Defragmentation For Mac Os

Somehow this app just make mess with system files that kill my Mac. OS X don’t need defragmentation, please don’t kill your Mac hard drive by iDefrag. The best way to achieve speed on Mac is switch from HDD to SSD. Step by Step to fix your Mac. So to begin with some facts: 1. . Besides, with the Hot File Adaptive Clustering technology of the Mac OS X system, Mac doesn’t need to defrag and will defrag automatically if necessary. For Mac OS X 10.2 or later, there is also no need to defrag a Mac. Another situation is that if you own a new Mac with SSD (Solid State Drive), there is no need to defrag your Mac. What is defragmentation, how to defragment on Mac OS, where is the data going after defragmentation? Can it be recovered? In this article, you will find the answers. What is defragmentation? Disk fragmentation occurs when a file is broken up into pieces to fit on the disk. Because data are continually being written, deleted, and resized, then.

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Disk Defragmenter For Mac Os X

Sep 28, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

At some point, it is common that your system becomes slow. Whether you have the latest Mac system or an old one, experiencing performance issues are common. Most people know how to defrag the Windows system but the Mac File system isn't designed like Windows. Thus, if you feel like you need to defrag Mac, then you still have some other options.

Here, we will discuss in detail how you defrag a Mac and why do you need it. Along with the process, we will also look for some alternatives to defragging.

Part 1. Overview of Defragmenting Mac

Defragment is the process where scattered files from the storage are organized. It erases the gaps from the files and stores them as a single whole part in the same location. In simple words, defragging Mac hard drive moves everything in order and fills the holes which exist while using the files. Ultimately, defragmentation saves time to search and read the files thereby improving the performance of your system.

Do You Need to Defrag Mac?

In general, Mac doesn't need defragmentation. It is due to the fact that the Mac OS X version after 10.2 has a different file system than Windows. Apple uses the HFS+ format which has a special function of Hot File Adaptive Clustering. This function works merely to automatically prevent fragmentation in the drive in the first place. As a result, there is not much need to defrag MacBook manually.

It is rare but maybe at some point, you might need it. Once in a few years, you might have to defrag Mac during the update, upgrade, installation, or reinstallation of some software.

When to Defrag MacBook Pro?

The one and only exception when you surely need to defrag MacBook Pro is when the storage space is left only 10%. Once that much storage space is occupied, the Mac OS won't be able to perform automatic defragmentation. Thus, you will have to consider either removing extra and useless files or expanding the storage so that your Mac system performance won't decline.

So, either you have to go through defragmentation or remove some of the big files from your Mac.

Part 2. How to Defragment Mac?

This is a matter of concern as there is not a particular tool on the Mac system that can tell you how to defrag a MacBook. But you can rely on third-party tools for that if you want to. Here, we are providing you top-listed tools for defragmenting in case you need them.

Solution 1. MacKeeper:

This tool is specially designed so that the performance of your Mac system can be improved significantly. Even though it is popular for its cleaning features of removing unused and redundant files, it can also help to defrag Mac computer.

The performance improvement features make sure that the disk is fragmented to maximize the space. As a result, Mac works better. These tools also have other useful features like restore, undelete, backup, and remote tracking too in case your Mac gets stolen.

Solution 2. iDefrag:

For Mac OS defragment disk, you can rely on iDefrag to work efficiently. It is a useful tool to defrag and optimize your computer. You just have to reboot your computer and the software will provide you options to defrag the system. With this software, you will be able to defrag the whole drive easily. It can even perform selective defragmentation. Along with this, the software is simple, organized, and improved so you don't have to struggle to learn how to operate it.

Solution 3. DiskTools Pro:

One of the best tools that can tell you how to defrag MacBook Pro is DiskTools Pro. The software has three main features, i.e. defrag, backup, and repair. This software makes the repair and maintenance of the Mac system easy and fast. There is a bundle of tools for other tasks too which include creating a bootable disk, fixing bad sectors, test disk integrity, analyze drive capacity, and so much more.

There are lots of other tools too which can help you to defrag Mac as quickly as possible so you don't have to compromise with your work.

Part 3. Some Facts About Defragging Mac

If you are experiencing performance issues with your Mac and you are considering defragging Mac, then you should know a few facts about it. Here, we are giving you proper knowledge and facts to begin:

Keep in mind that only hard drives require defragging. If your Mac has a Solid State Drive, then there is no need for defragging Mac.
There is no need to defrag Mac regularly. The OS X already writes the small files in one batch so that you don't have to put in efforts for defragmentation.
Hard drives work fast at the beginning of the drive and slow down as the data is written to the bottom. Data don't take up the available space and it creates several hols which causes a delay in booting or loading of programs.
Over the years of using Mac, the system slows down with addition and reduction in data. And the OS X upgrades and normal operation makes the data less optimized. Therefore, the defragging Mac becomes important.
The Mac OS gathers a group of small files dynamically and then combines them in a large space. The automatic process of writing files defragments the files in a proper manner.
Mac's HFS+ File system makes sure that the recently freed file space is not used on the disk. Therefore, the system looks for the larger free area which is present on the drive. Thus, there is no room left to defrag apple Mac just so your files fit into the available space.
Even when you open a file, the Mac system checks the storage to verify if the files are fragmented or not. In case it is, the OS automatically defrag Mac files.

Part 4. Alternative Way to Defrag Mac

If yourMac has performance issues, then instead of using defrag tools for Mac you can try out the alternative ways. Here are some methods that would optimize Mac and make sure that is works efficiently.

Method 1. Install Latest Updates of Your MacOS:

The latest update will provide stability, better performance, and security to your Mac. It will not only update the installed software but optimize the system to work in an improved way without a Mac defragging software.

Open System Preferences from the Apple menu and tap on the Software Update option to check for updates.
If the update is available, click on the Update Now option to install it. You can take a look at the specifics of the updates.

Once the software is fully updated, make sure that the applications are updated too.

Method 2. Clean Unnecessary and Big Files:

By deleting the files which are big and useless, you can improve the performance of your system. This way you don't have to worry about defragging Mac drive. Follow the steps below to delete extra files.

Open the drive that you want to search and open the search window.
Click on the '+' icon at the bottom of the Save button and customize the file size that you want to search. You can tell Mac to look for files using the 'Greater Than' column to find the files which occupy the maximum space.
Once the results are listed on the screen, you can select the files which you don't need. Right-click on the file to move it to trash or click on the Trash icon in the Dock. And make sure that you empty the trash too

Method 3. Boot Mac in Safe Mode:

Another way to eliminate the performance issue and avoiding defragmentation on Mac is by booting the system in Safe Mode. This way, no additional application will run automatically and it will erase the cache files too.

Restart your Mac and immediately press and hold the Shift key until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
You can release the Shift key when you see the login window. You might have to log in two times, once to unlock the startup disk and second to log in to the Finder.

Safe mode will erase the cache or directory issue as you start up and you'll have enough space left on your Mac. To exit the safe mode, you only have to restart Mac without pressing any additional key.

Part 5. More Tips to Speed Up Mac:

As you clean up the Mac, the need for Mac OS defrag will decrease and the system will start running smoothly. It is likely that your system will work fine now. But here are some additional tips that will speed up Mac:

Update Software regularly as most of the issues happen due to the use of outdated software. The system update will also fix bugs and other reasons that are declining Mac performance.
Prevent Programs from Launching Automatically when you turn on Mac. There are lots of apps that run in the background. So, you need to filter the list to free up resources to make sure that no extra space is occupied by them.
Offload old data that is stored on online servers or external drives to make up space for new files.
Clear Regularly: Apart from the system, you have to clean the Trash too. Even though the files are deleted from Mac, space is occupied by the trash. So, you'll have to empty the trash more frequently.
Upgrade RAM: This solution won't help you to prevent fragmentation but it will improve the system performance.

Conclusion

So, now when anyone asks you can you defrag a Mac, you know that you can say yes. With every detail you have now, you can easily resolve performance issues with your Mac. And if somehow during cleanup or defragging Mac with third-party tools, the data gets deleted, then Recoverit Data Recovery can help you to retrieve the deleted files. Share the guide with your friends and family to let them know that there are easy ways of keeping up the Mac system.

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Not only Mac, but all computers will also get slower and slower as they keep running. You might hear about defragging disk to clear some space and speed up your computer due to your previous experience with Windows. But there's no 'Optimize Disk'or 'Defragment Disk' on Mac. So what do you do when your Mac gets slow? When does my Mac need a defragment? How to defrag my Mac? In this article, we will dive into the Mac defrag question and explain the benefits and limitations of doing this. Hope you can find the answer that suits best.

Why do we defrag?

First, we need to know what defragment is. Defragment is the process to reorganize the files which are scattered stored on the hard disk. It removes the gaps between the recorded parts of the files, collecting them into a single whole part. Simply put, defragging a drive traditionally moves everything back in order and fills any holes that have appeared during its use. Therefore, defragmentation reorganized your computer and saves time to find and read the files and speed up your computer.

Does Mac need defragment?

Generally speaking, Mac doesn't need to be defragged. This is simply because Mac OS X versions later than 10.2 file system were designed differently to Windows. Apple uses the HFS+ (Hierarchical File System), which provides a special function Hot File Adaptive Clustering, or HFC. The main purpose of this component is to automatically prevent fragmentation of disk storage. And it automatically defragments files on its own. That's not to say that a manual defragment is never needed. It's just rare. When updates, upgrades, installation or re-installation take place, you might need to defrag it once in a few years.

When does your Mac need to be defragged?

The only real exception you need to defrag a Mac is when your hard drive has less than 10 percent free space. At that point, the Mac operating system is unable to perform its automatic defragmentation routines, and you should consider either removing files or expanding your disk storage size.

Considering removing files to free up more space and speed up Mac, there is a useful and efficient way to do that - a powerful app- MacBooster. It will comprehensively scan Mac including old and large files, app leftovers and system clutter. It helps to boost computer performance, and you probably don't even need to defrag a Mac.

This will make your boot drive lighter by reducing the number of bulky files, such as movies and other video files. Reduce it to less than 50% because the first half portion of the drive is much faster than the second due to a large number of sectors. It is not mandatory to bring your HDD space usage below 50%. However, doing so accelerates performance. Note that boot drive occupying more than 80% of the total disk capacity will not work. You can reduce files by using Activity Monitor. Also, reboot the drive on completion of the process.

Only hard drives require defragging. SSD's no need.

If you're using a Mac that comes with an SSD (solid state drive), there's no point in wasting your time defragging as they already have a built-in maintenance process called TRIM.SSDs operating in a different way from a traditional HDD. It's flash memory used by a solid state drive has a finite lifespan because of the limited write and read cycles. And disk defragmentation is a process of reading the data from one place and writing it to another. So if you defrag SSD, you will perform thousands of write operations each time on the drive. It can speed up the degradation of a solid state drive and lead to its wear and tear. Therefore, it's actually dangerous to attempt to defrag a SSD, which can reduce its lifespan.

How to defragment a Mac?

Since there's no built-in command or utility to defragment on Mac, one of the easiest ways is to use a trusted third-party defragmentation program. It takes a certain amount of time to defragment, during this time you can't move your Mac in case the data destroy. We strongly suggest you backup your data before you defrag your Mac. And follow the program instructions to do the defragment, just be sure it's compatible with your Mac ( Mac OS 10.2 are not compatible with the latest modern defragmentation software ).

Alternatives to defragment a Mac.

Sometimes a slow Mac isn't a problem for your HDDs. You may take other ways to free up more storage and speed up your Mac instead of defragging your Mac. First of all, you should check your disk permissions. Its settings will affect the ability to read, write and execute the file. Repairing disk permission only suits for Mac earlier OS 10.10versions. For newer version, disk permissions are automatically protected.

To repair your permissions using the Disk Utility:

1. Choose Go > Utilities.

2. Double-click Disk Utility.

3. Select the volume in the left pane for which you want to repair permissions.

4. Click the First Aid tab.

5. Click Verify Disk Permissions to check permissions.

6. Click Repair Disk Permissions to repair any inconsistent permission.

But it only fixes file permissions that were installed as part of an Apple-originated installer package - so those that came pre-installed with your Mac and files downloaded from the Mac App Store. You can do better with MacBooster, it will fix Mac disk permission issues and drive your Mac to peak performance.

If you feel it’s tedious and exhausted to do above all manually, and even looking for a comprehensive utility to do all and better. Try MacBooster, IObit's official Mac maintenance software. It will safely and quickly remove all system junk files and speed up your Mac.

Thanks for reading this article and we hope that you find your answers.

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