Level 1

39 points

macOS Sequoia Massive memory leak

So this seems to be an issue with all the recent macOS versions, the windowserver process just seems to eat more and more ram. Now when im running a single safari window with 5 tabs, mail, messages, notes, and onenote, the windowserver process i guess needs 5gb of ram to do its job. I rebooted, it started at 250mb, as soon as i start opening things it skyrockets. It seems to eat about 1gb per app window open. Closing the apps does not lower the processes ram usage. It will continue to grow with every app i open. I did a fresh reinstall of the OS, reinstalled all 3rd party apps by hand, of which i only use a few, and the issue persists. These numbers hold true on my m3 MBA with 16gb ram and my partners m1 base MBA. This is ridiculous Apple

Posted on Sep 19, 2024 4:38 PM

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horacelu

Level 1

20 points

Posted on Oct 7, 2024 6:40 PM

Same issue here. And I believe this is related to iPhone Mirroring App.

I tried to keep away from that for 2 days, then the memory usage is acceptable even I connected to two 4k external displays (3 displays if internal included).

But when I accidentally clicked on the iPhone notification on my Mac this morning, the memory usage of window server went up instantly and keeps growing. Also that usage never decrease since then.

I am using macOS 18.0.1 on M1max MacBook Pro, so I deeply believe the memory leak problem is still not fixed.

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65 replies

Alancito

Level 7

29,910 points

Oct 8, 2024 2:01 AM in response to horacelu

horacelu wrote: "Hope apple guys could see this post..."

horacelu ~ Unlikely; use this form:

Feedback - macOS - Apple

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Alancito

Level 7

29,910 points

Nov 21, 2024 4:46 AM in response to ulanbek_a

ulanbek_a wrote: "...Would Apple consider and check this issue soon?"

Perhaps — if you tell them about it:

Feedback - macOS - Apple

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Dec 9, 2024 3:11 PM in response to jessatd75

I find that if I open the Firefox info window the memory drops like a stone back to "normal" level. It only seems to happen if FF is in the background for long periods.

jessatd75 Author

Level 1

39 points

Sep 22, 2024 4:23 PM in response to joelhz

Yesterday, again, I did a complete reinstall of the OS, had to restore it to Sonoma, upgrade to Sequoia, and the issue persists. Right now to test, I am not using ANY 3rd party apps, not even ones from the App Store. After 1.5 hours my windowserver process was 2gb.

So if this isn't a software issue it has to be a hardware issue. BUT I don't see how that's that case when in Sonoma with my current laptop I never say the windowserver process peak over 1gb and that was with 1 external 1440p displays and the integral display all running with tons of windows and apps open. Plus no other apps are running away, all are using only as much ram as they did in Sonoma. Maybe is a compatibility issue with my exact config? 13 MBA, M3, 16gb, 512gb.

Sep 23, 2024 6:41 AM in response to jessatd75

It's also important to remember that modern operating systems are specifically designed to use the available RAM. Unused RAM is wasted RAM. What do you see when you look at Memory Pressure? If it's green (or even occasionally yellow), you're fine.

Oct 6, 2024 9:51 PM in response to jessatd75

I found the Reason！

When the mouse passes over the top window special effect every time, Windowser would be larger and larger and won't be erased.

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,036 points

Sep 19, 2024 4:57 PM in response to jessatd75

Have you ever installed any security, cleaning, or other maintenance apps? That is the most likely cause.

I have been running Sequoia on an M1 Mini and an M2 MacBook Pro for quite a while and don’t have your “memory leak.”

jessatd75 Author

Level 1

39 points

Sep 23, 2024 11:50 AM in response to jessatd75

Uptime less than an hour. The only app that was open was messages. I did have a few normal apps open for all of 10 minutes then I checked the memory and lo and behold. This is after multiple complete reinstalls, no third party apps, and like I said, less than an hour since last reboot...

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,036 points

Oct 13, 2024 1:15 PM in response to littlefat3tuan

THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED IMMEDIATELY!

The speed at which it gets fixed is directly related to how much information you provide Apple and the number of people who report it to Apple.

Note: Apple isn't here.

Nov 20, 2024 10:34 PM in response to jessatd75

Hi there,

I have done clean installation of Sequoia and installed all apps what I used in Sonoma. As soon as I installed I have paid attention the memory usage doubled. Normally I was running about 8-10GB and occasionally 15GB. Now I have stable 20-24GB without running any of memory hungry apps (tomcat, postgresql, java apps). Would Apple consider and check this issue soon?

den.thed

Level 10

90,670 points

Sep 22, 2024 6:57 PM in response to Mac Jim ID

+1 I suggested using EtreCheckPro back on the 19th.

Sep 24, 2024 11:59 PM in response to jessatd75

This only occurs for me with Safari open. Writhing a few minutes it grabs more than 20gb of memory and I get click latency, screen flicker. When I close Safari, it calms down immediately.

horacelu

Level 1

20 points

Oct 7, 2024 6:42 PM in response to Graig1122

Hope apple guys could see this post and fix this. I love the new feature but I also found the leak is related to iPhone mirroring this morning...

jessatd75 Author

Level 1

39 points

Sep 19, 2024 6:12 PM in response to Barney-15E

I haven't. Im able to do pretty much everything i need with the stock apple apps and a few app store apps and highly regarded non-app store apps like VLC player. Im an IT consultant so aside from normal office stuff i pretty much live in terminal for SSH and MS RDP.

Owl-53

Level 10

102,175 points

Sep 20, 2024 4:26 AM in response to jessatd75

Quote from @ Grant Bennet-Alder

" WindowServer is the task that makes sure the right stuff is in every window, manages multiple windows in multiple positions on the screen, possibly overlapping or not, and generally manages all issues related to drawing the stuff on the screen. " end quote

FYI - like both of my colleagues, running Sequoia 15.0 on 1 M1, 1 M2 and 1 M3 machines and I am not experiencing the WindowServer issue.

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macOS Sequoia Massive memory leak