Problems with Tahoe

To be honest, due to so many modifications made on the System earlier, I think the best approach is a clean install and only restore your User and Data files. Then manually install the currently used Applications where you will be able to identify if one in particular is causing a problem at that time.

• Teams does show the crash, but also seen below there was apparently a different version installed at one time and the new install did not remove that old process.
• An Evernote Login Item is accessing an old helper file in your Applications Support folder.
• MalwareBytes is up to version 5.19.1.3534, but would recommend to not have it installed to run constantly on your computer. The free one time scan when Malware is suspected is all that is needed.
• I suspect iDrive is not working correctly with OneDrive and there was an install for it just a day before your OS 26.2 update.

You can see some of the problematic files that are still lingering on your System here and the alternate approach of trying to clean them up without doing a Clean Install could be daunting and that is why I would recommend the Clean Install instead. Every file noted in the report as Not Signed needs to be removed. They are either no longer supported, left over fragments from an update, or in some cases using unapproved API's where Apple will not sign them following the standard Malware check. It is usually best to use the apps uninstaller to remove all fragments of these apps. Here is where those files are located on your Mac and you navigate there by going to the Finder, choose the Go menu, then Go To Folder, and enter the location noted as /Library/LaunchDaemons, /Library/LaunchAgents, or ~/Library/LaunchAgents. Make sure to include the "~" character on that last one.

/Library/LaunchDaemons

• SyncedToolDaemon.plist
• SyncedToolService.plist
• com.hikvision.iVMS-4200.plist
• com.iDrive.RPCHelperHDHost.plist
• com.metamuse.kjams.plist
• com.microsoft.teams.TeamsUpdaterDaemon.plist - This one is likely from a different install of Teams
• com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist
• org.tanukisoftware.wrapper.Ignition-Gateway.plist
• com.arubanetworks.vpnservice.plist - It is looking for an process in the Virtual Intranet Access app and cannot find it. If you still have that app that was installed in 2017 in your Applications folder, remove it.
• com.prosoftnet.DaemonHelper.plist - Would recommend removal due to the other Unsigned File and also possible conflict with OneDrive. This file was installed on 1/10/26.
• com.prosoftnet.idrivedaemon.plist - Would recommend removal due to the other Unsigned File and also possible conflict with OneDrive. This file was installed on 1/8/26.
• com.prosoftnet.idsyncdaemon.plist - Would recommend removal due to the other Unsigned File and also possible conflict with OneDrive. This file was installed on 1/8/26.

/Library/LaunchAgents

• com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist

~/Library/LaunchAgents

• com.adobe.ARM.***.plist
• com.dropbox.dropboxmacupdate.agent.plist
• com.dropbox.dropboxmacupdate.xpcservice.plist
• com.google.keystone.agent.plist
• com.google.keystone.xpcservice.plist
• org.virtualbox.vboxwebsrv.plist

Patrick Dixon wrote:

• I upgraded from Sequioa to Tahoe. Prior to the upgrade my system performed very well and there is plenty of free disk space

My system is now very sluggish

A couple of more questions:

• When did you update? Spotlight indexing will continue to be performed in the background a couple of days after the update.
• How are you determining "Free" disk space. If you are referring to what is seen in the Finder, you are likely seeing "Available" disk space, which is not the same as "Free" space.

If it has already been a couple of days after the update, then I would recommend to post the free EtreCheck report using the Additional Text option when posting. This will show what processes are consuming your CPU and also some diagnostic data without showing any personal information.

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

Allan Jones wrote:

A recent post here said that one of the scroll bar options in System Settings > Appearance lets the column divider itself become "drag-able." Easy enough to try.

Thanks for that, I did not realize there was an added setting that would disable the default behavior.

[Note added after the fact: it took me so long to type this that I see Mac Jim has responded already and some of my comments are similar to or the same as his ...]



Re: your Etrecheck report

I am not as expert as some in reading these reports, but it looks like you have a lot of things installed, many out of date or needing updating, some possibly not Tahoe compatible, and some with overlapping functions. It is as if you have been installing scores of items since 2018 with many never getting updated. There are many cloud type processes running, which could result in conflicts, and you also have a VPN in there as well which could conspire with those cloud processes to cause significant slowdowns, both on the network as well as in the Mac operations. There are so many older items installed, I'm not sure where you should start, but everything needs to be checked for Tahoe compatibility, especially software with embedded components that was installed 4 to 8 years ago (!).

Here are some suggestions:

• Disconnect all items on that USB 2 bus as a temporary troubleshooting step. The following devices were listed: USB PnP Audio Device, EPSON WorkForce 840 Series, Unicomp R7_2_Mac_10x_Kbrd_v7_48 KEYLOK II, Kensington PocketMouse Pro, USB 2.0 BILLBOARD.
• Uninstall completely Malwarebytes (more on this further down). You have a long outdated version and you have it actively running in "real time protection" mode. Which is a known resource issue for older Macs. You can always re-install the current version later.
• Your hikvision software was installed 2020-09-07, long out of date, possibly incompatible with Tahoe. Uninstall it completely as a troubleshooting step, you can always install a current version later if it is compatible with Tahoe.
• Dominion cloud software was installed 2021, possibly not compatible with Tahoe. Uninstall it completely as a troubleshooting step, you can always install a current version later if it is compatible with Tahoe. Note that this software has Gatekeeper Bypass which is a security risk, as well as some sort of cloud sync tool.
• Malwarebytes. Your version is very old, it predates Tahoe by over one year, it might be incompatible with Tahoe. The latest version is 5.14. Also, you are using it in real-time protection mode, which has been reported to slow down older Macs. I would uninstall it completely to test, you can reinstall a current Tahoe-compatible version later.
  • Application: /Applications/Malwarebytes.app - version 5.4.1 (Malwarebytes Corporation - installed 2024-07-29). Description: The Malwarebytes Engine extension manages your connection to the Malwarebytes VPN service.
• com.arubanetworks.vpnservice.plist (App Store - installed 2017-07-27) Executable: /Applications/Virtual Intranet Access.app/Contents/MacOS/VPNServiceDaemon. These VPN programs are notorious for causing slowdowns and conflicts, and yours dates from 2017! Uninstall it, VPNs are not needed and often cause problems.
• [Running] com.malwarebytes.mbam.rtprotection.daemon.plist (Malwarebytes Corporation - installed 2024-07-29) Uninstall this real-time protection and this outdated 2024 version was installed long before Tahoe, it may be incompatible.
• You have a mysql installation dating from 2020, possibly/likely incompatible with Tahoe.
• You have multiple cloud tools running at once, high potential for conflicts with all this: prosoft idrive and idsync (cloud backup), Dominion cloud software, Microsoft One Drive, Dropbox, Google phone home software, Evernote (installed 2020 out of date) ... all on top of a VPN which may be clogging your throughput for any or all of them.
• FlipforMac -- installed 2018, out of date
• iPhotoPhotocast -- installed 2018, out of date
• LumaWebVideoPlugin -- installed 2020, out of date
• Adobe tools installed 2021, out of date
• Musicnotes, installed 2018-05-05, out of date
• SharePointBrowserPlugin, installed 2018-05-05, out of date (does this even work anymore)
• Silverlight: 5.1.41212.0 installed 2018-05-05, out of date (does this even work anymore)
• Webex, installed 2020, out of date
• FreeScreenSharingPlugin, installed 2020, out of date
• a dozen audio plugins, all of which pre-date Tahoe, could some or all of these be incompatible and require updates

A recent post here said that one of the scroll bar options in System Settings > Appearance lets the column divider itself become "drag-able." Easy enough to try.

Others have reported this issue here, but Apple won't see bug reports in this user-to-user setting. If changing the scroll bar option does not help, please make Apple aware using this feedback link:

Feedback - macOS - Apple

Patrick Dixon wrote:

• I upgraded from Sequioa to Tahoe. Prior to the upgrade my system performed very well and there is plenty of free disk space

My system is now very sluggish

• In Finder in column view, if the number of folders stretches across the screen the bottom scroll bar interferes with the column width selection. That means I cannot resize the column width because the scroll bar is in the way

How do I fix this?

I have the same Mac as you, 2019 MacBook Pro 2019, 16" model, an Intel Mac. 16 GB RAM (mine has 1 TB internal SSD, for me more than 50% is always free space).

I don't see your issue with the column width and scroll bars on my Mac. My System Settings => Appearance is set to show scrolls bars "automatically." I am using an Apple mouse, perhaps the behavior is different if you are using a different mouse?

Sluggish Mac? I think mine seemed a bit less responsive (I would not call it "sluggish" however) for the first 24 hours or so on Tahoe, versus what I recall from Sequoia. However it now seems quite snappy. When rebooting or shutting down and restarting a hear the fan come on for a few minutes and a process called "Shortcuts" has 100% of one of the cores (there are 8 cores so this does not impact anything else much). But that goes away quickly and I cannot discern any slowdown or reduction in responsiveness. I am guessing (?) maybe there is a different algorithm for cooling the laptop under Tahoe and it runs the fans for that short time (a couple of minutes) to keep the temperature stable. But other apps that can grab a lot of cpu resources (Office 365, Safari with many windows open, Adobe apps, TurboTax) can all be running and in fact TurboTax seems faster than with earlier MacOS versions (saving files and closing Turb oTax used to be slower).

I have no security, anti-virus, network monitors, external drive manufacturer utilities, "cleaning apps," etc. on this Mac.

I think Jim's and HWTech's suggestion to run Etrecheck and post its report here do make sense. There could be something embedded in your user account that was inherited from earlier MacOS days that doesn't interact well with Tahoe. I think these laptops came with Catalina originally so there have been many updates and upgrades along the way to Tahoe.

I had read that a 2019 Intel Mac laptop might be slower with some of the graphics enhancements that come with Tahoe, but I don't mind the appearance changes, "liquid" visuals, rounded corners, etc. I'm easygoing about those things, and like the compatibility with the iPhone iOS 26.2 as well, but if you have "sluggishness" issues those are worth delving into because that should not be that way.

Patrick Dixon wrote:

Still having performance problems, and I have some applications that crash. This morning I had a Teams meeting that crashed as I was in the meeting. This OS seems unstable. I think there needs to be a maintenance release to fix it.

Follow @Mac Jim ID's suggestion to running the third party app EtreCheck and posting the complete report here so we can examine it for possible clues.

The others have you well covered since I'm not a macOS software expert. There are many apps listed in the EtreCheck report which I am not familiar even from reading EtreCheck reports for many years now. One or more of those items are more likely to be a causing problems on your system.

Besides turning off MalwareBytes' real time scanning option, I would look for items that be interfering with the mail daemon:

From the EtreCheck report:

2026-01-18 09:43:13 maild Crash (39 times)

I don't know if this related to the macOS Mail app.

Patrick Dixon wrote:

• In Finder in column view, if the number of folders stretches across the screen the bottom scroll bar interferes with the column width selection. That means I cannot resize the column width because the scroll bar is in the way

I am not understanding why the scroll bar is in the way to adjust the column width. The column width can be adjusted in any area of the column separator, not just on the bottom of the view where the scroll bar is. Maybe I did not read it correctly?

I also agree with your assessment.