Easy ways to check CPU usage on your Mac

Is Mac running slow? Maybe it's because the CPU usage is too high! This article will guide you on how to monitor and manage CPU usage on your Mac and improve system performance.

Even brand new Macs can slow down due to high CPU usage, resulting in slow application loading or overheating of devices. This article will explain how to check CPU usage on your Mac and provide the best monitoring and optimization methods.

Optimal CPU Usage Monitoring Application:

• iStat Menus: Provides comprehensive statistics on CPU usage and system activity.
• CleanMyMac: Provides personalized suggestions to help optimize CPU usage.
• App Tamer: Can reduce or stop applications that occupy more CPU resources.
• Usage: Track CPU and other computer metrics through widgets and menu bars.
• Novabench: Can run tests to measure the computer's CPU, GPU, RAM, and disk speed.
• QuitAll: Can exit the application immediately, save CPU resources and speed up your Mac.

How to view Mac CPU usage	Operation steps
Activity Monitor	Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Click Activity Monitor > CPU.
Mac Menu Bar	Go to Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor > Click Show > Select Docking Icon > Show CPU Usage.
Third-party applications	Install App Tamer to view CPU usage and use the slider to adjust. Install Novabench to test the CPU.
Convenient widgets	Install Usage to instantly view CPU activity from the desktop or notification center.

iStat Menus: One-stop CPU Usage Monitoring

The iStat Menus app clearly displays CPU usage with intuitive icons in the menu bar.

What is CPU usage?

A CPU (Central Processor) is the brain of a computer. If too much information or tasks are processed, it will be unbearable, causing the system to slow down. The CPU is responsible for managing applications and operations, running software, and assisting macOS to run. The higher the CPU usage, the more likely the system is to slow down or lag.

Causes of excessive CPU usage:

• Run resource-intensive applications or software (such as computer games, video and photo editing tools, etc.).
• Malware or viruses cause CPU usage to soar abnormally.
• Too many applications are opened at the same time.
• There are too many background processes (such as updates or cloud synchronization services).

High CPU usage can lead to:

• System performance degraded
• Increased battery consumption
• Overheating, shorten hardware life
• System unresponsive, such as lag and freeze

How to check the CPU on macOS?

Monitoring indicators such as CPU usage is very important, not only when there is a problem with the computer.

How to view CPU activity in Activity Monitor?

Activity Monitor is a built-in application that outlines which processes are using the central processor.

1. Go to Finder > Applications > Utility Tools.
2. Click Activity Monitor > CPU.
3. Click the '%CPU' filter to view the process that consumes the most CPU resources.

You can view processes and activities running on your Mac in real time, and resource-intensive processes will be listed at the top. To stop the heavy processes, select them and click the "X" button.

Note: Terminating an unfamiliar process can cause unexpected problems such as loss of unsaved jobs, application failures, and even overall Mac performance degradation. Be sure to check the purpose of the process to be stopped.

How to display CPU usage in the Mac menu bar?

1. Go to Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.
2. Click Show in the top menu bar.
3. Select Docking Icon > Show CPU Usage.

How to control and reduce CPU usage?

App Tamer allows you to view CPU usage and set usage restrictions or pause applications.

How to use widgets to view CPU usage?

The Usage app allows you to create different CPU performance widgets.

How to interpret and understand CPU performance?

The higher the number, the higher the CPU usage is usually. The lower the idle percentage, the greater the pressure the CPU is under. Novabench allows in-depth performance testing.

Why is the CPU usage of my Mac system so high?

High system CPU usage means your Mac is hard to keep up. You may experience lag, overheating, application crashes and more. QuitAll can force exit applications and hide processes.

Summarize:

Activity monitors can quickly understand CPU usage, but third-party applications such as iStat Menus, Novabench, and CleanMyMac provide more comprehensive monitoring and optimization capabilities. Usage allows the creation of CPU performance widgets, while QuitAll and App Tamer easily reduce or completely stop applications and processes, preventing excessive CPU usage.

FAQ

• What is the normal CPU usage rate of macOS? There is no fixed normal range. Generally speaking, the higher the value, the closer or more than 100%, it means the greater the CPU pressure.

• How to see which applications are using the CPU? Use Activity Monitor or Novabench.

• Why is the CPU running so fast on my Mac? Possible reasons include: running resource-intensive software or applications; too many background processes; too many applications opened at the same time; and infection with malware.

• Why does my application use so many CPUs? Possible reasons include: containing a large number of media files or large images; having a lot of storage space required; performing ongoing background tasks (such as updates or synchronization); using outdated versions; using large amounts of cached data.

By using the above methods and tools, you can effectively monitor and manage the CPU usage of your Mac and keep the system running efficiently.

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