Level 1

22 points

WindowServer memory leak

Looks like this problem is coming back in High Sierra.

I have a late 2013 MacBook Pro Retina, freshly installed High Sierra after resetting SMC, PRAM, at most 6 apps open at the same time, after 16 hours, this WindowServer process is taking almost 1GB RAM! Notice how much has been compressed. Several days ago, I have been using the High Sierra GM for about a week without rebooting/logging out, and I noticed this WindowServer process took 8GB RAM!

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11)

Posted on Sep 27, 2017 8:50 AM

Top-ranking reply

welsonsun Author

Level 1

22 points

Posted on Oct 3, 2017 10:25 AM

Well, looks like the current consensus of the bug is that for retina display with Intel graphics card, if the resolution is set to the "scaled max", you will get the WindowServer memory leak. Other resolutions seem to be fine.

On my late 2013 rMBP 13'', setting the display to "scaled max (1680x1050)" will instantly create the memory leak. Other "scaled settings", currently at 1440x900, WindowServer stays around 100MB for 24 hours now.

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53 replies

Oct 6, 2017 4:58 PM in response to welsonsun

Same issue here, regardless of what i am doing.
No change between using Safari or Chrome. 21Gb ram used by WindowServer on a 2014 MBP 15" and no apps open.

YQChen

Level 1

12 points

Oct 14, 2017 6:55 AM in response to welsonsun

Recently I started to use Dell P2416D as external monitor, and also got stuck with the memory leak issue. Now WindowServer has used more than 6GB RAM. 😟

wyred-sg

Level 1

4 points

Oct 16, 2017 6:09 PM in response to welsonsun

I'm on a MacBook Pro Retina 13-inch, Early 2015 model with a 1440p Dell monitor attached and I'm at almost 32GB of memory used after 10 days.

skivvie

Level 1

5 points

Nov 27, 2017 9:04 AM in response to mlaporte

I'm seeing the same. Are you having any issues with Sleep? Mine wakes up immediately when I choose APPLE->Sleep.

margot-

Level 1

20 points

Nov 30, 2017 7:39 AM in response to welsonsun

Same issue here with Macbook Pro Retina late 2013...

Oct 31, 2017 2:37 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

I can confirm too.

I have MBP mid-2012 1200x800 and when I connect external monitor in clone mode and use calling to internal monitor then I have 5GB WindowServer memory usage in 4-6 hours.

This memory can be released after logout or reboot only.

If I don't connect external monitor then there is no memory leak (no scaling on internal monitor).

If I connect external monitor and arrange external and internal side by side without scaling on any of them then memory leak don't occur.

If memory leak occur and I change monitor arrangement and disable monitor scaling, them memory leak stops but memory already leaked won't be released - need to logout or reboot.

Morgon-

Level 1

18 points

Oct 3, 2017 9:55 AM in response to CongGao

I wasn't going to post after only 12 hours of use, but I actually saw memory _decreasing_, so I feel like this is doing well.

At its height, I was at 270 MB 'Real Memory' usage, but as time has gone on, macOS has reduced it to 173 MB. I am satisfied.

Oct 29, 2017 11:58 PM in response to welsonsun

I can confirm this on a 15" 2015 MBP. When running scaled resolution WindowServer starts to consume in excess of 20GB after a while. (I'm running the latest version of MacOS High Sierra, 10.13.1?)

I have no additional monitors connected.

Disabling scaled resolution tames WindowServer memory consumption but this is not a viable solution as I need the screen Realestate for my design work.

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WindowServer memory leak