Yellow memory pressure despite no application launched

Hello,


I have no application running, yet Task Manager shows yellow memory pressure and more than 10 GB of swap. As you can see, the memory usage doesn’t match the list of open processes at all. If I restart the system, the RAM consumption increases without doing anything. It is quite a recent issue. I don’t know if it is linked to a system update.

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 15.2

Posted on Jan 14, 2025 10:46 AM

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Posted on Jan 14, 2025 12:30 PM

You have quite a bit going on without launching a single app. It also appears that you have upgraded your OS multiple times from previous computers which could transfer over files that are no longer used or even compatible. Some of these go back as far as 10 years. I can offer a couple of suggestions, but it will really depend on your workflow and what is necessary. A note about the Unsigned files in the report, there is no relevant reason why any file installed on your computer should not be signed.

  • The Logi installation is problematic. Not sure if you still use the device, but it is showing over 100 crashes on your computer in the last 60 days. In addition it is not signed and there possibly may be an update available, but a complete uninstall would need to be done first followed by verification with that same report to make sure all of them have been removed
  • Docker has always been an issue.
  • Adobe Creative Cloud installed over 10 years ago and not signed. It is running and doing something, but may need to check for an updated install if still used.
  • Are you still using the Razer Synapse?
  • If you are no longer using Chrome, use the uninstaller and also double check to make sure all have been removed in the report. It is a known memory hog, but many prefer it, so that is your choice. There are 6 processes spread over 2 launch folders, which is unusual even for Chrome and may also be from migrating previous OS versions. After all the files have been removed, you can always install Chrome again.
  • I also suspect that you have the Stock Widget running and may not even know it. If the widget is not used, delete the widget and it will not constantly run on startup consuming RAM,CPU, and Network Activity. You can still use the Stocks app anytime you wish and when the app is quit, the resources will be released.


I don't see anything specific to the RAM issue, but look over the report and uninstall each to test. It would appear you are an experienced user and know your way around the System. The goal would be to remove the processes to resolve the Memory Pressure without the hassle of a Clean Install.

5 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 14, 2025 12:30 PM in response to Gabeus

You have quite a bit going on without launching a single app. It also appears that you have upgraded your OS multiple times from previous computers which could transfer over files that are no longer used or even compatible. Some of these go back as far as 10 years. I can offer a couple of suggestions, but it will really depend on your workflow and what is necessary. A note about the Unsigned files in the report, there is no relevant reason why any file installed on your computer should not be signed.

  • The Logi installation is problematic. Not sure if you still use the device, but it is showing over 100 crashes on your computer in the last 60 days. In addition it is not signed and there possibly may be an update available, but a complete uninstall would need to be done first followed by verification with that same report to make sure all of them have been removed
  • Docker has always been an issue.
  • Adobe Creative Cloud installed over 10 years ago and not signed. It is running and doing something, but may need to check for an updated install if still used.
  • Are you still using the Razer Synapse?
  • If you are no longer using Chrome, use the uninstaller and also double check to make sure all have been removed in the report. It is a known memory hog, but many prefer it, so that is your choice. There are 6 processes spread over 2 launch folders, which is unusual even for Chrome and may also be from migrating previous OS versions. After all the files have been removed, you can always install Chrome again.
  • I also suspect that you have the Stock Widget running and may not even know it. If the widget is not used, delete the widget and it will not constantly run on startup consuming RAM,CPU, and Network Activity. You can still use the Stocks app anytime you wish and when the app is quit, the resources will be released.


I don't see anything specific to the RAM issue, but look over the report and uninstall each to test. It would appear you are an experienced user and know your way around the System. The goal would be to remove the processes to resolve the Memory Pressure without the hassle of a Clean Install.

Jan 14, 2025 10:57 AM in response to Gabeus

You may not have any Applications currently open, but there are third party processes running in the background consuming resources. Post the free EtreCheck report and it will reveal those that are launching on startup. The report contains no personal information.

How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community


You would not see that on a clean install with 16GB of RAM, so you will need to decide if you want to remove those processes identified to return to the green bars. In any event, if you are not seeing performance issues other than the yellow bars in Activity Monitor, you may not want to change anything at all.

Jan 15, 2025 5:03 AM in response to Mac Jim ID

I did some cleanup of the background processes running at startup and removed the old stuff, and I no longer have the problem. I suspect the culprit was either the Logitech management application or the Razer one. Also the Docker Virtual Machine Service was taking quite a lot of RAM. I have updated it and it takes much less now. Thank you for your help.

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Yellow memory pressure despite no application launched

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