How to Fix High CPU Usage on macOS (5 Methods)

Is your Mac performing seemingly slow lately? Are the apps becoming unresponsive and crashing now and then? Is the battery draining too fast?

Image source: How to Geek

Well, if the answer is affirmative then it may be due to high CPU usage on Mac. Wondering how to fix high CPU usage on Mac? You’ve come to the right place. In this post, we have covered a detailed insight on what is high CPU usage, its potential causes, and how to resolve this issue on macOS.

Let’s proceed!

Also read: How To Fix macOS Monterey Is Running Slow Issue In (2022)

What is High CPU Usage and its Potential Causes?

The High CPU Usage issue can trigger on your Mac due to the following reasons:

• Using too many applications simultaneously.
• Juggling between multiple browser tabs.
• Using heavy-duty apps like a video editor or playing a game.
• Performing an anti-virus scan.
• Using an outdated version of macOS.

How to Fix High CPU Usage on Mac?

Here are a few possible solutions that will potentially help you resolve the causes of high CPU usage on Mac.

Also read: How To Optimize Your Mac For Better Performance?

Solution 1: Force Quit Apps

Do you have a habit of working on multiple apps or tabs simultaneously? Well, yes, juggling between apps and multiple tabs sounds productive. Right? Although, from a performance point of view, it is always considered advisable to quit the apps that are not in use. In this way, you can efficiently utilize system resources so that your Mac’s speed and performance are not hampered in any way.

Tap the Apple icon placed on the top menu bar, and select “Force Quit”.

Scroll through the list of apps, select the unwanted app which you’re not using, and then hit the “Force Quit” button.

Now, the next step is to clear the dock. Your Mac’s Dock must be filled with a lot of app icons, isn’t it? So, to quit an app from the dock, right-click on the app icon, and select “Quit”.

Solution 2: Manage Login Items

Does your Mac take forever to boot or restart? Well, this is probably because you have too many login or start-up items. To manage login items on your Mac, follow these quick steps:

Tap on the Apple icon placed on the top menu bar and select “System Preferences”.

Select “Users and Groups”. Tap on your Apple ID from the left menu pane and then hit on the “Login Items” tab.

Image source: Lifewire

You will now see a complete list of all the login items and apps that automatically load each time you restart your device. Select the app that you need to remove from this list and then tap the minus icon.

Also read: How To Fix High CPU Usage In Google Chrome?

Solution 3: Review the Activity Monitor

Just like Windows has a Task Manager, macOS has an Activity Monitor. The Activity Monitor is a dedicated app on macOS that lists down crucial information like processor load, active apps, amount of memory being consumed by each application, CPU usage, and so on.

By reviewing the Activity Monitor on your Mac, you can easily hunt down the culprit. You can easily find out which app is consuming maximum system resources due to which you’re facing certain issues on your device. Here’s what you need to do:

Tap on Go> Utilities. Select “Activity Monitor” to proceed.

Once the Activity Monitor loads on the screen, review it thoroughly.

Image source: Apple Support

Tap on the “% CPU” column and see which app is utilizing the maximum percentage of system resources. As soon as you find the app, double-tap on it to open Properties. Hit on the “Quit” button to terminate the app.

Also read: How To Fix And Disable OneDrive High CPU Usage On Windows 10

Solution 4: Update macOS

Tap on the Apple icon, and select “About this Mac”.

Select “Software Update” and then wait for a while until Mac automatically looks for available updates. If an update is available, hit the “Upgrade Now” button to install the latest macOS update on your device.

Apple keeps releasing new macOS updates now and then. Make sure you check on the “Automatically keep my Mac up to date” button so that you don’t miss out on future updates.

Solution 5: Download and Install Disk Clean Pro Utility Tool

Too tired to try the above-listed workarounds? Well, you can ditch everything and download the Disk Clean Pro utility tool on your Mac instead. Disk Clean Pro is a must-have utility tool for macOS that helps you remove junk files, log files, partial downloads, and other obsolete data to improve your Mac’s speed and performance in just a few clicks.

Download and install the Disk Clean Pro on your Mac device. Perform a quick scan so that you can instantly recover chunks of storage space on your system. Disk Clean Pro is a secure tool that optimizes your Mac and never puts your data at risk.

Here were a few simple resolutions that you can use for fixing the high CPU usage issue on Mac. Do let us know if your Mac’s performance was improved after using the above-listed hacks. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments space!