MacBook Pro M4 Slow Down after macOS Golden Gate Upgrade

General
1

My MacBook Pro M4 base model slowed down quite a bit after installing macOS Golden Gate 27.0. It used to be so smooth. I contacted Apple support and they suggested me to wait for a few days. But I have waited for 2 days, the performance didn’t get any better.

The Safari UI constantly hides the top side of the page, apps on the dock doesn’t open, changing apps are clunky and switching to the desktop through Mission Control is also hard.

2

The suggestion to wait for a few days makes sense because macOS runs heavy background maintenance in the first 24 to 48 hours after upgrading.

For example, Spotlight needs to re-index data, Apple Intelligence models need to be downloaded.

Check out other common macOS Golden Gate issues.

But a sluggish Mac can also be caused by one of the folloiwng issues:

  • Incompatible or outdated apps & extensions
  • Low storage space
  • Features like the “Liquid Glass” interface and dynamic UI animations place higher demands on GPU and RAM

To fix it, try:

  • Clean your Mac with iBoysoft Cleaner, which quickly locates the large files on your Mac, helping you reclaim space quickly.
  • Reduce Liquid Glass transparency.
  • Uninstall incompatible apps or extensions.

To identify incompatible or problematic apps, extensions, and background processes on macOS Golden Gate:

  1. Go to System Settings > General > About.
  2. Look for the Intel-Based Apps section and click Details.
  3. macOS lists legacy apps relying on the Rosetta translation layer. While these can run on Golden Gate, older or abandoned Intel apps frequently cause high CPU usage, thermal throttling, and system lag.
3

If it impacts your workflow, downgrade to macOS 26 Tahoe. Or, wait for a minor release.