The default arrow cursor transforms into the spinning wheel on Mac machines when the computer is stuck trying to load something The Spinning Wheel on Mac computers is a variant of the regular arrow cursor that’s shaped like a rainbow-colored circle that spins. Freeing up virtual memory and resetting NVRAM/PRAM.Possible reasons for the Spinning Wheel to show up on your Mac.Its innovative features allow you to clear space on your Mac, improve startup time and protect your Mac from theft. Good luck! MacReviverįor another way to optimize and maintain your Mac, try our application, MacReviver.
Good thing, too - Macs are a real pain to upgrade yourself. Perform these steps one by one, and you’ll definitely have a speedier Mac without having to upgrade.
Update all Mac software to the latest version. You’ll need to first upgrade to Snow Leopard via CD, then Mountain Lion from the App Store.Įven if the OS is up to date, it’s a good idea to update the software you have installed, as this can often clear up memory issues. If you don’t have the App Store installed, you’re several versions behind.
If any errors are found, you’ll be able to click Repair Disk to fix them.Ĭlick Verify Disk to scan your drive for errors.Ĭlick Verify Disk to scan your drive for errors. To verify a hard drive or solid state drive: While there’s little to be done if a drive crashes completely, if there are just a few errors, then verifying the drive is a good idea. Sometimes a hard drive or solid state drive will become damaged on your Mac, and cause a lot of slowdown issues as a result. If you’d like, click the Lock icon again to prevent any further changes without a password.Under the Hide column, select an item to remove from startup.
Here’s how to reduce that number.Ĭlick the Login Items tab for the current userĬlick the Lock icon to make changes, enter your password, and click Unlock Odds are you don’t need that many login items. Login Items are called Startup Items on PCs, and they mean the same thing: apps that launch when your computer starts up, and stay in memory the entire time. There are a lot of easy ways to speed up your Mac so that you see that spinning wheel less often, and you can get to where you need to go on your Mac faster. Either way, if you’ve got a slow Mac, you’ll be seeing that beach ball quite a bit - and you don’t even get a suntan to go with it. Wikipedia calls it the Spinning Pinwheel, and the official name for it is the Spinning Wait Cursor. You see that spinning color wheel? People call it the Spinning Beach Ball of Death, or the Rainbow Wheel.