Troubleshoot a slow Mac (short version)

What can I do to see why my computer has become extremely slow?

Yes! Open Activity Monitor (an app in Utilities)

  • In CPU, more black is better. More color = slower computer.
  • In System Memory, more green is better. You want at least 25% of the pie chart to be green.

If it’s not, restart your computer, and open Activity Monitor. See how things look then.