Luis_Mercado
Level 1 (45 points)

Q: Guide: How to solve Yosemite memory leaks and CPU usage

I post this hoping to help those users who, like me, are experiencing high CPU usage and massive memory leaking with OS X core services and apps, leading to slow performance and battery drain.

 

I've tried everything mentioned, but found the right combination of steps to follow. I've tried this with seven different Apple computers, including mine, and has worked well so far. I applied this method yesterday to give these process a 24 hour window to fail again, so far everything good.

 

First step: disconnect any external or secondary monitors, if any is present. The video memory allocation leak can also happen if you have a system with an integrated card, like Intel, with no external monitors attached.

 

Second step: Shut down your machine and enter Safe Mode (press shift once you turn on your computer again, more info below). Once you're there, fix your disk permissions.

 

Guide of how to access Safe Mode: OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?

 

Third step: From Safe Mode turn off your machine again and reset your System Management Controller (SMC). There are different methods, depending on machine, to do this. To know what method applies to yours read the following guide.

 

Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

 

Fourth step: Once your machine completes a full boot after resetting the SMC turn it off again and reset your PRAM (THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP, BUT THE PREVIOUS ONES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR THIS ONE TO WORK). The PRAM stores small bits of data that indicate our Apple computer how to interact with the devices connected to it, including monitors and video cards. It also affects software.

 

To reset it you should hold the OPTION, COMMAND, P and R keys in your keyboard immediately after turning on your machine again.You'll hear the start up chime, continue pressing the keys until the machine boots and the chime starts A SECOND TIME, then release. IF YOUR YOSEMITE INSTALLATION LOCKS UP AT A BLACK SCREEN AFTER THIS, DONT PANIC! It's normal, just turn off your computer and let it boot again.

 

More info about PRAM: OS X Mavericks: Reset your computer’s PRAM

 

Voila, reconnect your external displays and enjoy your system.

 

Message was edited by: Luis_Mercado

MacBook Air, OS X Yosemite (10.10)

Posted on Oct 23, 2014 10:59 AM

by Eric Root,Solvedanswer
Eric Root Eric Root
Level 9 (74,064 points)
iTunes
A:

If you mark it as solved, more people are apt to look at it. You won't get any points, but it will stand out more.

Posted on Oct 23, 2014 2:17 PM

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Luis_Mercado

Q: Guide: How to solve Yosemite memory leaks and CPU usage

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  • by Duke2211,

    Duke2211 Duke2211 Dec 26, 2014 9:17 AM in response to Luis_Mercado
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Dec 26, 2014 9:17 AM in response to Luis_Mercado

    Hi Louis- thanks for the most to the point solution-

     

    I tried all this and still no luck.

     

    I dont use mail any more

     

    iphoto not used for months

     

    espon drivers not available for PS 10.10.1

     

    preview is slow to open..

     

    Another telling sign is the keyboard backlight stopped working...

     

    i noticed that my App Memory usage is Screen Shot 2014-12-26 at 17.13.17.png

  • by acidking,

    acidking acidking Dec 26, 2014 9:25 AM in response to Duke2211
    Level 1 (85 points)
    Dec 26, 2014 9:25 AM in response to Duke2211

    There's no 'memory leak' as the author claims. Don't waste your time. Just uncheck 'displays have separate Spaces' in Preferences > Mission Control, it will solve the problem.

  • by Duke2211,

    Duke2211 Duke2211 Dec 26, 2014 9:53 AM in response to acidking
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Dec 26, 2014 9:53 AM in response to acidking

    Hi, thanks for reply- what author do you mean?

     

    I dont use mission control but have unchecked anyway :-)

  • by sertão,

    sertão sertão Dec 26, 2014 1:04 PM in response to Luis_Mercado
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 26, 2014 1:04 PM in response to Luis_Mercado

    I have unchecked 'displays have separate spaces' and still get an occasional crash to the user screen. Before trying all the options here, it was crashing multiple times per day but now it's getting pretty rare. I also stopped leaving the secondary account open since it was crashing so much. Haven't started leaving that open but I will try and see if it starts crashing again.

  • by monostone,

    monostone monostone Dec 27, 2014 4:17 AM in response to Duke2211
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPad
    Dec 27, 2014 4:17 AM in response to Duke2211

    Everybody is talking about memory-usage. I get the feeling that the problem of CPU-Usage by MAIL is moving out of focus.

    I still have that problem of hard working fans and 100 % CPU by MAIL. Is that also 'working as designed' while writing a 2-line-email?

     

    Why is Apple not taking care of all that? Are we only struggling with virtual problems? Don Apple and Sancho?

  • by Duke2211,

    Duke2211 Duke2211 Dec 27, 2014 4:55 AM in response to monostone
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Dec 27, 2014 4:55 AM in response to monostone

    I tried resetting SMC and PRAM ann unchecking 'displays...' I dont use Mail anymore...

     

    Just went to post a photo to twitter and its too much for the machine...

     

    ****! Its like having a 10 yr old windows laptop...

  • by acidking,

    acidking acidking Dec 27, 2014 4:58 AM in response to monostone
    Level 1 (85 points)
    Dec 27, 2014 4:58 AM in response to monostone

    @monostone I once didn't close Mail for many months and it made my machine very slow, if that's the case, try close and open it more often.

  • by DarrylDaDon ,

    DarrylDaDon DarrylDaDon Dec 31, 2014 1:07 PM in response to Luis_Mercado
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 31, 2014 1:07 PM in response to Luis_Mercado

    PRAM reset did not work for me, but after a ton of research the following fixed my machine:

     

    Close Apple Mail.

    Enter your Gmail Account using a Web Browser.

    Check your Mailbox Labels for ‘/’ entries (e.g. [Imap]/Drafts .

    Edit any ‘/’ Label you find. Remove the ‘/’ from the Label -> [Imap] Drafts.

    Save your modfied label name(s).

    Now launch Apple Mail.

    This works.  So problem solved for me.  But, Apple really needs to fix their code to cope with a "/" in an IMAP folder name without going into a tight loop.

  • by male_khimp,

    male_khimp male_khimp Jan 1, 2015 12:22 PM in response to Luis_Mercado
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 1, 2015 12:22 PM in response to Luis_Mercado

    I was having the Finder routinely hanging at 100%+ when I was labeling and organizing large folders in Yosemite. I used Louis_Mercado's procedure but found that the situation was no better. It got so bad that I was using my Macbook Pro on Mountain Lion to organize my files via sharing, and tolerating that delay over whole-machine drag.

     

    Today I discovered that when I use cover flow instead of column view, there's no hanging at all. So it seems Yosemite can't handle column view.

    This reminded me that when I first installed Yosemite, I tried to drag a large number of files in column view to another folder in column view and the transfer froze and I was left with hundreds of 0 kB files that I could neither replace nor delete. When I tried the same transfer in icon view, there was no problem.

     

    I'm astonished at this gaping hole in the OS operation. It has been weeks of frustration for me and a huge combined loss of productive hours. Every software update includes new features I don't need or can't see, along with some loss of features that I truly do use. This isn't the Apple I grew up with.

  • by ThomasKilian,

    ThomasKilian ThomasKilian Jan 1, 2015 12:31 PM in response to male_khimp
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 1, 2015 12:31 PM in response to male_khimp

    Each time a company grows from David to Goliath it's getting more evil. As long as David Apple battled agains Mickey Goliath all was fine. There are probably a lot of people getting sad about what is going on.

  • by sertão,

    sertão sertão Jan 2, 2015 7:03 AM in response to Luis_Mercado
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 2, 2015 7:03 AM in response to Luis_Mercado

    I've tried all of the suggestions here but am still crashing to the user login screen. I'm not having any problem with mail. My problem mainly shows up when I interact with Safari. I can just be opening a new window with Command N and next thing I know, I'm looking at the login screen without the orange √. I've been an Apple ONLY user since 1985 and now I'm wishing there was a new apple to replace the big apple that has become more like MS. What has happened to QC at Apple???

  • by ThomasKilian,

    ThomasKilian ThomasKilian Jan 2, 2015 7:08 AM in response to sertão
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 2, 2015 7:08 AM in response to sertão

    Even worse: this is called Apple Support Communities. But it looks like Apple isn't even noticing what's going on here. I feel like I should be crying.

  • by sertão,

    sertão sertão Jan 2, 2015 12:06 PM in response to ThomasKilian
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 2, 2015 12:06 PM in response to ThomasKilian

    I think you have to pay for that added service

     

    Maybe someone here is still in their warranty period and can see what apple's official solution is to this. I haven't went as far as a clean install but has anyone tried that and did it solve the problem?

  • by Duke2211,

    Duke2211 Duke2211 Jan 2, 2015 12:43 PM in response to sertão
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Jan 2, 2015 12:43 PM in response to sertão

    Hi, I deleted a guest user acct that an Apple Help tech set up- thats no change ...

     

    I went to them with the original mail problem 3 months ago they had not heard of it at all...

     

    My machine is now next to useless...

     

    Does not matter what i use- soon its 99% CPU usage....

  • by larisa pedroncell,

    larisa pedroncell larisa pedroncell Jan 2, 2015 8:03 PM in response to Duke2211
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Wireless
    Jan 2, 2015 8:03 PM in response to Duke2211

    @duke2211 have you taken it in to the genius bar.  i tried everything and it turned out to be my video card, which was replaced.  since it was replaced, i kepp transparency off and  haven't had any issues. 

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