Current CPU % given in Activity Monitor can be misleading and has limited value for M1 models. Here’s how to improve it.
Activity Monitor
In Activity Monitor, % CPU isn’t on a scale of 0-100. In M1 Macs, it also makes no distinction between E and P cores, nor does it allow for their changing frequency.
Activity Monitor’s Memory view is the perfect place to watch for memory problems, such as a leak. Demonstrated here in macOS 12.0.1 and 12.1.
From killing a process, through a regular restart, to Recovery and a bootable external recovery disk, all you need to know about fixing your Mac in macOS 11 and 12.
Is logging out and back in again a good way to deal with problems? Although it can be, it might not do what you think it does any more.
If your Mac slows to a crawl, don’t just reboot it. Here’s how to discover what the likely cause is, and a structured approach to recovery.
Is Monterey burning your memory away? Here are two reproducible memory leaks which could explain that, plus two more than might.
How this memory leak probably occurs, which apps it affects, and what you can do to avoid it completely.
What’s the difference between an app and kernel memory leak? How would you notice one, and how to investigate it, and (sometimes) work around the problem.
Your brand new M1 Mac is now unboxed. What next? Here’s a brief guide for anyone new to M1 Macs, which should spare you time and effort.
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