What is identityservicesd on a Mac, and why is it using CPU?
identityservicesd keeps iMessage and FaceTime registered and finds your contacts' devices. It used 7 MB on our Mac. Why it spikes, and what not to delete.
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Mac storage, explained.
What fills your disk, where it hides, and what is safe to remove. Every guide gives you a way to check it on your own Mac.
What is routined on a Mac? Significant Locations, explained
routined learns the places you visit often, for suggestions and travel times. It used 3 MB on our Mac. Where to see and clear what it learned, and turn it off.
What is mobileassetd on a Mac, and what is it downloading?
mobileassetd downloads system assets: voices, dictionaries, fonts, language and Apple Intelligence models. It ran as root with 3 MB here. Where the downloads go.
What is apsd on a Mac, and why is it the busiest process on the network?
apsd carries push notifications for every app and for iMessage and iCloud. On our Mac it received more data than any other process. What that traffic is.
What is mDNSResponder on a Mac, and how to flush the DNS cache
mDNSResponder handles every DNS lookup and Bonjour discovery. It was the second busiest network process on our Mac. How to flush DNS when sites will not load.
What is netbiosd on a Mac?
netbiosd handles Windows style network names for file sharing between Macs and PCs. It sent 156 KB in one sample on our Mac. Why it runs and what it does.
What is runningboardd on a Mac?
runningboardd decides which processes may keep running and which get suspended or limited. It showed an energy impact of 1.4 on our Mac. Why it shows up.
NotificationCenter using high CPU or memory on a Mac
NotificationCenter showed an energy impact of up to 4.9 and 80 MB on our Mac, above the browser. What makes it busy, and how to calm it without losing alerts.
What is distnoted on a Mac, and why does it sometimes use high CPU?
distnoted passes messages between apps and system processes. Three copies ran on our Mac at 1 MB each. Why one can spike, and how to find the app flooding it.
What is biomed on a Mac?
biomed writes the Biome streams: macOS's on device record of activity for suggestions and Screen Time. It used 1 MB on our Mac; the Biome folder held 357 MB.
What is spindump on a Mac, and why does it run when an app hangs?
spindump records what a frozen app was doing, for the hang report. It ran on our Mac for a few minutes after an app stopped responding. Where its reports go.
ControlCenter using CPU or memory on a Mac: the menu bar's process
ControlCenter draws the menu bar's status icons and Control Center. It used 28 to 51 MB and an energy impact of 1.3 on our Mac. What drives it up.