How do I speed up a slow MacBook Pro M1 Tahoe 26.7.2?

"How do I speed up a slow MacBook Pro M1 Tahoe 26.7.2?: I have a MacBook Pro M1 Tahoe 26.7.2 which has become very slow even after boot up. Is there a program I should install for a cleanup."

-------

Along with what sberman recommended....

Troubleshooting Lagging Mac Boot:

A. Try Safe Mode:

In Safe Mode, login items do not run, and corrupt system files(i.e. caches) are intentionally reset as a way to fix issues

1. Boot: in to Safe Mode
2. Log in: as same user
3. Wait: 30 seconds
4. Restart; your Mac
5. Log in: as same user

B. See if your Hard drive is Failing:

What to Try:

• Verify your Drive: Repair your Disk in Disk Utility - Apple Support
• Go Here: If your Mac Starts Up to an Apple Logo or Progress Bar - Apple Support
• Perform the following in Recovery Mode:

1. Boot: into Recovery Mode. Go Here:  How to Use Safe Mode on your Mac- Apple Support
2. Select: Disk Utility
3. Select: the Drive
4. Click: First Aid button

C. Remove Login Items:

While in Safe Mode, remove all of your Login Items, and then restart the Mac.  Go Here: Change Users & Groups Login Items Preferences on Mac - Apple Support

D. Clear Space:

With little storage space remaining, your Mac will lag. So, see about backup up items (for recovery purposes), and delete them. Moreover, clear the System Data: How to Use Finder to Clear “System Data" on a Mac - User TIp

To add to the others' wisdom, there are NO apps that will speed up your Mac. We have seen plenty of cases where those have degraded performance, specifically ones with "clean" in its name.

Let's do a little at-home check:

— Is the computer slow to start up?

— Do big apps take a long time to launch?

— Once launched, do those same apps seem to run OK?

Three "yes" answers suggest a problem with your storage. Many M1 Macs shipped with tiny 256GB solid-state drives. OK in 2020, subsequent changes to macOS mean the SSD now crowds easily with new OS versions and Apple Intelligence. macOS plus system data can approach 80GB of space required. When the storage is nearly full, the computer will "feel" slow.

I'll add that, for some drive issues, one should let the computer "soak" in Safe Boot Mode to give Safe Mode with no other input to allow time for it do all its drive housekeeping. For my 1TB SSD Macs, I give it 15-20 minutes. Learned that the hard way!

First, you should be using macOS Golden Gate.

How to upgrade to macOS 27 Golden Gate - Apple Support

Then:

If your Mac runs slowly - Apple Support