Q: Pages 5.1 and Numbers 3.1 hanging - "com.apple.MediaLibraryService" taking huge amount of RAM

I have this issue also. I can start Pages 5.1 with a blank page, let it just sit there and it starts at 65 MB, then climbs incrementally over the span of 20 seconds or so, finally maxing out at 486.0 MB. At the same time, com.apple.MediaLibraryService launches itself, starting around 212 MB, then balloons to 1.34 GB.

Numbers 3.1 likewise uses a huge amount of RAM. With 3 small, simple spreadsheets open, RAM usage starts around 90 MB, climbs on its own until it hits 463.9 MB. Quit, restart with no spreadsheets open, choose a blank template, let app sit there. Starts at 61 MB, RAM usage climbs over the span of 30 seconds or so to 475.9 MB. Open those simple spreadsheets again and we're at 501.1 MB.

By comparison, Pages 4.3 launches and stays at 45.8 MB. Word 14.3.8 launches and holds at 95.0 MB. Numbers 2.9 with a blank spreadsheet starts and settles at 51.8 MB. MS Excel 14.3.8, 49.8 MB.

First noticed after updating Pages and Numbers to the current App Store versions. With both running, I soon noticed a slowdown, investigated, found system (with 12 GB RAM) paging out for the first time ever in Mavericks.

I've also experienced all of these issues running the latest versions of iWork apps, and the com.apple.MediaLibraryService is bogging the machine down – often as multiple instances when each app is running. I've filed a bug as well, FWIW.

No idea what is going on here, other than you are using all the late version iWork .apps.

You should have iWork '09 still in your Applications/iWork folder.

Why not trash/archive Pages 5 etc and finally get some work done?

Peter

I reported the apparent memory leaks in both Pages and Numbers, but hadn't noticed the issue with com.apple.MediaLibraryService until afterward. I will report the latter as well.

This needs to be fixed. Apple finally fixed the longstanding issues with Safari gobbling RAM (in that I no longer have to restart it several times a day), and then rolled out something even worse with the latest iWork apps.

I have the same issue. Fortunatelly, I could revert to Pages 5.0.1 from my Time Machine Backup and now there is no trace of the com.apple.MediaLibraryService process and the application itself takes a resonable amount of memory (58 MB with one document open). Maybe there's a workaround, but this seems to be a bug and therefore we need to wait for Apple to solve it.

Nevertheless, if you have a backup, try to revert to the older Pages version. The only caveat is that Pages 5.1 again changes the file format, so that documents saved with this version are no longer compatible with version 5.0.1. Therefore, if you plan to downgrade, export your work in Pages '09 format before, so that it can be opened with Pages 5.0.1.

As for the querelle between Pages '09 and Pages 5, I switched to the latter because it takes so much less memory and this is quite important for my venerable MacBook Pro Santa Rosa of 2007. Of course, this was valid until Apple introduced Pages version 5.1...

Your're welcome!

I just want to rectify a point that I made above: actually, the com.apple.MediaLibraryService process is still there, but it takes a mere 4.1 MB of memory

Best wishes!

I, too, have just noticed the services taking up more cpu and memory. In looking for the solution I found a connection to iTunes, reposted below.

When I looked into iTunes, I did not have Photo sharing checked, so I checked it and a second instance of "com.apple.MediaLibraryService" started up. Upon unchecking photo sharing, it stopped. After looking at Activity Monitor, I noticed that Flash for Safari was using more cpu in the background, so I quit Safari and the first instance of "com.apple.MediaLibraryService" also quit. I restarted both programs and it has yet to return. Now "kernel_task" is using 2.3 GB memory. Onto a new search.

Hope this might help some of you

@Johannes, did you try what I suggested in my post above:

"I have iTunes Home Sharing enabled in iTunes. Looking at the File | Home Sharing | menu in iTunes, there is an option to "Choose Photos to Share with AppleTV...".

 

When I disable that option, close iTunes, and then relaunch iTunes, "com.apple.MediaLibraryService" does not appear in the process list, and iTunes returns to using only about 130 MB of memory.

 

Of course, the obvious side-effect is that you will not be access Photos from your Mac on the AppleTV."

Thanks, turned off picture sharing in iTunes, no effect. Fans screaming and MBA hot.

A workaround is described here:

This helped meRe: com.apple.MediaLibraryService

Not only gets rid of the runaway com.apple.MediaLibraryService process, but also sharply reduces memory usage by Pages and Numbers, making the computer usable once again.