Activity Monitor

Updated: 02/04/2024 by Computer Hope
Activity Monitor logo in macOS.

Activity Monitor is a utility included with Apple's macOS found in the Utilities folder. It displays computer activity such as processor load, active processes, running applications, and how much memory is currently in use.

Activity Monitor can identify sluggish programs or ones that aren't working correctly. Once launched, all processes running on the system at that moment are assessed and displayed in real time. From this utility, most running applications can be stopped or killed, freeing system memory or other resources. Processes may be sorted based on pre-determined factors like name, percentage of CPU (Central Processing Unit) active cycles, CPU time usage, and process type.

Tip

If you are more familiar with Microsoft Windows, think of the Activity Monitor as the Resource Monitor or Task Manager.

How to open Activity Monitor

  1. In the Dock at the bottom of your screen, click the Finder icon.

Finder icon in the Dock

  1. On the left side of the screen, under the Favorites section, click the Applications selector in macOS. selector.
  2. In the list of applications, double-click the Utilities app.

Utilities folder icon in macOS.

  1. In the Utilities folder, double-click the Activity Monitor icon.

Activity Monitor icon in macOS.

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