Techssocial | Sometimes, people might face some issues or difficulties regarding performance while using a MAC. This might call for a defragmentation. However, the first thing that people need to understand that the MAC files system and operations are very different from that of Microsoft’s. In MAC the process of defragmentation happens on its own and doesn’t require manual input but sometimes, it might not be working optimally. That is when the manual defragmentation needs to be done.
Defragmentation is the process of cleaning up and regrouping the fragments of files. The most important thing to understand is why a defragmentation is needed in the first place. Over prolonged use, a MAC can start having performance issues. In other words, the processor might be slowing down. People who do Video Editing and MAO tend to use the MAC to its fullest. The files take up a lot of space and the MAC eventually becomes slow and lags. That is when the process of defragmentation is required to speed up the MAC and allow it to perform like new.
The defragmentation process aims at bringing the MAC back to optimum performance and it does that by reorganizing the existing data on your MAC. It puts everything back in its place and organizes everything so that the MAC can start working at optimum speed again. It groups the related bits together, allowing files to run and load much faster. A MAC doesn’t usually need a manual defragmentation because it does that on its own from time to time. However, sometimes, a manual defragmentation is required.
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SSD and HDD – Defragmentation for both
An SSD doesn’t require defragmentation because they come with their own maintenance system that is commonly referred to as TRIM. Defragmentation of the SSD can lead to its wear and tear and eventual degradation. The flash memory of SSD is limited in terms of read and writes cycles. A defrag process performs thousands of those in extremely short periods of time. This can lead to crashing of the SSD. However, hard drives can be defragmented. When too many files accumulate in the HDD and get fragmented and scattered, the MAC tends to slow down. That is when the hard drive requires defragmentation. The process will take time depending upon the fragmentation of the hard drive. However, if the PC is shut down during the defrag process, then the MAC might not start again.
Safety concerns regarding Defragmentation of MAC
A lot of people think defragmentation is a process that might harm your MAC or hard drive. That is absolutely untrue. The basic purpose of defragging a MAC is to reorganize and gather the fragments of files scattered so that the MAC can be boosted to optimum performance speed. The MAC hard drive creates data fragments that it stores in multiple locations throughout the MAC and defragmentation brings those files together to speed up the MAC.
This is a harmless procedure. Moreover, the data is backed so the chance of you losing important data is almost zero. However, manual defragmentation is an extreme process in spite of being safe and harmless. It should not be opted for unless absolutely necessary.
Defragging a MAC – The user-friendly and simple method
There is absolutely no need of breaking a sweat because this article aims at shedding light on the process of defragging a MAC with great ease. The following steps can guide you through the program:
- The first thing to do is create a back-up of all the data on the MAC so that if anything goes wrong, you can get back all the important data. This can be done using the Dropbox, iCloud or the Time Machine.
- Once the back-up is done, one can choose a third-party defrag program that is trusted and has a high rating. This can be tricky because not all defrag programs are compatible with all MAC operating systems. The latest defrag program will require a more modern and updated MAC operating system. Therefore, it is really important to know the operating system of your MAC and the defrag program that is compatible with it. This program needs to be installed for the defragmentation process.
- Once the defrag mac program has been installed, you will need to open utility and follow the instructions provided by the MAC disk fragmenter. The process will take a fair amount of time and you should not tamper with the MAC or the process while it completes.
- After the defragmentation process has been completed, you will need to restart your MAC. This is not a necessity but it might need to be done.
This is all the information that you need to equip yourself with before you defrag a mac. The above mentioned procedure is the safest and most user-friendly process of a mac defrag today. It involves minimal risk and is really easy to comprehend and follow.
Sagar is HR at techssocial.net. He has been writing last 3 years on different blogging sites. He has also helped small businesses to gain their ranking.