MacBook Air M1 Performance Issues

[MysticVoyager]

Hello everyone,

I'm using a MacBook Air M1 base model and while I love using it, I've been running into some performance issues. Here’s what I’ve noticed:

- Choppy Scrolling and Dropped Frames: When I scroll through some websites or documents, using the built-in trackpad or Magic Mouse, the scrolling can sometimes stutter and I notice dropped frames. Especially noticeable in webbrowsers on apps like YouTube.
- Delayed Typing in Certain Apps: In some apps like Office apps and Discord, there's a slight lag between typing and seeing the text appear. This issue isn’t limited to just these apps, though.
- Choppy Window Resizing: Resizing windows in some apps is really choppy and far from smooth.
- Animations Lag: Swiping between Spaces and Full Screen apps can sometimes get choppy, especially noticeable when using it with the Studio Display
- Switching tabs in Safari: With just very few tabs and other apps open, switching between tabs in Safari is slow and not as snappy as other webbrowsers

I think these issues might be related to macOS and hopefully not the hardware, but I'm not sure. I take good care of my MacBook, always keep it updated, and have even tried reinstalling macOS, but these problems keep happening.

Can anyone tell me if these are known macOS issues or if they might be hardware-related? Any advice or similar experiences would be really helpful.

Thanks!

 

[leifp]

I have noticed that Macs have occasional stutters with Bluetooth, particularly keyboards… and when the SSDs get full (which is well before 100%) all sort of problems crop up.

 

[JohnnyGo]

Can confirm that all base Macs (8Gb+256Gb SSD) suffer from slowdowns. The combination of low memory and crowded drive (80% used), really bogs down Mac OS.

Apple should really move base models to 16Gb + 512Gb. Long over due.

I have been fortunate since 2022 to be able to afford (finally !) 32Gb models (2022 Mac Studio base and 2023 MBP) and that has made a huge difference in performance over the long run.

 

[bellflyer14]

Can confirm that all base Macs (8Gb+256Gb SSD) suffer from slowdowns. The combination of low memory and crowded drive (80% used), really bogs down Mac OS.

Apple should really move base models to 16Gb + 512Gb. Long over due.

I have been fortunate since 2022 to be able to afford (finally !) 32Gb models (2022 Mac Studio base and 2023 MBP) and that has made a huge difference in performance over the long run.

I guess it all depends on what you do with your base MBA. My 8/256 runs completely fine. It's my secondary machine for when I'm doing leisure things, not working. I love it, super fast too this day

 

[Surfsalot]

Would never buy anything with 8Gb again or the 256gb Slow mo chip.

 

[thadoggfather]

Could it also depend on which macOS version you’re on ?

Quality control has not been great on that for quite some time imo

 

[russell_314]

I have noticed that Macs have occasional stutters with Bluetooth, particularly keyboards… and when the SSDs get full (which is well before 100%) all sort of problems crop up.

This so much! It’s not just a Mac thing either. SSD performance takes a significant hit once it becomes almost full. My question to the OP would be what percentage is your SSD at right now? If it’s above 90% consider making some free space. Move larger files that you don’t need on a daily basis to an external SSD.

Ignore the 8 GB/256 GB spec is not good enough crowd. It’s perfectly fine for what most people do. I have a friend that got an M1 MacBook right when they came out and it’s still working perfectly fine with zero slowdowns. It’s definitely not sufficient for a power user that does more advanced stuff but for people that browse the web and type office documents it’s more than enough.

 

[ignatius345]

To echo the post above, yeah, if your M1 Air (base model or no) is seeing performance issues like that there's something amiss.

One thing gave me pause:

Swiping between Spaces and Full Screen apps can sometimes get choppy, especially noticeable when using it with the Studio Display

I have found that Spaces can be a serious performance killer, and you're also running a big 5K external display, which would just compound the issue.

I was once a very prolific user of multiple desktops (aka Spaces). I would have like 6 desktops going for different groups of windows/apps, and often had this going on multiple user accounts (have a separate user account for work). A while ago I started seeing some real graphics issues -- specifically an issue where moving a window would lag way behind my mouse movements.

In troubleshooting, I found that the Windor Server process was consuming a ton of resources, but I couldn't figure out why. Put up a thread about it here, and people offered a lot of helpful feedback, but I couldn't figure it out. Then months later I stumbled on what ended up fixing it for me: I curtailed my use of Spaces, and later stopped using that feature entirely. The issue went away immediately, and has not returned.

My theory is that there's some bug in macOS with multiple desktops that makes Window Server run amok and slow the machine to a crawl the more its used. (In my case, a fresh restart would make things normal again, but the slowdowns would inevitably return with subsequent use.)

Anyway, that's a long-winded way of saying: I would try disabling Spaces and see how it goes.

 

[MBAir2010]

Seems to me that keeping 35GB free from 265GB on my Macbook air M1 Monterey runs better.
then again i mostly (90%) use Mountain Lion these past 2 months
as i was experience some small nuances since Friday after starting both
the MBAM1 while the Macmini M1 seemed to perform better on 2K monitor, USBc or a "thundbirdman" port

i guess those Cuppertino developers aim for speed than performance with newer OS.

 

[MysticVoyager]

Could it also depend on which macOS version you’re on ?

Quality control has not been great on that for quite some time imo

I am using the latest version of macOS, 14.5 Sonoma

 

[MysticVoyager]

This so much! It’s not just a Mac thing either. SSD performance takes a significant hit once it becomes almost full. My question to the OP would be what percentage is your SSD at right now? If it’s above 90% consider making some free space. Move larger files that you don’t need on a daily basis to an external SSD.

Ignore the 8 GB/256 GB spec is not good enough crowd. It’s perfectly fine for what most people do. I have a friend that got an M1 MacBook right when they came out and it’s still working perfectly fine with zero slowdowns. It’s definitely not sufficient for a power user that does more advanced stuff but for people that browse the web and type office documents it’s more than enough.

The SSD being too full can't be the problem, it is only 50% filled.

 

[MBAir2010]

The SSD being too full can't be the problem, it is only 50% filled.

in the past, we found out someone was using a third party app like "viruskilla" or "google macbook sludger".
after they deleted the poisonous program, their Macbook thrived.

You do seem like you know what you are doing and i hope that your MBAm1 get back to normalcy.
heck, even my macbook air from 2010 does not have performance issues today like you posted.

 

[MysticVoyager]

To echo the post above, yeah, if your M1 Air (base model or no) is seeing performance issues like that there's something amiss.

One thing gave me pause:



I have found that Spaces can be a serious performance killer, and you're also running a big 5K external display, which would just compound the issue.

I was once a very prolific user of multiple desktops (aka Spaces). I would have like 6 desktops going for different groups of windows/apps, and often had this going on multiple user accounts (have a separate user account for work). A while ago I started seeing some real graphics issues -- specifically an issue where moving a window would lag way behind my mouse movements.

In troubleshooting, I found that the Windor Server process was consuming a ton of resources, but I couldn't figure out why. Put up a thread about it here, and people offered a lot of helpful feedback, but I couldn't figure it out. Then months later I stumbled on what ended up fixing it for me: I curtailed my use of Spaces, and later stopped using that feature entirely. The issue went away immediately, and has not returned.

My theory is that there's some bug in macOS with multiple desktops that makes Window Server run amok and slow the machine to a crawl the more its used. (In my case, a fresh restart would make things normal again, but the slowdowns would inevitably return with subsequent use.)

Anyway, that's a long-winded way of saying: I would try disabling Spaces and see how it goes.

Thank you for your response. Even on days when I don't use Spaces, the problems still occur. I will try reducing my use of Spaces to see if it helps. Do you think the other issues I'm experiencing are related to hardware or software? While I'm worried there might be a hardware defect, I personally believe it's a software problem. Hardware-wise, I have been very happy with my MacBook. It has the best battery life I've ever experienced on a laptop, doesn't get hot (unless pushed very hard which is normal), has an amazing display, and very good build quality.

 

[MysticVoyager]

in the past, we found out someone was using a third party app like "viruskilla" or "google macbook sludger".
after they deleted the poisonous program, their Macbook thrived.

You do seem like you know what you are doing and i hope that your MBAm1 get back to normalcy.
heck, even my macbook air from 2010 does not have performance issues today like you posted.

I have recently done a reinstall of macOS and I use the latest version, I am sure I don't have any malware or other weird programs because I am very careful with it. I am really hoping this is just a software issue that can get resolved with updates, what do you think, macOS issue or hardware defect?

 

[MBAir2010]

I have recently done a reinstall of macOS and I use the latest version, I am sure I don't have any malware or other weird programs because I am very careful with it. I am really hoping this is just a software issue that can get resolved with updates, what do you think, macOS issue or hardware defect?

OS issue....My Macbook Air M1 is never playing well with non-apple apps like Edge, handbrake and Affinity design.
i can see MS office not working up to par and lagging since that is non-.
while Pages Numbers and other  programs ran smoothly.

also, safari tabs were not great while browsing websites not up to par code wise.

I went back to Monterey from Somona so i can use new window tab copy and pasting and real system preferences.
and Both Ventura and Somoma was worse working on different programs as i know recall.

does these new OS have first aid in the Disk Utility program?
that was helpful and sometimes fixed errors.

 

[Saturn007]

I personally believe it's a software problem.

Have you checked Activity Monitor? You might able to spot which app or process is consuming lots of CPU time.

This sounds like a particular app is creating issues. The problems you describe have been rarely mentioned, especially not in combination, unless some piece of software is running amok.

Are all your apps up to date?

Have you tried using just one app at a time, or testing combinations of apps, to see when all the issues occur?

What you're describing is not normal.

By the way, unless I missed the info, several questions could help us help you pin this down. What are the specs on your device — memory, HD capacity, % of HD filled, etc.? Which apps are you running when this happens? How many apps are you generally running?

Are the websites in Safari playing video? Are there YouTube videos playing in the background?

Also, you might want to try ad blockers, if you haven't already. They can eliminate a bunch of the detritus that runs in the background or foreground on websites…

 

[MysticVoyager]

OS issue....My Macbook Air M1 is never playing well with non-apple apps like Edge, handbrake and Affinity design.
i can see MS office not working up to par and lagging since that is non-.
while Pages Numbers and other  programs ran smoothly.

also, safari tabs were not great while browsing websites not up to par code wise.

I went back to Monterey from Somona so i can use new window tab copy and pasting and real system preferences.
and Both Ventura and Somoma was worse working on different programs as i know recall.

does these new OS have first aid in the Disk Utility program?
that was helpful and sometimes fixed errors.

I just ran First Aid in Disk Utility and it said everything was okay

 

[MBAir2010]

I just launched my Mac mini M1 Monterey and could not use the screen as this transparent white box grew and moved over everything I selected with a satechi™ BT mouse, thankfully the  Magic Trackpad stopped the box effect.
some safari tabs were ;punching slow like cycling weekly as edge was fine tab wise.


I just do not think these newer OS are up to par with non- programs and devices.
I used my Mac mini 2012 with Mt Lion for 5 hours without a problem.

tonite I will use my MacBook Air m1 to see how things are,
I have no idea what to do on that, but maybe something might arise.

 

[MBAir2010]

I just launched my Mac mini M1 Monterey and could not use the screen as this transparent white box grew and moved over everything I selected with a satechi™ BT mouse, thankfully the  Magic Trackpad stopped the box effect.
some safari tabs were ;punching slow like cycling weekly as edge was fine tab wise.


I just do not think these newer OS are up to par with non- programs and devices.
I used my Mac mini 2012 with Mt Lion for 5 hours without a problem.

tonite I will use my MacBook Air m1 to see how things are,
I have no idea what to do on that, but maybe something might arise.

well the mini with Monterey would not let me reply
But now on can on the MBA2010 which cuould be MRF or new safari.

 

[MysticVoyager]

Have you checked Activity Monitor? You might able to spot which app or process is consuming lots of CPU time.

This sounds like a particular app is creating issues. The problems you describe have been rarely mentioned, especially not in combination, unless some piece of software is running amok.

Are all your apps up to date?

Have you tried using just one app at a time, or testing combinations of apps, to see when all the issues occur?

What you're describing is not normal.

By the way, unless I missed the info, several questions could help us help you pin this down. What are the specs on your device — memory, HD capacity, % of HD filled, etc.? Which apps are you running when this happens? How many apps are you generally running?

Are the websites in Safari playing video? Are there YouTube videos playing in the background?

Also, you might want to try ad blockers, if you haven't already. They can eliminate a bunch of the detritus that runs in the background or foreground on websites…

My MacBook has an M1 chip, 8GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD that is 50% filled. The scrolling problem is mostly in web browsers like Safari and Chrome, especially on YouTube. However, I occasionally notice scrolling problems in other apps, both Apple and non-Apple. Like scrolling through the widget gallery, ChatGPT desktop app, Office apps.

The tab switching lag is only in Safari and happens especially when switching to YouTube, but it can occur with any tab on any website. Even with no other apps open and no swap being used, this still happens.

The choppy window resizing is very smooth in most apps but bad in apps like Excel, Spotify, Teams, Discord, Apple Weather. I’ve had the opportunity to try other Apple Silicon Macs, and they all have this problem with the apps I mentioned, so it is probably something everyone is experiencing.

The animation lag only really happens when pushing the machine pretty hard. This is probably due to having 8GB RAM. But the animation lag is rare and doesn’t bother me much.

What bothers me the most is the keyboard lag in some apps, like Office and Discord. It's especially noticeable when using the Magic Keyboard via Bluetooth, but it also happens on the built-in keyboard. While other apps are better, there is still a slight lag, probably because I'm a pretty fast typer. On Windows, keystrokes seem to register faster, even with the same keyboard.

 

[MysticVoyager]

I just launched my Mac mini M1 Monterey and could not use the screen as this transparent white box grew and moved over everything I selected with a satechi™ BT mouse, thankfully the  Magic Trackpad stopped the box effect.
some safari tabs were ;punching slow like cycling weekly as edge was fine tab wise.


I just do not think these newer OS are up to par with non- programs and devices.
I used my Mac mini 2012 with Mt Lion for 5 hours without a problem.

tonite I will use my MacBook Air m1 to see how things are,
I have no idea what to do on that, but maybe something might arise.

When you use the MacBook Air M1, could you try out a few things, if you want, and let me know how it goes?


- Switching between tabs in Safari.

- Scroll through some websites, especially YouTube, and see if you notice any dropped frames or stutters. Also, try scrolling through the widget gallery and some other apps you have installed.

- Resize app windows like Spotify, Excel, Discord, and Apple Weather. Resizing in most first-party apps is usually very smooth for me.

- Type in some documents using both the built-in keyboard and an external keyboard. See if the typing feels smooth and if the keystrokes appear on the screen quickly.

 

[MBAir2010]

- Switching between tabs in Safari.
perfect no lag here and cycling weekly.com

YouTube works fine "Linus tech tip" is praising some Ryzen™ 20 watt computer something.
Pilot Refuses to Land was a frame on the right which loaded no problem.

Monterey does not have widgets or I seemed to bypass that.
and I don't have Spotify, Excel, Discord, and Apple Weather.
I resized some app like affinity design, handbrake and preview without a problem.

I set up my  bluetooth magic keyboard which types no problem
I have a Satechi™ on that worked okay as well

everything else worked very good and this MBAm1 is fast.
maybe a reinstall might help things, but there might be too many non  programs you use.
of maybe something is upsetting the MBA

silly ? but does does everything else work?

I'm swaying back to the 2012 era since that works!
hopefully someone else might add their input with Sonoma and those programs.

 

[Howard2k]

I also use an M1 Air and I’m not seeing any of those issues.

Did you look at Activity Monitor?
Did you run the hardware diagnostic?

Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support (CA)

Apple Diagnostics, formerly known as Apple Hardware Test, can check your Mac for hardware issues.

support.apple.com

 

[russell_314]

I have recently done a reinstall of macOS and I use the latest version,

Wait, you did a complete reinstall without importing a backup and the problem persisted? If so, that makes me think it’s a hardware issue. Of course you’d have to test it before reinstalling all your programs because one of those could be the problem.

My first step would be removing programs one at a time and try to figure out if one of those is causing a problem. Do you have any kind of antivirus or anti-malware? It sounds like something is slowing the system down and pulling resources.

 

[MysticVoyager]

I also use an M1 Air and I’m not seeing any of those issues.

Did you look at Activity Monitor?
Did you run the hardware diagnostic?

Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support (CA)

Apple Diagnostics, formerly known as Apple Hardware Test, can check your Mac for hardware issues.

support.apple.com

I just did the hardware diagnostic test and it said there might be a problem with the port and the trackpad, but both seem to be working just fine.