Many computer users are familiar with the idea that if their computer is running slowly that they should have it defraged to help speed it up. And while the benefits of doing it are known, the question remains is it still relevant nowadays, especially with MacBooks?

Well, we are going to dive into what it is exactly as well as debunk everything defrag related and what tools you can use to help speed up your Mac’s systems performance, just as well. So, let’s get into it…

What does the term mean?

Disc defragmentation is basically what was referred to as a way of cleansing your computers memory. In the past, it was important in helping to keep a PC working at optimum performance. This is because when any PC stores files, it basically saves them where there is available space on the drive. However, over time, by having to delete files in different places, this led to opening up random spaces for file storage scattering files all across your PC’s system. This then meant that your computer’s system would find the files much slower, thereby affecting system performance in turn. However, through disk defragmentation, it basically provides the device the chance to locate the specified files and reorganise them together, which in turn speeds up your system. 

Is ‘Defragging’ Necessary?

This then brings us to the question of whether your MacBook actually requires to be defragmented or not. The answer to that is, no. This is because it’s not really a necessity for MacBooks nowadays. This is because any Mac running any version of MacOS later than 10.2 is able to clean up fragmented files by itself. 

However, a manual defrag can be very useful, especially if your Mac’s storage capacity is almost full. Ironically though, this is also when carrying out a defrag becomes a challenge, as your system will still temporarily require extra space to save the files it’s shuffling around. As such, having a full storage isn’t good, because the more files there are, the slower the process will be. So, even though it’s not advisable, if you still feel the need to defrag your Mac you can use a third party app like CleanMyMac X.

In fact, it is for this reason that external storage is important and very useful. Since majority of Mac users, simply save their files and store them away in their Documents, we end up forgetting or giving a thought, to how they are organised. In these cases, backing up all of your files to an external device for safekeeping and a usb c dock to help facilitate that. It can save you a lot of trouble as well. This is because instead of harbouring unnecessary files in your Mac, you can back up your files on external devices and delete the necessary storage hoarders on your MacBook.

Can it damage my HDD?

No, it won’t damage your HDD. This is because sorting out the files, isn’t harmful as it is mostly just trying to improve your system’s performance. However, on the other hand, defragging your SSD can be damaging. This is because they operate differently as compared to HDD and they usually have their own auto-maintenance processes. Therefore, you don’t have to defrag a SSD to improve your MacBook.

What else can I do instead of defragmenting My Mac?

You can repair disk permissions. This essentially resets how your file system works, in regards to your Mac’s apps, as well as it’s services. However, it’s best to go for a safer option especially if you aren’t too sure about what you’re doing. In this regard, you can rely on third party diagnostic apps instead.

How To Effectively Keep Your MacBook Performing Well.

Keeping your MacBook safe and performing well mostly comes down to keep a close eye and taking a proactive approach and using diagnostic apps is a good way to help you do that. Majority of them, will allow you to keep an eye on everything from battery performance to how much storage you have left. You can also analyse your connectivity performance, apps, processors, and a bunch of other useful stuff. Also, most of these apps are built in to alert you whenever it becomes necessary to clean up your Mac, by deleting large files to help prevent slow processing speeds, as well as remove any malware.

Other ways include; updating your MacOS software, deleting unnecessary files as well as preventing apps from launching automatically. You must keep in mind that transferring files can also cause fragmentation. So, for example, if you have multiple Macs and find yourself transferring files using a c hub between them, a backup software app can be useful. As they keep everything organised across several devices, so you can either sync whole file systems or just specific files with no problems.

Conclusion

In summary, when it comes to your Mac, manually defragging it is not necessary and frankly, it’s not advised. Therefore, it’s best to just be keeping your file system organized.