M1 16 GB using unusual amount of RAM

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Level 1

8 points

M1 16 GB using unusual amount of RAM

Hi there,

I’ve recently purchased the M1 MBA (16 GB). I haven’t used Mac before so I’m not sure if this is normal but my system used around 50% (7.5-8 GB) of RAM with safari having just 2-3 tabs open + finder (that’s all!)

I keep seeing a lot of cached safari content in the activity Center.

I wanted to understand if this is normal behaviour? If not, what should I do about it?

P.S - there are no extensions on safari, I’ve tried clearing cache and restarting the system. It initially boots up with around 4 GB/16 but goes as high as 8 GB after using safari for around 5 minutes.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.2

Posted on Apr 14, 2021 6:54 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

woodmeister50

Level 7

20,437 points

Apr 14, 2021 9:42 AM in response to Aishwarya01

Also, FWIW, websites these days nave become real data hogs.

Example, one day I was browsing the CNET site (a tech site if you

are not familiar with it). After only spending a few minutes on it

I took a look at how much RAM it was using and it had gobbled

up 1.5GB !!!! So, depending on the sites, it would not surprise me

to see multiple GBs of RAM used up with several sites open, especially

if they have lots of embedded animated adds.

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Answer 2

PRP_53

Level 10

91,177 points

Apr 14, 2021 7:46 AM in response to Aishwarya01

Also Running MBA M1 but stock versions with 8 GB RAM. What you are seeing is about normal. As you have already discovered ( Great Work on Your Part ) the helpful Activity Monitor - View >> View ALL Processes will give a wider view of everything happening under - the - hood. If you see unusual process / Application in CPU tab or Memory tab then it might be a symptom if a Run-Away Process which can be easily identifiable by name.

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