How to Identify and Manage Apps That Consume Too Many Resources on Your Mac

Does your Mac feel slower than usual? In many cases, resource-hungry apps are the culprits. Knowing how to identify and manage these apps will not only improve your Mac’s performance but also extend its lifespan. In this article, we’ll show you how to use Activity Monitor to locate and manage these apps effectively.

What is Activity Monitor?

Activity Monitor is a built-in macOS tool that lets you view your Mac’s resource usage in real time. With this tool, you can monitor:

• CPU Usage: See which apps are using the most processing power.

• Memory Usage: Identify the apps consuming the most RAM.

• Energy: Detect which apps drain your battery the fastest.

• Disk and Network: Check which apps are using storage and internet resources.t.

Think of it as a “thermometer” that shows you what’s happening under the hood of your Mac.

Step 1: Open Activity Monitor

To get started:

1.     Press Command + Space to open Spotlight.

2.     Type Activity Monitor and click to open it.

Step 2: Analyze CPU Usage

The CPU tab shows which apps are using the most processing power. Look at:

• % CPU: The percentage of processing power used by each app.

• User vs. System: Difference between resources used by apps (User) and macOS (System).

Solution: If an app is consuming a high percentage of CPU and you’re not actively using it:

1.     Select it in the list.

2.     Click the X (Quit) button to force it to close.

Step 3: Check Memory Usage

The Memory tab helps identify memory leaks or apps consuming too much RAM:

• Real Memory: The amount of RAM each app is using.

• Compressed Memory: Shows if your Mac is compressing data to free up memory.

Solution: If memory usage is too high:

1. Close unused apps.

2. Consider adding more RAM if your Mac model allows it.

Step 4: Evaluate Energy Impact

If you’re on battery, the Energy tab is crucial to spot apps that drain it quickly:

• Energy Impact: Current energy consumption of each app.

• Average Energy Impact: Energy consumption over time.

Solution: Close apps with high energy impact when they’re not necessary.

Step 5: Monitor Disk and Network Usage

In the Disk and Network tabs, you can check:

• Disk activity: Apps that heavily read/write to storage.

• Network activity: Apps consuming bandwidth

Solution: If you notice unusual activity:

Pause unnecessary downloads or processes.

Check if an app is updating in the background without your knowledge.

Extra Tips to Optimize Your Mac

1.     Keep apps and macOS updated: Updates often fix performance issues.

2.     Uninstall unused apps: Use tools like AppCleaner to remove related files completely.

3.     Disable startup apps: Go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items to control what apps launch at startup.

Is Your Mac Still Slow?

If your Mac remains slow after managing these apps, the issue could be more complex. At iProX, our experts can diagnose and solve performance problems, from preventive maintenance to hardware upgrades.Contact us today and bring back the speed and efficiency of your Mac.