![]() ![]() Activity Monitor shows it as “Mail Web Content”. That happens from time to time with Apple Mail. Sometimes, some Application gets hooked and starts eating 100% CPU. And now apparently overheating the left USB-C ports.įor more details, see Apple’s note about kernel_task, and my previous warning.ġ. By far the most common cause of more persistent problems, though, is dust and debris in the air ducts. Hardware diagnostics are usually helpful, or one of several apps which let you check on sensor readings. In those cases, resetting the SMC is usually curative, but it may be the result of a fault in a thermal sensor, or in the SMC itself. There are rare occasions when fans blow full on and kernel_task goes wild without any thermal problem. Quit Activity Monitor and anything else which might increase the thermal load. Ensure its vents are unblocked, and cooling air can enter and exit freely. When the fans get loud and kernel_task hogs your CPU, it’s time to do all you can to let your Mac cool down. That’s a bit like stopping someone who’s sweating because of the heat from drinking to replace their fluid loss. In the past, some users have taken to meddling with this system, by trying to stop kernel_task from doing its job. So kernel_task‘s high load isn’t a cause of the problem, it’s part of the normal cooling response. Where possible that slows processor speed, and blocks any runaway processes by occupying the CPU with kernel_task. These include its active cooling system of fans, which are run up to speed to blow cooling air over the most sensitive components, and easing off CPU load. When a process runs away and takes over the cores, or any of the internal thermal sensors registers an abnormally warm temperature, Core Duet responds with a set of actions to try to keep it cool. Your Mac’s thermal sensors are monitored by a sub-system named Core Duet, which together with the SMC manages its internal environment and services. kernel_task isn’t causing the thermal problem, it’s part of your Mac’s response to it. In the example quoted above, the cause is in a thermal sensor placed by the left USB-C ports in many MacBook Pro models. High CPU load by kernel_task often means that your Mac is getting too hot somewhere, or is at risk of heating up. Why is that, and what should you do about it? So, your Mac goes all sluggish, you open Activity Monitor, and there at the top of the CPU list is kernel_task, taking 100% or more. As the significance of this cardinal sign hasn’t been recognised by many expert users, and the warmer weather is drawing near, now is the time to remind ourselves what kernel_task does, and what this means. One key feature mentioned here is that users who have this problem have noticed that a process named kernel_task has also been consuming almost all the CPU, as shown in Activity Monitor. This will create an independent app which runs outside of System Preferences.There’s been a recent resurgence of interest in an old thread elsewhere about MacBook Pro models overheating when being charged and connected to external devices using the USB-C ports on their left side alone. This is due to an increasing amount of security features imposed by Apple on preference panes running within System Preferences, which made it too cumbersome to develop MenuMeters as a preference pane.Ĭlone the git repo, open MenuMeters.xcodeproj, and build the target MenuMeters. More recently, starting from Catalina, MenuMeters was changed from a preference pane within System Preferences to an independent app. Since then, many people contributed pull requests, most of which have been incorporated. I'm making here a minimal modification so that it runs as a faceless app, putting NSStatusItem's instead of NSMenuExtra's. The original version does not work on El Capitan and later, due to the fact that SystemUIServer doesn't load Menu Extras not signed by Apple any longer. It's a great utility originally developed at. If you'd like your version mentioned here, please tell me at the issues page. which has new features in the CPU meter, etc.There are also further forks of my version of MenuMeters, which implement more features. What is more, they are maintained actively. Which are all menubar monitors with more modern look and feel and more capability. If you run sufficiently new mac OS, try one of Other versions & related open source softwares: The detailed installation instruction is given in the former. If you just want to use it, please go to or and download the binary. My fork of MenuMeters for El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina and Big Sur. ![]()
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