.”
  • Choose “Software Update” to see if anything needs updating. If there are updates available, update them and see if the slow internet issue is resolved.

Close Background Applications

Background apps use a lot of your internet, and you don’t even know about it. These apps use a lot of data while running in the background (like iCloud or Google Drive). Its better to have a check on the internet usage of these apps and limit or close these apps when not required. Here’s how to check the usage of apps using Activity Monitor:

  • On your Mac, open the “Activity Monitor” app.
  • Go to the “Network” tab and check which application is using the most data.
  • Close unnecessary apps using too much data.

Check Your Wi-Fi Signal Strength

Sometimes the issue is not with your device but with the Wi-Fi signal strength. You may be either away from the router, or there may be walls between you and the routers that may hinder the signal strength. Here’s how to check the Wi-Fi connection on your Mac.

  • Hold “Option” key & click on the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar.
  • You’ll see details about your connection. Look at signal strength (RSSI). A good number is usually between -30 and -60; lower numbers mean slower speeds.

Disable VPN

If you have VPN enabled on your device and the speed of your internet has decreased, then your should disable the VPN. VPN changes the identity of your device and connects to a different server in a different country. By doing so, the internet speed of the device rapidly decreases. This may also happen if the server that the VPN has connected to is slow. So, its better to disable the VPN if you are not using it.

Contact Your ISP

If none of the above methods worked out for you, maybe the issue is not at your end. Probably your internet service provider is faulty. To ensure that the issue is with the ISP, connect the same network to a different device and see how the internet speed is. If the other device also has the slow internet speed, then surely the issue is with the service provider. In that case, contact the service provider and ask him to fix the issue.

Advanced Troubleshooting Techniques

Here are some advanced methods that you can perform in case none of the above methods work out for you.

  • Use Safe Mode to Diagnose Problem: You can boot the Mac into Safe Mode. It helps you find any software issues that may be hindering your internet speed on Mac. In order to use safe mode, first shut down your Mac. Then, turn it on while holding the “Shift” key. The device will boot into safe mode. Once you are in safe mode, check the internet speed on the device.
  • Use Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi: For a more stable connection, consider plugging an Ethernet cable directly into your router from your Mac. Wired connections are usually faster & more reliable than Wi-Fi.

Prevent Future Slowdowns

If the above methods fixed the issue, you can note the following points to prevent future slowdowns of your internet speed on your Mac.

  • Regularly Clear Cache and Cookies: Over time, cache & cookies are collected on your Mac, which can hinder browsing speed. So, you can regularly clear the cache on your browser by the following steps.On Safari: Go to “Safari” > “Preferences” > “Privacy” > click “Manage Website Data,” then tap “Remove All.” On Chrome: Head over to “Settings” > “Privacy and Security” > select “Clear Browsing Data.” All the cookies and cache will get deleted.
  • Use Quality of Service (QoS) Settings on Your Router: If your router supports QOS settings, enable QoS settings so that important stuff like video calls gets priority over less important tasks like downloads.

Conclusion

Experiencing slow internet on your Mac isn’t fun at all, and it gets a lot messier if it’s not solved. Worry no more; by performing the above methods, you can easily fix the internet speed problem on your Mac. So, what are you waiting for? Do try them out and check if they fix the issue.

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