macOS is known to be very resource-friendly, and the longer MacBook battery is a testament to that. Sometimes, problems or apps can cause high CPU or processor usage on your Mac. That can lead to a number of problems, including freezing your Mac, hanging apps, overheating, and shorter battery life.
Thankfully, you can address most causes of high CPU usage on your Mac to get your Mac back to optimal working condition. If you’re having the same problem, here are five ways you can fix high CPU usage on your Mac.
Quit unnecessary apps
While you don’t need to quit apps on your iPhone, leaving some apps open on your Mac can cause high CPU usage. Desktop apps in general are often resource intensive and power-intensive. So if you have dozens of apps open on your Mac, that can cause high CPU usage.
Step 1: To see which apps are open, see your Dock. All open apps show up with a dot below their icon.
Step 2: To exit an application, first right-click it and then click the Exit menu.
Step 3: Or, use the keyboard CMD + Tab to switch to application switcher mode. Use the Tab key to cycle between apps and select the app you want to quit. While holding down the Command key, tap the Q key on your keyboard to exit the app.
Step 4: If the app refuses to quit, you can use the Force Quit feature in macOS. Click the Apple Menu in the top left corner of the screen and open Force Quit.
Step 5: Select the app that refuses to quit and click the ‘Force Quit’ button.
Delete login entry
Sign-in items are the apps on your Mac that launch when you start your Mac. Too many Login Items are detrimental to your Mac’s performance because these apps consume a lot of your Mac’s resources and cause high CPU usage.
Step 1: Click the Apple Menu in the upper-left corner of the screen and open System Preferences.
Step 2: Now click on the ‘Users & Groups’ option.
Step 3: Choose your username and click on Login Items option.
Step 4: Select the application you want to remove and click the minus (-) button to remove it.
Use Activity Monitor to find and get rid of resource-hungry apps
Sometimes, an app starts misbehaving and using too much CPU resources, causing high CPU usage on Mac. You can use the Activity Monitor tool to find such apps and then quit them to control CPU usage.
Step 1: Click anywhere on your Mac screen to select Finder. Now, click on the Go menu in the Menu bar.
Step 2: Click the Utilities option or use the keyboard shortcut CMD+Shift+U.
Step 3: Double click the Activity Monitor app to launch it.
Step 4: Click the %CPU column. Make sure that the arrow next to the arrow is pointing down. If not, click %CPU again. Doing this will ensure that the process with the highest CPU usage stays on top.
Step 5: Check the list and check if there are any applications that use too much CPU resources that you are not actively using. When you find the culprit application or process, double-click its name.
Step 6: Click the Quit button to stop the application.
Check for malware
While macOS is rarely hit by malware, if you install a lot of third-party apps from outside the Mac App Store, there’s a chance your Mac could be infected with malware. A common piece of malware that attacks Macs today is cryptocurrency mining malware that uses your Mac’s resources to mine cryptocurrency for the attacker. This malware will make your Mac use 100% CPU resources because crypto mining is a CPU-intensive task.
There’s no native way to check for malware on your Mac, so you’ll have to use third-party software. You can use an app like CleanMyMac X or MalwareBytes to check for malware on your Mac. While both are paid apps, they both have free trials. You can check for malware with the trial version of the app and only upgrade to the paid version if they find malware on your device.
We’ll show you how to check for malware using the CleanMyMac X app.
Step 1: Launch the app and click on the Malware Removal option in the sidebar. Now click on the Scan button at the bottom.
Step 2: Wait for the scan to complete. If the app finds malware on your Mac, it will show you details and you’ll be able to remove the malware with one click. If there is no malware on your Mac, you will get a screen like the one below.
Update macOS
Sometimes, high CPU usage can be caused by a bug in the operating system. So make sure to update macOS to the latest version.
Step 1: Click the Apple Menu in the upper left corner of your screen and click to open System Preferences.
Step 2: Find the Software Update setting in the bottom left corner of the System Preferences pane and click to open it.
Step 3: Click the Install button to install any pending updates.
Fix high CPU usage on your Mac and enjoy smooth performance
High CPU usage on your Mac can cause some problems on your Mac. Hopefully, this guide can help you quickly fix high CPU usage on Mac. If you have any questions regarding this troubleshooting guide, let us know in the comments section below and we will help you.
Categories: How to
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