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Some web pages contain content that uses system memory to properly display , although you don't really need them. There are extensions and plugins that allow you to block such content: Flashblock, for example, selectively enables and disables Flash content on websites; additionally, No-Script Suite achieves the same but for scripts.

If you don't update those plugins regularly, you'll end up with a slow web browser since they can consume large amounts of memory. To check whether they are up to date, visit Firefox's dedicated Plugin Check page. Of course, you can always spot whether a faulty plugin is causing the performance slowdown by selectively disabling some of them.


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You can do so in the Add-ons Manager tab. Hardware acceleration — although helpful — can sometimes cause issues, due to the wide range of possible driver, video card and operating system combinations. So if you are hoping for improved Firefox and Mac performance you might want to turn off hardware acceleration. You can do that by:. Sometimes a good cleaning of macOS helps it regain its strength, too. For instance, only opening one window and closing any tabs you don't need will reduce the memory used by Firefox.

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Having tons of tabs open will slow down your Mac since it forces the operating system to allocate more resources such as CPU or RAM to the browser. If Firefox is still causing issues, try switching to a different browser such as Safari or Google Chrome. Sometimes Firefox doesn't work well under certain versions of macOS. You can always report problems to Firefox by sending crash reports and hope that the developers of the non-profit organization will react rapidly and push out an update to patch the issue.

Possible Causes The cause of Firefox running slow depends on the version of macOS that your Mac is running, the version of Firefox you are using and your typical browsing habits. Some of the most common causes: Your browser is outdated. Firefox is using too many hardware resources, which causes your Mac to heat up.

Firefox Running Slow or Freezing on Mac? Fixes Here

Firefox has created a lot of cache files and has a large browsing history, etc. Too many add-ons are being used. Other, resource-hogging applications are running, leaving Firefox with only a little memory space to process your requests. There are too many tabs open. Your Mac is slow in general, but you think Firefox is to blame. How to Make Your Mac Faster Again If the spinning wheel runs for too long and Firefox becomes unresponsive , the first step is to force quit the application. A pop-up window will inform you whether the browser it up to date or not.

Your Mac is constantly carrying out tasks in the background, so the processes will continue to move up and down on the list. Sometimes processes will even jump over percent for a brief moment, before going back to a lower number. Whatever is straining your system should remain near the top of the list at all times.

I wasn't really sure what Google Chrome Helper was, but I knew I had multiple processes by that name running.

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After some research, I discovered it could be a Chrome extension or an open tab. It just so happened that I had about 40 tabs open in Chrome, and so I began closing each tab, one by one until the resource hogging process disappeared from my activity monitor. A new window will show you everything Chrome is doing on your Mac.


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Sort either by memory or CPU by clicking on the top of either column. Highlight any running process by clicking on it followed by the End Process button to stop it from running. Outside of Chrome's built-in tool, you can use your Mac's Activity Monitor for dealing with rogue app or process after you identify it. You can either troubleshoot like I did, closing each tab, window or app until you figure it out, or you can highlight the process in Activity Monitor and click on the stop sign button with an "X" in it.

You'll see a prompt asking if you want to quit or force quit the process. Even if your Mac is brand-new, you'll still run into apps and programs that can slow it down from time to time. Those processes are pretty vague and have no direct way to link them to a specific app that's running on your Mac.

MacOS programs giving you a headache? Here's 5 ways to force quit on a Mac

In those instances, it's a good idea to go back to the obvious troubleshooting tips that we can all overlook at times. They could very well make a difference. There are other issues that can slow your Mac's performance. Stuff like random login items, running out of hard drive space, or old apps you no longer use can impact performance.

It's a good idea to learn five tips to help you speed up your Mac , and also addressing common Mac issues and how to fix them.

How to Force Quit on a Mac - Mac Basics

Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy , which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. Don't show this again. Fix your slow Mac once and for all We walk you through how to figure out what's slowing down your Mac.