Solid State Drives (SSDs) have become a popular choice for storage due to their speed and reliability. However, to maintain their performance over time, it is essential to enable TRIM. TRIM is a command that helps the SSD manage unused data blocks, ensuring efficient writing and longevity of the drive. On macOS, enabling TRIM for third-party SSDs can be done using the trimforce command. This article will guide you through the process of enabling TRIM on your macOS system.

Prerequisites

Before you proceed, ensure that:

• You have a third-party SSD installed in your macOS system.
• You have administrative privileges on your macOS system.
• You have backed up your data. Enabling TRIM should not cause data loss, but it is always good practice to have a backup.

Steps to Enable TRIM

1. Open Terminal:

   • You can open Terminal by navigating to Applications > Utilities > Terminal, or by using Spotlight Search (Cmd + Space) and typing "Terminal".

2. Check Current TRIM Status:

   • Before enabling TRIM, you might want to check if it is already enabled. Use the following command:

     system_profiler SPSerialATADataType | grep 'TRIM'

   • If TRIM is enabled, you will see TRIM Support: Yes. If not, you will see TRIM Support: No.

3. Enable TRIM Using trimforce:

   • To enable TRIM, you will use the trimforce command. This command requires administrative privileges, so you will need to use sudo.

     sudo trimforce enable

   • You will be prompted to enter your password. Type your password and press Enter.

4. Confirm the Operation:

   • The system will display a warning message indicating that enabling TRIM may cause data loss on some drives. Read the warning carefully. If you are sure you want to proceed, type y and press Enter.

5. Reboot Your System:

   • After enabling TRIM, you will need to restart your Mac for the changes to take effect. The system will prompt you to reboot. Type y and press Enter to reboot immediately.

6. Verify TRIM Status:

   • After your system reboots, you can verify that TRIM has been enabled by running the following command again:

     system_profiler SPSerialATADataType | grep 'TRIM'

   • You should now see TRIM Support: Yes.

Example

Here is a complete example of the commands you would run in Terminal:

# Open Terminal and check current TRIM status
system_profiler SPSerialATADataType | grep 'TRIM'

# Enable TRIM using trimforce
sudo trimforce enable

# Confirm the operation and reboot
# (Follow the on-screen prompts to type 'y' and press Enter when asked)

Conclusion

Enabling TRIM on your macOS system can help maintain the performance and longevity of your third-party SSD. By following the steps outlined above, you can easily enable TRIM using the trimforce command. Always remember to back up your data before making system changes.