User profile for user: TexanInParis
TexanInParis Author
User level: Level 1
53 points

mediaanalysisd burning up CPU - High Sierra

Ever since I upgraded to High Sierra, when I leave my computer sitting idle for a few minutes, the CPU fan starts whirring like crazy. If I leave Activity Monitor open, I can see process mediaanalysisd fire up and start using 35-80% CPU. When I try to click on another app while that's running, it takes several seconds for the app to respond. Just wiggling the mouse and waiting a few seconds causes the process to go back to sleep.


I've seen other older threads that suggest deleting \System\Library\LaunchAgents\com.apple.mediaanalysisd.plist, but that can't be done, not even using the Terminal app and sudo rm. I saw one other thread that suggested rebooting in Recovery mode (Command-R) and re-installing the operating system. I've done that, and while my overall performance seems to have improved, I still get this silly process starting up.


What is this process doing? Is there some option I can set somewhere - perhaps in the Photos app - that will get it to stop?

MacBook Air (13-inch Mid 2012), OS X El Capitan (10.11.6), Thunderbolt display

Posted on Dec 7, 2017 4:30 AM

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7 replies
User profile for user: AppleJoe
AppleJoe
User level: Community Manager

Dec 8, 2017 5:54 PM in response to TexanInParis

Hello TexanInParis,

I understand that you are having an issue with high CPU usage. I use my Mac a lot and know how important it is to have your device working the way you expect, and I'm here to help.

Here is a resource that can help you:

How to reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac

Please let us know if you are still having issues.
Have a great day!
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User profile for user: TexanInParis
TexanInParis Author
User level: Level 1
53 points

Dec 9, 2017 1:25 AM in response to AppleJoe

The only point in that article that might apply is:

Your computer's fans run at high speed, even though it isn't under heavy usage and is properly ventilated.


But from watching Activity Monitor, it's clear that the mediaanalysisd process is spiking the CPU - sometimes as high as 90%, and when that is running, my fan turns on. The fan is running because that process is using a ton of CPU. If I move the mouse (which causes the process to stop) and wait a few minutes, the fan goes quiet. There's nothing wrong with my SMC.

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User profile for user: Alexander515
Alexander515
User level: Level 1
9 points

Dec 10, 2017 3:20 PM in response to TexanInParis

I’m having the exact same issue with mediaanalysisd process. I first believed it was photos needing to finish photo recognition or indexing, or creating thumbnails.. who knows.. but I’ve left it for days and same issue persists. I’ve done a clean erase and restore of high Sierra, setup as New and transferred data manually, not from a backup. But same issue persists. I’m running a mid 2010 MacBook Pro 15”, 2.66 i7, 8GB RAM, 250GB SSD.

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mediaanalysisd burning up CPU - High Sierra

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