How to Clear RAM on Mac

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

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.

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

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Community Q&A

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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.

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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.

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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.

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