How to View Running Processes on macOS (Complete Guide)

When you Mac If your system is getting unruly or you notice it's struggling to keep up, knowing what's running underneath is key to understanding what's going on. macOS combines visible apps, system tools, and background services that, together, paint a picture of your computer's real-world state. Learning to see and understand these processes It will help you diagnose problems, optimize performance, and make better decisions.

You don't have to be an engineer to master the basics: with Activity Monitor and a couple of commands In Terminal you have practically everything under control. In addition to these native utilitiesThere are also simple shortcuts to see which apps are open and options to close things that are in the way without touching anything important. We'll go step by step through all the ways to view them, sort them, and, if necessary, stop them.

What's actually running on your Mac?

In macOS, “process” means everything the system is currently running: windowed apps, system services, and background tasks you don’t see. Some typical processes you will see when you start looking they are:

• kernel_task: the core of the system, manages resources and is untouchable.
• Windows Server: handles the graphical interface and windows.
• Finder y Dock: the file explorer and dock in macOS.
• SystemUIServer: icons and menu bar elements.
• mds y mdworker: Spotlight indexing.
• User apps like safari, Music/iTunes, Photos, Messages…each tab or window can go in its own process.
• time Machine (if active), Location services, Bluetooth y Wi ‑ Fi, Access to Keyrings, kernel extensions and drivers.
• Utilities like Activity Monitor y Bus Terminal when you open them.

The important thing here is to distinguish what is normal from what is suspicious. Many rare names are completely legitimate because they belong to macOS. If in doubt, it's best to search for the process name before randomly closing it.

Quick ways to know what applications you have open

Before we dive into the tools, there are helpful shortcuts to see your active apps at a glance. These options are perfect for checking “the basics” without opening anything else.

• Check the DockIf you see a dot below an app icon, it's open. If you have the Dock hidden, hover your mouse over the edge to reveal it. You can right-click an app and quit it immediately.
• App Switcher (Command + Tab): Hold Command and press Tab to view the row of open apps. Tab moves; Q on a selected app closes it. It's the traditional app switcher.
• Force quit (Cmd + Option + Escape): Opens the "Force Quit Apps" window with all currently active apps. It's designed to close frozen apps, but it can also be used to list what's running.
• Stage Manager (if you're using macOS Ventura or later): Automatically arranges your windows and shows you active apps side by side. Enable it in System Preferences > Desktop & Dock. It's very useful to have everything "in sight".

Open and master Activity Monitor

Activity Monitor is the “Task Manager” of macOS. It shows you visible and invisible processes, their CPU, memory, power, disk, and network usage, and allows you to close misbehaving ones. You can open it in several ways:

• Spotlight: Press Cmd + Space, type “Activity Monitor” and press Enter. Quick tip: “acti…” is usually enough.
• Finder: Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor (double click).
• Keep it in the Dock: Open the app once, right-click its icon in the Dock > Options > Keep in Dock. So you always have it at hand.

When opened, you'll see a live list of processes and several tabs at the top (CPU, Memory, Power, Disk, Network). Click on a column header to sort from highest to lowest consumption; press again to reverse the order.

At the top right you have a search engine. Enter the name of an app or process to filter it on the fly. If a name doesn't ring a bell, you can double-click it to see details and get a better understanding.

View more columns, group processes, and adjust refresh rates

By default, the information is updated every 5 seconds. If you need more detail in real time or prefer a slower pace, change the frequency from the Display > Refresh Rate menu.

You can also choose which columns to view on each tab: View > Columns, and check or uncheck as needed (you'll have many metrics available, such as CPU time, threads, open ports, etc.).

A little-used gem is the group view. In the View menu, you can choose how the list is displayed to better understand "who depends on whom." Available grouping and filtering options:

• All processes: the complete view of everything that is running.
• All processes, hierarchically: shows processes with their parent/child relationship.
• My processes: those that belong to your user.
• System processes: owned by macOS.
• Processes from other users: neither root nor the current user.
• Active processes e inactive: running with activity or at rest.
• GPU Processes y Processes, per GPU: graphic-oriented.
• Processes in windows: those that can create windows (usually apps).
• Selected processes: Filter to what you have marked.
• Applications in the last 12 hours: apps that executed processes during that period.

With all this you will have a view tailored to your needs. Adjusting columns and groupings is the fastest way to “clean up the noise” and focus on what's important.

CPU, Memory, Power, Disk, and Network: What to Look at in Each Tab

In the CPU You'll see the distribution of processor cycles among processes. Sort by % CPU to locate resource hogs. If something is at 100% for a long time and you don't know what it is, investigate it and, if it's relevant, close it.

En Conference proceedings you can monitor RAM and memory pressure. If the pressure remains yellow/redYou probably have too many apps open, or one that's leaking memory. Close what you don't need and keep an eye on it.

En Energy You will see the “Energy Impact” by process and an accumulated Energy (12 hours). Ideal if you use a battery: Find what consumes the most and close it to extend the autonomy.

The eyelash Disc lets you see reading and writing by process. Useful for detecting apps that do a lot of I/O (may explain noises on external drives or slowness when opening large files).

Finally, Red Displays bytes sent/received and packets. Sort by “Bytes Received” or “Bytes Sent” to find out who is eating your bandwidthIf you're sharing data from your mobile, it'll save you trouble.

Inspect processes and generate diagnostic reports

Double-click any process to open its tab. You'll find several tabs with useful information. Conference proceedings It shows you the RAM it consumes; in Global Data You will see threads, execution time and other technical information; Open files and ports reveals what files and sockets the process is using. If you click on “Parent Process”, you'll see who launched it.

From the button with three dots on the toolbar you can generate diagnostics: Sample process (takes a 3 second sample), Spindump (for unresponsive apps), System diagnostics y Spotlight Diagnostics. These reports are very valuable if you later need help from Apple Support or a technician.

To close a process, select it and press the “stop” button (X). The system will ask you if you want to Quit or Force Quit; choose “Quit” first and leave “Force Quit” as a last resort.

Extra Activity Monitor Tricks

You can display real-time graphs on the Dock icon itself (CPU, network, disk). This way you'll have an activity alert without opening the window.. Explore the Display menu to choose what to display.

An important tip: if the app is frozen, the safest thing to do is to use Cmd + Option + Esc and force their way out from there. You avoid touching system processes that could be critical.

Terminal: view processes with top and ps

If you prefer the command line, Terminal gives you two classic allies: top y ps. Open Terminal with Cmd + Space and typing “Terminal”. Once inside, it's as simple as typing the commands following.

• top: displays the list of processes in real time. You can sort it by CPU with top -o cpu or by memory with top -o size. Use the arrows to move and press q to go out.
• ps: by default lists processes of the current user. ps gives you that “photo” of the moment; with ps aux you will see all system processes more details.

If you need to close something from Terminal, you can use kill PID (substituting PID by the process identifier). Use it wisely: Closing what doesn't belong can destabilize the system.

More ways to control what runs and manage shutdowns

In addition to the App Switcher and Force Quit, you can close apps from the Dock (right-click > Quit) or from the Apple menu (apple icon > Force Quit). If an app “hangs”, prioritize these methods before getting involved in closing processes manually.

From the App Switcher you can quickly close multiple apps: Hold Command and Tab to cycle through icons; when you're over the app you want to close, press Q without releasing Command. It's surprisingly fast.

In Terminal you can also close by name with killall nombre_proceso. For instance, killall Safari will close all instances of Safari for the current user.

Control what starts and what runs in the background

macOS loads launch agents, login items, and system tasks to keep everything running smoothly. If your Mac is running slower than you expect, check Activity Monitor to see what's running and how much power it's consuming, and consider disabling unnecessary startup items from System Settings > General > Login Items & Background Items.

For users who want simpler interfaces, some third-party tools tidy up these startups and measure CPU and memory usage at a glance. The CleanMyMac menu, for example, shows intensive apps and allows you to close them from their own menu. Its Performance Manager makes it easy to view and remove startup items.

There are also cleaning and optimization suites such as Macube Cleaner, aimed at freeing up space (junk files, duplicates, caches, cookies) and managing startup items. Its goal is to keep the system light so that processes flow with less friction.

If what you need is a general health check, solutions such as MacKeeper They offer a comprehensive scan (Find & Fix > Start Full Scan) to detect malware, garbage and performance issues. Use them as support if you prefer to automate maintenance tasks.

How to identify culprits and save battery or data

If you notice fans, stuttering, or a hot laptop, open Activity Monitor and sort by % CPU. Locate sustained peaks that do not correspond to what you are doing and decide: exit, force exit or investigate.

In mobility, the Energy tab is a godsend. It sorts by Energy Impact and by the last 12 hours; close what swallows the most If you need to stretch your battery life. Sometimes a browser with too many tabs is the main culprit.

If you connect by sharing data, go to Network and sort by Bytes sent/receivedIt will show you which apps download or upload the most. Close the drains that you don't need or pause temporary syncs.

Safety Tips: What Not to Lock and How to Act When in Doubt

There are processes you shouldn't touch: kernel_task, WindowServer, launchd, syslogd And, in general, anything you recognize as part of the system. If you don't know what it is, look it up on the web before closing. An improper stop can hang the system or force a restart.

If you suspect malware, sort by % CPU and look for strange names or locations under “Open Files and Ports.” First investigate, then actForce quitting may be a temporary solution, but you should also perform a scan with your antivirus and review startup items.

Small adjustments that make a difference

If Activity Monitor is “too” fast, try lowering the refresh rate (Display > Refresh Rate). 5 seconds is usually enough, but you can go down to 2 if you're investigating a peak, or up to 15 for a more stable view.

Customize the columns according to your objective. For example, add Threads, CPU Time or PID when you search for specific processes or want to correlate with Terminal. The more adapted your vision is, the faster you will find the root. of what you are looking for.

Small “cheat sheet” of useful access points

To close apps without getting into trouble: Cmd + Option + Escape. To jump between apps: Cmd+Tab. To open Activity Monitor in a snap: Cmd + Space and type “activity monitor”. With these three shortcuts you solve 80% of situations from day to day.

Remember that Activity Monitor has a search bar (top right). If you see something strange in Terminal or an error message, paste it as is in that field. It will take you straight to the process and save you time.

Mastering these tools puts you in control: you'll know what's running, how much power it consumes, how to organize it, and what to shut down when something goes haywire. Between Activity Monitor, a couple of commands and good habits (close what you're not using, monitor startups, check power/network), your Mac will run more smoothly and you'll have a clearer idea of ​​what's going on "under the hood."