Fix Slowness in the Mac App Store [How to]

Another nuance has worked it’s way out of the cracks for OSX Lion, some users are experiencing the Mac App Store running a bit slow. Several users are experiencing the spinning busy ball that OSX uses when it’s busy. It is most commonly seen when browsing from app to app. There is most likely a bug or another issue related to this problem, but for now, the folks at OS X Daily have come up with a couple of temporary solutions.

app store icon

Solution 1: Delete the Mac App Store Cache

This is by far the safest method, however, it won’t last forever. Not all users are reporting that this has helped, but it’s worth a shot.

  • Quit the Mac App Store
  • From your desktop, hit Command+Shift+G and then type in the box:

~/Library/Caches/com.apple.appstore/

  • Delete everything inside of this folder.
  • Re-Open the Mac App Store

Solution 2: Turn off Certificate Revocation List in Keychain Access

This is a much riskier solution because it causes a security risk when disabling the revocation list, and must be used at your own risk.

  • Quit the Mac App Store
  • Launch Keychain Access (Applications -> Utilities)
  • Inside the Keychain Access Menu, select Preferences
  • Go to the Certificates tab
  • Change “Certificate Revocation List (CLR)” to Off
  • Quit Keychain Access
  • Re-Open the Mac App Store

The App Store should now be much faster, but it is recommended that you go back and change the setting to On after you have launched the Mac App Store.

  • Keep the Mac App Store open
  • Go Back to Keychain Access, and go to the Certificates tab
  • Set the “Certificate Revocation List (CLR)” back to “Best Attempt”
  • Quit Keychain Access

These should solve your issues if you are having any problems, and hopefully, Apple will be releasing a real fix shortly.

About the Author

David is a Systems Engineer by day and a Competitive Triathlete on the weekends. He is an avid Apple fan who also loves everything Google. He writes on everything and loves to share news with fellow techies.

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