How to be an Apple Genius

Fix any Mac or iOS problem in seconds

Macs and iOS devices run smoothly and efficiently, but nothing lasts forever and over time you will run into problems. Bloated apps, upgrades that stretch your device’s hardware resources, and more demanding apps and games can all make your Mac struggle. Even though OS X and iOS are incredibly robust operating systems, you will eventually encounter a problem.

In this feature, we’re going to look at common problems and how to fix them. In many cases, routine maintenance such as backing up and archiving old files and remembering to perform incremental updates to the operating system and apps makes a huge difference.

Resource-hogging apps, stalled updates and backups that take days to complete are all easy-to-address issues which, once resolved, will improve your Mac. We’ve got a slew of tips on how to fix system performance, file management, and network niggles.

Some issues will only have reared their head when you made the leap of faith from one version of OS X to the next - almost certainly from Mavericks to Yosemite. Jumping to the upcoming version of OS X, El Capitan, is bound to reveal additional gremlins.

Issues with photos no longer being where you expect to find them, and other files seemingly going missing, are common annoyances. Many users have reported ongoing Wi-Fi and network problems in Yosemite, and iTunes 12 has also had some unwelcome surprises for unwary users.

With Yosemite still exhibiting problems, and the beta version of El Capitan now available, this is a great time to learn about common Mac problems and prepare yourself for any trouble that might arise.