I have an AppleMac Pro with 32GB of memory - I seem to be consuming up to 30GB by doing the simplest of tasks, I have checked the activity monitor which doesn't total the memory used. I have used CleanMyMac X which doesn't help - any ideas?
I believe you are applying pre-2013 standards to how modern Macs use RAM. Starting with macOS 10.9 "Mavericks" (Oct 2013), Apple changed memory management to a new system to make better use of RAM and allow faster access. One of the tenets of this change is "Free RAM is wasted RAM" so the OS stages RAM for quicker availability.
The new metrics for RAM usage, shown in the "Memory" tab of Activity Monitor (in your Utilities folder) and "Swap used." In this real-world example, the computer has 12GB of physical RAM and, using pre-2013 metrics, looks like it is in deep trouble:
However, the true situation is shown in the fact that Memory Pressure is nil and Swap used (a measure of Virtual Memory usage) is zero. And, at the time that chart was generated, the computer worked without issue.
Cleaning RAM? Using a third-party solution only interferes with the automatic maintenance systems you paid Apple to build into the OS. The macOS has, like a cat, been cleaning itself nicely for nearly 20 years. Adding third-party stuff is an invitation to poor performance.
Is Swap is high, a simple restart will clear all that without the need for outside apps.
If you have a lot of third-party add-ons, it would be a good idea to post an Etrecheck report. It looks for software issues and displays RAM and drive performance without revealing any security or personal information. It is free in the Mac App Store. Please use these instructions so the report posts cleanly and legibly:
How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community
I believe you are applying pre-2013 standards to how modern Macs use RAM. Starting with macOS 10.9 "Mavericks" (Oct 2013), Apple changed memory management to a new system to make better use of RAM and allow faster access. One of the tenets of this change is "Free RAM is wasted RAM" so the OS stages RAM for quicker availability.
The new metrics for RAM usage, shown in the "Memory" tab of Activity Monitor (in your Utilities folder) and "Swap used." In this real-world example, the computer has 12GB of physical RAM and, using pre-2013 metrics, looks like it is in deep trouble:
However, the true situation is shown in the fact that Memory Pressure is nil and Swap used (a measure of Virtual Memory usage) is zero. And, at the time that chart was generated, the computer worked without issue.
Cleaning RAM? Using a third-party solution only interferes with the automatic maintenance systems you paid Apple to build into the OS. The macOS has, like a cat, been cleaning itself nicely for nearly 20 years. Adding third-party stuff is an invitation to poor performance.
Is Swap is high, a simple restart will clear all that without the need for outside apps.
If you have a lot of third-party add-ons, it would be a good idea to post an Etrecheck report. It looks for software issues and displays RAM and drive performance without revealing any security or personal information. It is free in the Mac App Store. Please use these instructions so the report posts cleanly and legibly:
How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community
Running third party Cleanware and AVware is not needed nor recommended with macOS. Plus CleanMyMac X is known to cause macOS problems and you need to completely uninstall it as per the developers directions.
Then Startup in Safe Mode, followed by a normal restart and the check your RAM usage.
EtreCheck is a FREE simple little diagnostic tool to display the important details of your system configuration and allow you to copy that information to the Clipboard. It is meant to be used with Apple Support Communities to help people help you with your Mac. It will not display any personal info.
Pastebin is a good place to paste the whole report if you capture the URL while there…
Whew, they've changed pastebin & made it harder, but after pasting in, click Create new paste button, then Embed button, then copy the URL...
<script src="https://pastebin.com/embed_js/KuvnghqA"></script>
The important part is...
https://pastebin.com/embed_js/KuvnghqA
Workable but harder for me to work with...the Note tool on the bottom of this editor's toolbar, as shown in the image, to copy and paste the output from EtreCheck. In a Reply before you click post, look for this to add longer texts...
Uninstall CleanMyMac per their directions , then run etrecheck again to see what chaff it left...
On CMM…
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251370955?answerId=252661013022#252661013022
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251442443?answerId=252814053022#252814053022
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251464557?answerId=252841819022#252841819022
Very helpful thank you
Helpful thank you
You're welcome, please let us know the outcome! :)
Clean up memory usage
