How to Clear RAM on Mac

Last Updated: March 29, 2019 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to clear the RAM in macOS without having to do a hard reset. Using the "purge" command can help speed up your sluggish Mac by removing unneeded cached data from its memory.

Steps

It’s on the Dock, you’ll usually find at the bottom of the screen.
It’s in the menu bar at the top of the screen.

Advertisement
A list of app icons will appear.
It’s the black computer screen icon with a white prompt at its top-left corner.
5
Type sudo purge at the prompt. This is the command that will clear the RAM and disk caches. ^{[1]
X
Research source}
- This will not delete any of your personal data.
A password prompt will appear.
The RAM and disk caches are now cleared.

Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

When I go to Terminal and do sudo purge, it doesn't let me type in my password to continue.

Community Answer

Just type in your password. The computer will not show the letters you type. Press enter when you’re done. Make sure you are in an account with sudo permissions.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 1 Helpful 0
Question

I choose to have no password - but sudo purge won't let me do anything without a password. Someone advise.

Community Answer

You have to have a password. If you want, store passwords in notes. Lock the note to keep it private.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0
Question

How do I change a Mac password?

Nuclearblowout

Community Answer

Go to Settings in Mac. Then, click Users and Groups. Click the lock icon and enter the admin username and password. There is a button that says change password. Click that and you'll be all set.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

[1]

How to Clear RAM on Mac

Steps

Community Q&A

You Might Also Like

References

About this article

Is this article up to date?

You Might Also Like

Explore Categories