How to lower CPU usage on Mac: Top tips [2025]

Mac stutter? Rotating rainbow balls replace mouse pointer? Your Mac may be running overloaded and reaching its limit. No matter how powerful your Mac is, you may encounter this problem because its resources are not unlimited.

This article explains what causes too high CPU usage for Mac, shows how to check which programs take up too much resources, and helps you quickly reduce CPU usage.

Quickly solve the problem of excessive CPU usage on Mac

To save you time, the following table summarizes the most important solutions. For more details, please scroll down.

Reduce CPU usage…	Please follow the steps below
Close applications that take too much or are not used	Open the Activity Monitor > CPU tab. Find the application that takes too much resources and click X to close.
Restart your Mac	Click Apple Menu > Restart.
Remove unnecessary login items	Go to System Settings > General > Login Project. Remove unnecessary items.
Clean the desktop	Move files and folders to a "document" or other dedicated location. Or use Spotless.
Release RAM	Use CleanMyMac. Open it from the menu bar > Next to "Memory", click "Release".
Limit the percentage of CPU used by the process	Using App Tamer, slow down the speed of the application when it reaches a certain CPU usage.

Control your CPU usage

Use App Tamer to control CPU load through manual control and adjustment. Available on Setapp.

What does it mean to use a free trial of security testing with high CPU usage?

A high CPU usage rate simply means that your CPU's working intensity is much higher than usual. If you open applications and processes that take up a lot of CPU resources on your Mac, such as editing software or video games, your CPU will inevitably struggle to keep up. Other applications that take up a lot of CPU resources include web browsers (I admit!) that open multiple tabs (I admit!) or video streaming platforms.

Why is my Mac CPU usage so high?

I've had problems with excessive CPU usage multiple times, which usually happens when I run a lot of resource-intensive applications or play video games on my Mac.

In most cases, CPU usage is directly related to the following factors:

• CPU power usage
• Using applications with powerful processing power
• Run the background process
• Malware exists
• Overheating or system failure causes CPU to overwork
• Software outdated
• A large number of network activities involving file transfer or data synchronization
• Open multiple windows and tabs

For many possible reasons, the first step is to identify the reasons that lead to excessive CPU usage.

How to check CPU usage and free up CPU resources

If you don't understand the culprit, you can't actually solve the problem of excessive CPU usage. You can use temporary contingency solutions, but in my personal experience I have found many effective ways to check my CPU usage and monitor my performance, including professional third-party applications. Rather than relying on solving the problem on your own, I will introduce you to some tips for reducing CPU usage.

Check for the main CPU occupants

The first step is to identify the applications or processes that consume the most CPU resources—the higher the percentage, the more valuable resources they take up, and the greater the chances of your Mac being stuck. Once you have identified these applications, you can manually close these processes.

But where to check it out? Let me show you how to check CPU usage on your Mac using the built-in Activity Monitor app:

1. Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Open Activity Monitor.
2. Click "%CPU" to sort from high to low by CPU usage.
3. Check the list to determine which processes are consuming the most CPU.

You can double-click each running application or program for more information.

Processes that view CPU activity in Activity Monitor and stop using resources

If you want to exit a specific process directly in the Activity Monitor window, you just need:

1. Click the application or process you want to close.
2. Click the X icon at the top.
3. Click "Exit".

However, the activity monitor function is relatively basic. It does not have optimization features that can help solve the root cause of excessive CPU usage.

Be careful not to turn off a process just because it has a high CPU percentage. Your computer may need these processes to function properly, or they are essential to the application you are currently using. If you try to close these important processes, it may end up causing performance issues or system errors.

How to limit the percentage of CPU used by a process

Since you can't (or don't want to) close the application completely, another way is to limit the percentage of CPU used by the process. I'm a notorious multitasker and use many tools at the same time, so I use App Tamer to prevent CPU usage from increasing.

App Tamer displays your processes and Mac's performance in real time. By default, it changes the color of its menu bar icon to remind you when the CPU usage of your machine soars.

Here are the ways to reduce CPU usage using this application:

1. Install and open App Tamer.
2. Click the Application icon in the menu bar.
3. Select the CPU process you want to slow down from the list.
4. Select the "Reduce this app" option and adjust the slider to your preference.

The most prominent feature of App Tamer is its automation function. You just have to configure the settings once and let it run itself.

How to free up CPU resources

Now, let's go straight to a lot of tips on how to reduce CPU usage.

Close unused applications

It's easy to just go on to perform another task, or leave the computer and forget about the many applications you're using. Whether they are minimizing or lurking in the background, they should be turned off instead of running continuously to maintain system stability and improve device performance.

Reduce CPU usage by restarting your Mac

Encountering a stutter? Fault? Strange configuration? If you can't find a better way, restarting is always my preferred solution. It certainly helps to reduce CPU usage, too. By fully restarting, your computer will clear all temporary files and reset the process so that you can clear the CPU on your Mac.

Remove unnecessary login items

Preventing the project from being opened when logged in can effectively reduce CPU usage, which is a very simple operation that can maintain the integrity of the system. to this end:

1. Go to System Settings > General.
2. Click "Login Project".
3. Select the item in the list and click the minus sign to remove it from the item that opened when logged in.

You can also switch the applications you want to run in the background, perform software updates, or synchronize data.

Want to learn more about the startup process and how to manage it? Please read the article on how to change and control Mac startup programs.

Clean up Mac desktop

A cluttered desktop will cause increased CPU processing requirements. I don't have extra time to worry about cleaning, so I use Spotless to automatically organize my desktop and organize my files with customizable rules. This is a great tool and I arranged it to clean it up once a week.

The easiest way to get started is to follow the steps in the built-in Quick Start Wizard. It will help you set up a Spotless debris folder, specify folder locations, and set up an automatic organizer – all to perfect your Mac’s performance.

Release RAM

RAM (Random Access Memory) stores temporary files and data, such as the content of a document you are working on or the page content on an open tab, so that your computer can run efficiently and multitask without slowing down. When RAM is overloaded, it can cause excessive CPU usage, making it difficult for your system to manage tasks with limited memory. If you need to make room, CleanMyMac can do everything in just one click. The app provides the ability to thoroughly clean up junk files that can mess up your device.

To release RAM using the application:

1. Install and open CleanMyMac.
2. Open it from the menu bar.
3. Next to "Memory", click "Release".

Reset SMC

If your hardware (such as a fan, battery, or keyboard) is in poor condition, your CPU load may be affected. As a solution, you can reset the SMC (System Management Controller), which is a chip that manages battery, power, temperature and other hardware functions. Unfortunately, for Apple silicon chip Macs, this is not feasible. In this case, it is recommended to shut down the Mac completely, wait for 30 seconds, and then restart to simulate SMC reset.

If you are using an Intel-based Mac and earlier models, here is how to perform a general SMC reset:

1. Turn off the Mac and unplug the power cord.
2. Press and hold Shift Control Option Power Button 10 seconds.
3. Connect the power cord and turn on your Mac.

Need more information about resetting SMC and possibly resetting PRAM and NVRAM? Please check out this article to learn how to reset PRAM, NVRAM, and SMC on your Mac.

Identify hardware issues that may cause excessive CPU usage

It is easy to overlook hardware issues such as overheating and cable and connection failures. However, ignoring these issues often leads to more serious problems with the CPU.

The good news is that you can use Apple Diagnostics to check for hardware issues.

For Apple silicon chips:

1. Press and hold the power button.
2. Release the power button when you see Options.
3. Press and hold Command D .

For Intel-based Macs and earlier models:

1. Open your Mac.
2. Press and hold D key.
3. Release after seeing the progress bar.

Select a language and make sure your network connection is active. Use the Wi-Fi menu in the upper right corner to connect to the Wi-Fi network.

Tip hardware issues may be difficult to track. The easiest way to identify them is to use software tools such as iStat Menus to monitor temperature levels, fans, currents, voltages, as well as CPU usage and overall activity. This is a fully featured app that allows you to monitor statistics from widgets and menu bars, giving you real-time insights at a glance.

Randomly high CPU load is slowing down Mac

Sometimes, monitoring applications, including native activity monitors, indicate high CPU load, but cannot exit the process that causes this problem. Panic mode may occur here, but this only means these are critical system processes that cannot be stopped. The following are processes that should not (and cannot) be stopped:

• Helps hardware and software work in coordination.
• Manage installation and updates.
• Processes graphical interface and displays output.
• Handle Spotlight indexing and search.

Tip on slow performance of Mac is one of the most frustrating issues. To help you optimize your computer and provide easy-to-understand statistics on CPU usage and Mac performance, try Novabench. This is a great choice for tech enthusiasts and professionals. The app has stress testing capabilities that easily identifies potential issues in the CPU and other statistics before getting too serious.

Why does WindowServer take up so much CPU

WindowServer is an important system process that specializes in handling the graphical interface of each window on the screen. WindowServer on Mac may have high CPU usage because it can use many CPU cycles, especially if you open a large number of browser tabs or windows. Content such as video players, animations and other visual effects pushes the system process to its limit.

To reduce the CPU usage of WindowServer:

• Close all applications or windows that you are not using now.
• Turn off or reduce visual effects through desktop settings or accessibility in system settings.
• Keep macOS updated.

Solve the problem of excessive CPU usage of kernel_task

The same is true for kernel_task - it's a very necessary process and you can't turn it off because it handles important system features, so you need to keep a close eye on its CPU usage.

I recommend having at least 15-20% free space on the system disk so that you can give the OS a breathing space and perform the necessary updates. Adequate free space can also reduce the risk of disk fragmentation and maintain read and write speed.

Now you know how to fix the problem of excessive CPU usage for better Mac capabilities

Solving the problem of excessive CPU usage requires you to be alert when using your computer. Just like you don't want to overwhelm yourself, you don't want to overload your CPU at any cost.

Applications like CleanMyMac and App Tamer have become an integral part of my daily work, helping me maintain confidence in system performance and keep my computer alive. You can also try running comprehensive performance tests with Novabench and monitoring the hardware process of your Mac using iStat Menus. All the apps mentioned in the article are available for free via Setapp’s 7-day free trial – a subscription service with over 250 useful iOS and macOS applications.

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