A customer reports getting very slow file saving on Mac OS Tahoe for no apparent reason. 30 seconds instead of two or three. Any suggestions what it can be? Tried it on my old M1 with Tahoe and it had no problems whatsoever.
Failing drive.?
ICloud connectivity issues.?
Network.?
Quarantined?
Thanks!
I asked AI and this is what it said:
Yes, a known bug in macOS Tahoe (specifically around version 26.1) causes severe lag, freezing, or slow behavior in the Save As, Open, and file-browser dialog windows. [1 (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256192688), 2 ( How To Fix macOS Tahoe's Slow File Browser Bug ), 3 (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256187348)]
The Known Cause
This issue is heavily tied to iCloud Drive — specifically the feature that syncs your Desktop & Documents Folders to the cloud. When macOS tries to query or write files through this syncing process during a save or open prompt, it hangs and causes a spinning beach ball. [1 (https://www.instagram.com/p/DR95oE1ll6h/), 2 (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256182744), 3 (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256187348), 4 (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256192688)]
How to Fix It
1. Turn Off Desktop & Documents iCloud Sync (Primary Workaround)
1 Open **Finder** and click **Finder** in the top menu bar, then select **Settings** (or *Preferences*). \[1 (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256192688)\]
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3 Go to the **iCloud** tab or section.
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5 Uncheck **Desktop & Documents Folders**. \[1 (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256192688), 2 (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256187348)\]
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7 Test saving a file to see if the dialog responds immediately. *(Note: Unchecking this stops those specific folders from auto-syncing to iCloud, though your base iCloud Drive files remain intact).* \[1 (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256192688), 2 (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256187348)\]
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2. Run Disk Utility First Aid
If file paths or disk permissions got scrambled during the upgrade: [1 (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256192688)]
1 Restart your Mac into **Recovery Mode** (hold down Touch ID/power button or Command+R depending on your Mac model).
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3 Open **Disk Utility**.
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5 Select your startup disk (Macintosh HD) and run **First Aid**.
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7 Restart your computer. \[1 ( https://cloudhousetechnologies.com/blog/how-to-fix-macos-tahoe-slow-performance-and-lag-2026 ), 2 (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256192688)\]
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3. Boot in Safe Mode
Booting into Safe Mode clears system caches and forces macOS to rebuild dynamic database components:[1 (https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/1osezx9/macos_tahoe_has_been_unbearably_slow_is_there/), 2 (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256182744)]
• Shut down your Mac completely, then start it up while holding the **Shift** key (Apple Silicon) or appropriate key sequence until the login window appears, log in, and then restart normally. \[1 (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256182744), 2 (https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/1osezx9/macos_tahoe_has_been_unbearably_slow_is_there/)\]
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4. Check Free Storage and Background Processes
• Ensure you have at least 10% to 20% free space on your internal SSD. \[1 ( https://www.fireebok.com/resource/how-to-fix-slow-performance-and-lag-after-upgrading-to-macos-tahoe.html ), 2 ( https://cloudhousetechnologies.com/blog/how-to-fix-macos-tahoe-slow-performance-and-lag-2026 )\]
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• Open **Activity Monitor** via Spotlight (Command + Space) and check the **Memory** and **CPU** tabs to see if stuck background services like cloudd, mds_stores (Spotlight), or backupd are overloading your system.\[1 (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lJVz0M1KcAo), 2 ( https://cloudhousetechnologies.com/blog/how-to-fix-macos-tahoe-slow-performance-and-lag-2026 )\]
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If the fix doesn’t work or you want to check your system further, tell me:
**• Which exact sub-version of Tahoe** you are running (e.g., 26.0 or 26.1)
**• What type of Mac** you have (Apple Silicon M-series vs. Intel)
Apple: STOP effing around…!