Macos – 100% Finder CPU usage

cpu usagefindermacostroubleshooting

Randomly, I wasn't doing anything specific — my system starts getting sluggish. I check the activity viewer — wow, Finder is at 150% CPU!

This is what I have tried so far:

  • Trashing com.apple.finder.plist, com.apple.systemuiserver.plist and com.apple.loginwindow.plist
  • Trashing all apple.* namespaced .plist files
  • Turning off Calculate All Sizes in Finder
  • Turning off Show View Options in Finder
  • Disabling all startup items
  • Unplugging external hard drives
  • Getting rid of all data on desktop

However, if I create a new account or use my wife's account, the Finder CPU usage is normal.

I analyzed the Finder's CPU pattern, it goes like this: If active, it's always between 70 and 150% CPU usage. If i kill it, and stay 100% idle — it goes from 0-ish% to 100+% slowly, and the "Real Memory" column in Activity Monitor goes from 0MB to ~2GB+ slowly, and when it gets around there, it dies and cycles all over again.

What are some methods I can use to trace what's happening in Finder?

Best Answer

Go to Terminal, type iosnoop, and see what Finder is doing. You can also go to AM and click "Sample" to figure out what threads Finder has open.

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