

If you notice this pattern, and don’t think the applicationīe causing that big a spike in WindowServer CPU usage, consider contacting the developer. Having said that, sometimes a bug in a piece of software can cause excessive WindowServer CPU usage.

So it makes sense for games, video editors, and other constantly refreshing applications to cause a spike in WindowServer CPU usage. To some extent, this is normal: programs that constantly change what’s showing on the screen are going to use WindowServer quite a bit, which means they will use up CPU power. If you see a particularly large drop after closing a specific program, that program is probably responsible for the high CPU usage. If WindowServer is taking up a lot of CPU power, try closing applications and seeing if the usage drops. It is completely safe.Īs we’ve said, every application communicates with WindowServer in order to draw things on your display. If you’re technically inclined, but it’s not exactly light reading.įor the most part, just know that WindowServer is what macOS, and every application you run on it, uses in order to display things on your screen. Every window you open, every website you browse, every game you play-WindowServer “draws” it all on your screen. If you see something on your Mac’s display, WindowServer put it there. WindowServer is a core part of macOS, and a liaison of sorts between your applications and your display. Don’t know what those services are? Better start reading! What Is This Process and Why Is It Running on My Mac?Įxplaining various processes found in Activity Monitor, like

, you noticed something called WindowServer occasionally taking up a bunch of CPU power.
