Get CPU insights
(Updated: )The central processing unit (CPU) is essentially the heart of your Mac, powering calculations for all apps and tasks. Your computer's speed largely depends on CPU load and capability (measured in GHz, or billions of basic operations per second). Monitoring CPU performance is crucial – the sooner you identify and address issues like excessive load or overheating, the fewer slowdowns you'll experience on your Mac.
Quick CPU overview
In the Menu, you'll see how much the open apps are currently loading the processor, as well as the chip's temperature. For more details, click the CPU monitor in the Menu.
To hide the detailed menu, click the CPU monitor again. To close both menus, click outside of them (for example, your desktop or another app).
The CPU monitor shows over 100% load. Is this a problem?
Not necessarily. This simply means that one or more cores (processing units within the CPU) are fully engaged, with other cores sharing the remaining workload. High loads like this are common when running resource-intensive apps.
How much available CPU is enough?
If your Mac responds well, any load is generally fine. Even loads up to 90% are acceptable when performing CPU-heavy tasks like 3D rendering or video processing. However, if your Mac feels sluggish and the CPU load is consistently around 90–95% with temperatures above 76°C, consider closing some apps – especially the top CPU-intensive apps.
