Desktop Reflection

Mac Performance

A messy desktop, especially on an older Mac, can have a detrimental effect on the computer’s performance. Why? Think about the complex visual makeup of all those files you’ve strewn across the screen.

The graphics processor is charged with redrawing all that detail on the screen around 60 times per second. Reducing the complexity might speed up the computer a bit.

Keep It Clear

One option is to clean off your entire desktop and file things in other folders on your Mac. Apple provides various primary folders for organizing your data, including Documents, Movies, Music, and Pictures.

These should be enough for most of the files you’ve been keeping on the desktop. Go Home and/or to iCloud Drive to see this array of choices.

Big + Snappy

One of my long-time habits has been to make my desktop file icons really big. The desktop supports icons up to 128×128 pixels. Bigger icons means I can only fit so many items on the screen.

Additionally, I like to snap my icons to the invisible grid so they stay aligned horizontally and vertically. This prevents me from piling things atop each other for a more streamlined view.

Make Folders

Another option is to keep on the desktop only a handful of things you use regularly or haven’t figured out where to store. I recently did this to clean up my desktop.

Unfortunately, by hiding items in folders, they are a step beyond my consciousness to actually remember to look inside and consume, file, or delete.

Use Stacks

Finally, a new feature in macOS Mojave is Stacks. This is a way to automatically group similar items in a pile that you can easily expand or contract.

If you keep a lot of documents, pictures, or other like files on the desktop, click the desktop and choose Use Stacks from the View menu. Then, you can select how you want your stacks grouped.

You can easily keep any number of stacks open or closed at once as you interact with their contents.