You may be surprised to learn that a single process can use a significant amount of CPU power. ..
WindowServer is a process that runs on your Mac and helps to lower CPU usage on the computer. You can use WindowServer to run multiple applications at the same time or to run tasks that are specific to one application.
What is WindowServer Process on Mac? Is it Safe?
On macOS, the WindowServer Process is responsible for handling all visual aspects of the desktop, such as the Dock bar, Menu bar, and others. ..
- Safari
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Opera
- iCloud Drive
- iTunes Store
- Google Play Music
- YouTube
- App Store
The User Interface (UI) is the graphical representation of the user’s environment on a computer. It is responsible for presenting information to the user, and controlling the interaction between the user and the operating system (OS). macOS is a desktop operating system developed by Apple Inc. for use on personal computers. ..
Since the WindowServer Process is an essential part of macOS, it is obviously unsafe, and there are reasons why you are seeing higher CPU usage of the WindowServer Process on your Mac.
If you have too many folders or files on your desktop, WindowServer can be overloaded and take up too much CPU power.
If the WindowServer process takes up too much CPU power, it can cause programs to lag and accessing Finder becomes difficult. ..
How to Lower WindowServer CPU Usage on your Mac?
1. Reduce the number of files/folders on your desktop
If you have 20 files on your desktop and 10 folders within those files, then it means that you have 30 “visual elements” on your desktop. ..
Since the WindowServer process handles all the visual elements on your desktop, it will need to run 30 times to produce these results.
If you can reduce the number of files in your project by consolidating them into a single folder, it will make the job of reducing your elements to 10-11 folders much easier. ..
2. Close Unnecessary Windows
Your Mac’s WindowServer process is finding it more difficult to run and taking up CPU power.
If you have opened too many windows on your Mac, we recommend you close the windows that are not required.
This includes all the browser tabs you have opened in the background but are no longer of use as well as programs that might be open in the background.
3. Deactivate Transparent Effects
If you have activated transparency effects on your PC, then it is recommended that you reduce the number of WindowServer Processes running.
If you disable transparency effects on your Mac, then the CPU usage can be lowered to a great extent.
- Open the System Preferences panel and select the “Privacy” tab.
- Scroll down to the " Transparency " section and change the value from “On” to “Off.”
- Close the System Preferences panel and restart your Mac.
To reduce transparency in System Preferences, go to Accessibility and check the box next to Reduce Transparency. ..
This will reduce the transparency effects on your desktop, but it will help you to lower the WindowServer CPU Usage on your Mac.
4. Reduce Additional Desktops
We have heard from several users who were facing the WindowServer High CPU usage problem that they were able to lower the CPU usage by reducing the number of desktops that they had running on their Mac.
We tried a different method on our Mac and it didn’t work. This is why we have added this to our list.
- Disable unnecessary programs and features on your computer
- Delete any files that you don’t need
- Create a new folder for your applications and data
- Place all of your applications in this new folder
- Rename the old application folder to the new application folder
Press the F5 button to go to Mission Control on your Mac.Hover the mouse pointer on the desktop you are not using right now.Click the X button to close it. ..
5. Switch off Spaces for Multiple Displays
If you are using multiple displays set up with your Mac, then you must create a separate space for each display that you have connected.
We recommend you to turn off spaces for each display to reduce the CPU usage.
To reduce the CPU usage on your Mac, go to System Preferences and then click on the Displays have separate spaces setting. Then toggle it off. Reboot your Mac for changes to take effect.
6. Remove Apps from your Mac
Some of the apps installed on your Mac can also be responsible for your WindowServer process using a lot of CPU power. ..
Manually checking which app is taking too much CPU power and then removing it can help reduce the CPU usage on your Mac. ..
Remove the apps you no longer use from your device. ..
If you don’t remember installing an app, try uninstalling it and then reinstalling it from the App Store. ..
- Open the Applications folder.
- Locate the application you want to delete and select it.
- Click the “X” in the top-left corner of the application window.
- Click “Applications” in the menu bar at the top of the screen, and then click “Delete.” ..
To uninstall the app from your Mac, open the Finder and drag the file to the Trash folder.You will be asked to enter your Username and Password, which you need to input.After that, the app will be removed from your Mac.
If your WindowServer Process High CPU Usage problem is not fixed, see if you can find a way to fix it.
It is most likely that your problem will be fixed now after trying all the methods mentioned above.
Conclusion
In order to lower WindowServer CPU usage on your Mac, you can use a variety of methods. Some of the most popular methods include using a low-power graphics card, disabling unnecessary features on your Mac, and optimizing your Mac’s performance.
Since WindowServer Process is an internal process of macOS, it is safe and the high CPU usage is a known issue that we need to manage. ..
This issue is typically caused by outdated hardware on older Mac devices, which can cause problems with their RAM and CPU. This is not possible on newer Macs, which requires more RAM and CPU.
If you are constantly facing high CPU usage on your Mac, we recommend upgrading your Mac to improve your system’s performance.
