In the last decade, the Macbook and related products have crept closer to earning the title of industry standard in many creative and collaborative trades. It also tends to be the device of choice for most young users, both for personal use and for their studies.

Computer problems with your personal or work-related Mac computer can easily become a headache you didn’t ask for. But, most of the time, the issue at hand is easier to fix than you’d initially think, and doesn’t require a trip to the Apple store. Common problems like your computer freezing, WiFi connectivity issues, and slow processing and startup can all be easily identified and troubleshot.

Checking your activity monitor on a Mac can be an easy way to check up on which apps are being used, even in the background. This can give great insight into what you’re trying to get out of your Mac, and which apps may be keeping your computer from running like it should. Keeping an eye on OS, or ‘Operating System’ updates and following them will also help your computer’s performance, since updates tend to address common bugs and inefficiencies in the previous operating system.

When it comes to WiFi, Mac’s can unfortunately run into problems where they struggle to connect to a known signal from a certain part of a building or house, or struggle to connect to visitor networks in public spaces. The easiest way to address this problem is to completely disable the WiFi connection on your device for 20-30 seconds. After turning it back on, many people see their problem fade. But it if persists, the problem may not be your device. Restarting your router takes a little longer (leave it unplugged for just over a minute), but might just do the trick in reconnecting your device to the wireless network.

Last, if your Mac freezes or a particular app freezes after a lot of use, it’s best to ‘Force Quit’ the app, and in cases where the computer itself freezes for a longer period of time, to simply run a ‘hard restart. Type Command-Option-Escape to get to the Force Quit menu, and close the apps that are frozen. If this doesn’t work, simply hold down the power button for about 10 seconds. This will shut off the computer, and eventually, hold the power button to turn it back on. Your Mac will ask to automatically restore a prior session in some apps, but will no longer be frozen.

If you have more computer-related questions, call Rocky Mountain Computer Specialists today.