User profile for user: EJW Tas
EJW Tas Author
User level: Level 1
80 points

wallpapervideoextension in Sonoma uses lots of RAM and CPU

I've noticed that the WallpaperVideoExtension is using upto 1GB of RAM and chewing up plenty of CPU under Sonoma. I have to use Activity Monitor every few hours to kill the process.

I'm not using any of the Apple video wallpapers/screen savers, and haven't d/l any of them.


Has anyone else seen this issue? Any ideas as to how to permanently kill the extension (set 'defaults' command in Terminal would be ideal).

Any help appreciated

E


ps Mac Mini M1 16/256


Mac mini, macOS 14.0

Posted on Oct 4, 2023 8:01 PM

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User profile for user: onhate
onhate
User level: Level 1
33 points

Posted on Feb 5, 2024 8:52 AM

I've created a script to kill the wallpaper extension every 15 min because this is out of control, I don't even use this thing.



at


/Applications/Scripts/wallpapperkiller.sh


with content, uncomment second line if the ImageExtension also bothers you with high cpu usage.


pgrep WallpaperVideoExtension | xargs kill -9
# pgrep WallpaperImageExtension | xargs kill -9
date > /Applications/Scripts/wallpaperkiller.log


then, run


crontab -e


and add the following line


*/15 * * * * /Applications/Scripts/wallpapperkiller.sh



you can also run this script manually if you want, each other time


more info about crontab can be found here https://medium.com/@justin_ng/how-to-run-your-script-on-a-schedule-using-crontab-on-macos-a-step-by-step-guide-a7ba539acf76

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User profile for user: zarfmouse
zarfmouse
User level: Level 1
14 points

Feb 5, 2024 12:31 PM in response to EJW Tas

I have a related reason to hate this WallpaperVideoExtension process. When I am attached to my eGPU, the process uses the eGPU. When I try to detact the eGPU this process will not let go of the eGPU and so I can't unplug the eGPU without crashing my laptop or shutting down. Just like everyone else where i'm not using any kind of video or dynamic wallpaper, it's just a solid color. This is very annoying!


Either the process should gracefully let go of the eGPU or there should be a way to disable the process when not using a video wallpaper!

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User profile for user: EJW Tas
EJW Tas Author
User level: Level 1
80 points

Jun 1, 2024 2:14 PM in response to onhate

I would love to run this script but I have absolutely no idea how to set it up.

I'm not a programmer and have never used scripts.

is it possible to package a self-cntained script or some other way of distributing this script?


I'm totally over the wallpapervideo extension - it truly is a zombie extension that will not die. I don't use active wallpapers and the extension is often using 440/880/1000+ MB of RAM, so I have to manually kill it every hour or so. I wish I could use your script.


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User profile for user: EJW Tas
EJW Tas Author
User level: Level 1
80 points

Jun 7, 2024 3:00 PM in response to Illuminated23

I use the Force Quit option in Activity Monitor to kill the process. It returns like a zombie anytime after an hour or so, so I go back to Activity Monitor and Force Quit again. Repeat ad nauseum.


It truly is a zombie process. I don't use the animated desktops/wallpapers yet the process returns irrespective of my settings or use. Seems I no longer have control over my computer.

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User profile for user: EJW Tas
EJW Tas Author
User level: Level 1
80 points

Jul 1, 2024 1:46 PM in response to Blender Boy

thanks - I have been using Force Quit via Activity Monitor every hour or so for months now to kill this zombie process.


I don't use the Dynamic Wallpapers at all, but hey, the process keeps returning from the dead no matter how often I Force Quit it.


This really is a case of poor QA/QC in programming by Apple software engineers. Such a huge resource-using process for a non-critical GUI function reflects poorly on internal/beta-testing.


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User profile for user: ZhuQue
ZhuQue
User level: Level 1
8 points

Aug 28, 2024 10:52 PM in response to onhate

I really appreciate your script suggestion, it’s a clever solution to the issue. However, I was wondering if /Applications might not be the most appropriate place for the Scripts directory, as this folder is generally reserved for GUI applications.


Would it perhaps be better to place the script in a directory like ~/bin or /usr/local/bin? These locations are more commonly used for scripts and command-line utilities.


Just a thought! Thanks again for sharing the script.

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User profile for user: ZhuQue
ZhuQue
User level: Level 1
8 points

Aug 28, 2024 10:53 PM in response to onhate

I really appreciate your script suggestion, it’s a clever solution to the issue. However, I was wondering if /Applications might not be the most appropriate place for the Scripts directory, as this folder is generally reserved for GUI applications.


Would it perhaps be better to place the script in a directory like ~/bin or /usr/local/bin? These locations are more commonly used for scripts and command-line utilities.


Just a thought! Thanks again for sharing the script.

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wallpapervideoextension in Sonoma uses lots of RAM and CPU

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