Mac mini freezes when switching between 2 screens
I have a 2023 Mac mini with 8GB memory. It has been running slow, spinning ball often appears, and the latest macOS update to Sequoia 15.4.1 which I recently installed has caused the screen to go black and freeze when switching between 2 user screens. I then have to force quit and restart the computer. I suspect that the operating system is taking up almost all of the memory. I don't want to buy another computer as this one meets all my needs. I have a portable WD 5T hard drive connected via a USB port which I'm now using for Time Machine backups. Can I use this portable drive as the startup disk and would this solve my memory issue? I'm 75 years old and somewhat of a novice in understanding the complexities of the operations of my computer. Thank you for any advice you can give me.
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Mac mini, macOS 15.4