Speed up iCloud and updates

Discover how to reduce internet usage with High Sierra’s content caching

REQUIRES

At least one Mac running macOS High Sierra, preferably with an Ethernet connection

You will learn

How to work with content caching

IT WILL TAKE

5 minutes Content caching helps reduce bandwidth and speed up software installation across Macs, iOS, and Apple TV. Content is stored — or cached — on one of your Macs, and other devices can pull that content quickly from the local network instead of downloading a fresh copy from the internet. By default, all system updates and App and iBooks Store content are cached, plus there’s an option to include your iCloud content too.

Content caching works best on a Mac that’s connected to your network via Ethernet rather than Wi-Fi. That Mac needs to be switched on and connected to the internet for the feature to work. The guide below reveals the basics of enabling, configuring, and disabling the feature.

When you start setting up the cache, you’ll notice a “Share Internet connection” option — this extends the cache (and your Mac’s internet connection) to any iOS device that’s hooked up to the Mac using a USB cable. If you have lots of Apple devices and you find that one Mac’s bandwidth is getting saturated, you can enable content caching on other Macs too. Devices then intelligently choose which Mac to use.

In the Apple menu go to System Preferences > Sharing > Content Caching and hold the Opt key; the Options button will change to Advanced Options. Click this and you’ll see three additional tabs: Clients, Peers, and Parents. These allow you to fine-tune your multi-Mac caching setup. For most, the default settings are fine, but if you’re in a large network, visit

bit.ly/contentcaching for a guide to optimizing these advanced settings.

Although content caching is new to the Sharing pane in High Sierra, the feature has been built into macOS Server ( bit.ly/

macserve) for a while. Consequently, even devices not running High Sierra or iOS 11 will benefit from it — as long as they’re running iOS 7 or OS X 10.8.2 or later, they’ll automatically detect the cache on your network.