How to Clear RAM on Mac
Almost every computer user, whether they use a Mac or a Windows-based PC, has come to a point in time where they wish they had more available RAM to do things with. Obviously, you cannot just create new memory from thin air. However, what you can do is optimize and clear already taken RAM on your computer.
This article will give you a brief tutorial you can try to clear additional memory on your Mac, so you can then use it for your work.
RAM or random-access memory is the dynamic part of the memory structure of your system. Unlike your hard drive or solid-state drives, RAM is power-dependent and is flushed clean every time you reboot your computer.
It is also in much shorter supply than disk space, because of its temporary nature. Information is buffered in and out of your RAM as needed to keep things running smoothly. However, you want more performance and more smoothness.
Every auto-start application that you have, as well as any manually started apps that you keep running in the background take up RAM. Browsers are notorious for chewing through RAM with ease, especially if you are in the habit of keeping your browser always open and having a few dozen open tabs inside the browser.
This is what you can do if you need to free up some RAM on your MAC.
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Start the Terminal app on your Mac, using Finder.
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Once the Terminal window has come up on your screen, enter the following command:
sudo purge
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Enter your system password when requested and hit Enter.
There are other ways to free up RAM on a Mac, but those involve either using external software, or executing custom-made scripts that are usually too intimidating for the regular user.
Bear in mind that cleaning up RAM in this way will not magically make your Mac perform much better. This is a last-resort method that can free up a bit of memory, but will not be able to clear RAM already allocated to active applications that need it, as that would make them crash.
If you find yourself struggling really bad with your RAM or have recently started using applications that have very high RAM requirements and eat up available RAM quickly, you might consider an upgrade, as it will probably be the best option.