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This article will show you how to Fix High CPU Usage on Windows and Mac. If you’re not happy with how your PC or laptop is running, it’s time to do some fixing. One of the most important parts to check is the processor (CPU). Most of the time, bad speed is caused by a high CPU load. If your computer takes a long time to start, crashes, or freezes, this problem may be to blame.
The CPU, or central processing unit, is the brain of your computer. It is also called the processor. It controls everything that is going on. Like your brain, it can get too busy if there are too many things going on or if you focus too much on one thing. Just like you might find it hard to concentrate when you’re too busy, your computer’s engine can slow to a crawl if it has to do too much at once.
How to Fix High CPU Usage on Windows
Restart Your Computer
Most of the time, this is the first thing you should do when something is wrong with your resources, whether it’s the CPU load, memory, or something else. When you restart your computer, it clears out its caches, stops any processes that are going, and lets some background updates and patches finish installing. But if your PC’s CPU load is always high, this may not solve the problem.
Update Drivers And BIOS
This is a simple but important step, as updates and patch control are key to keeping any device or network in good shape. All of your computer’s drivers, including the chipset and BIOS, should be up to date. Unfortunately, Windows’ automatic updates don’t always find the right drivers and patches for hardware, especially when it comes to things like video cards.
Changing Windows Settings
Two top-level settings in Windows 10 can change how much the CPU is used. Your power plan comes first. You can change this by going to Start > typing “power plan” > “Show additional plans” > Select “High Performance” from the list.
The second setting is the factors in your system’s environment. Find this in the Windows start menu, go to the “Advanced” tab, click on “Settings,” and under “Performance,” pick “Adjust for best performance.” Then, click “Apply” and close the tab to save this change. If you turn off things like graphics with this setting, it could change the way Windows looks.
How to Fix High CPU Usage on Mac
Update Software and Restart Your Mac
The famous line from The IT Crowd is funny because it is true. The best answer isn’t always the most complicated one. You should check for programme updates before you restart your Mac. Often, the quick fix is to keep your system and apps up to date. If you want to know more information about this Visit Official Apple Support site.
Also, if you don’t have any data limits, make sure that macOS is set to update automatically. So, you can be sure you’re always using the most recent software. Follow these steps to keep apps up-to-date:
- Open System Preferences > Software Update.
- Accept any available updates when prompted.
- Ensure automatically keep my Mac up-to-date is ticked if applicable.
- Click Advanced for more specific update settings and change if needed.
To check for app updates, follow these steps:
- Launch Applications > App Store.
- Select Updates from the side menu.
- Update all relevant apps.
Use Activity Monitor to Identify the Source of High CPU Usage
If updates and restarts don’t fix the problem, it’s time to start looking into it. Activity Monitor, which comes with macOS, makes it easy to find out where your problems are coming from. Follow these steps to figure out why your CPU is being used so much:
- Launch Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.
- Ensure % CPU is selected in the control bar and set to descending order. That means the arrow should be pointing down.
- Examine the list. The process with the highest CPU usage will take the top spot.
Resolve High CPU Usage for Kernel_Task
When processes cause your CPU to get too hot, kernel_task comes in to cool things down. So, kernel_task is more of a convenient excuse than the real cause of the problem. Using Activity Monitor, you might be able to find the real cause, but even if you can’t, if you take the right steps, you can fix most kernel_task high CPU usage problems. Follow these steps to figure out why kernel_task is using a lot of CPU:
- Remove unnecessary peripherals.
- Reset SMC and PRAM.
- Remove Adobe Flash if present.
- Test in safe mode and remove third-party launch items, launch daemons, and kernel extensions if applicable.
- Check for hardware issues—see the next section of the article.
- Back up and reinstall the operating system (OS) if all else fails.
FAQs
The most important thing to remember is that kernel_task needs CPU cycles to keep your Mac from getting too hot. So, if you stop the process in Activity Monitor, it will just start up again. That’s something good.
We will delete and reload MacOS to fix the Kernel Panic problem and stop the Mac from restarting over and over again. Make sure that your Mac can access the internet. If you need to update the software on a MacBook, plug in the power adapter.