Mac Guides
Intermediate
1 min read 5 stepsJanuary 25, 2026Verified January 2026How to Use Activity Monitor on Mac
Monitor your Mac's performance and find resource-hungry apps with Activity Monitor.
1
Open Activity Monitor
~15sPress ⌘+Space, type "Activity Monitor" and press Enter.
2
View CPU usage
~15sThe CPU tab shows which processes are using the most processing power. Click the column to sort.
3
Check memory usage
~15sThe Memory tab shows RAM usage. A green Memory Pressure gauge means you have enough RAM.
4
Monitor energy usage
~15sThe Energy tab shows which apps drain your battery the most — useful for laptops.
5
Quit a misbehaving process
~15sSelect a process and click the X (Stop) button → Quit or Force Quit.
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