Should I Log Out on my Mac or Shut Down?

Should I Log Out on my Mac or Shut Down?

The best way to turn off your Mac is a hotly contested debate amongst Apple fans. Because OS X is an operating system with a long history, there are lots of different ways to turn the operating system off. Each of these has its uses, and merits.

In general, when you have finished using a Mac you can do any of the following things: There are pros and cons to each method of turning off your Mac. Most users choose to Sleep their Mac or leave it till it goes into sleep mode.

There used to be an argument in favour of Sleep over Shut Down because OS X ran scripts (known as cron jobs) during the night. This is no longer the case as OS X smartly runs cron jobs in the background or when it detects inactivity. For most users who work on a Mac daily, we recommend using Sleep when you've decided to finish work.

The Mac will idle on low power usage, and be ready when you next need it. If you use your Mac infrequently (not every day) then we suggest Shut Down. This will help conserve battery life on MacBooks, and is more energy-efficient (and a cost-saving measure).