TL;DR
To kill background processes on your Mac:
- Open Activity Monitor from Finder > Applications > Utilities.
- Find the process and click the X button at the top.
- Choose Quit or Force Quit to terminate the process.
Tried and Tested ✅: The methods and steps mentioned in this article have been tried and tested firsthand by Ojash Yadav on his MacBook Pro M3 and rechecked for errors on Hashir’s MacBook Air M2.
Has your Mac suddenly slowed down for no clear reason? I’ve experienced that too, and it turned out that background processes were quietly taking up resources. Here’s what I did to stop them and get my Mac running smoothly again.
How to Kill Background Processes on Your Mac
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I’ve outlined the 2 most effective ways to kill background processes on your Mac:
1. Using Activity Monitor
Activity Monitor offers detailed system insights and allows you to terminate background processes that are consuming excessive resources. Here’s how to use Activity Monitor to kill background processes on your Mac:
- Open Activity Monitor by going to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.
- Once Activity Monitor is open, you’ll see a list of active processes displayed in the main window, sorted by their usage of system resources such as CPU, Memory, Energy, Disk, Network, or Cache.
- Identify the background process you want to terminate by browsing the list or using the search box at the top-right corner.
- Select the process you want to terminate to highlight it and click the X button in the top toolbar.
- A confirmation window will appear, asking if you want to Quit or Force Quit the process.
- Click the Quit button in the confirmation window to terminate the selected process.
2. Using a Terminal
The Terminal provides direct control over system processes, allowing you to manually kill background processes using commands. Here’s how to use the Terminal to kill background processes:
- Launch Terminal by going to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal, or use Spotlight search by pressing Command ⌘ + Space and typing Terminal.
- Type the following command in Terminal and press Enter:
top
- It will display a list of running processes and their corresponding process IDs (PIDs).
- Locate a process using excessive system resources and note its PID. It’s written to the left of the process name.
- Next, use the following command to kill the process and press Enter:
kill -9 <PID number>
For example, if the PID is 12345, type kill -9 12345 and press Enter.
It’s essential to exercise caution, as terminating critical system processes can lead to data loss or system instability. Ensure you’re targeting the correct process by verifying its name and PID before executing any kill commands.
How to Kill Unresponsive Processes
The Force Quit feature is a built-in tool on your Mac that allows you to forcibly terminate unresponsive or unwanted applications, including background processes. Here is how to use the Force Quit feature on Mac:
- Press the Command ⌘ + Option ⌥ + Escape keys simultaneously.
- A window will appear, displaying a list of active applications.
- Select the application you want to terminate from the list.
- Click the Force Quit button at the bottom of the window.
- Confirm that you want to force quit the application, and it will be terminated.
Please note that force quitting an application may result in unsaved data being lost, so use this feature carefully and only when necessary.
Prevent Unnecessary Background Processes
To stop unwanted apps from launching at startup, remove unnecessary startup items. Go to Apple Menu > System Settings > General > Login Items. You can also use MacKeeper to easily scan and remove these items for smoother startup performance.
Avoid Background Processes Overloading Your Mac
Background processes can make your Mac slow. Now that you know how to kill background processes on your Mac, you can preserve your system resources for other useful functions.
Here are some more tips for you to optimize your Mac’s performance:
- Speed up your slow Mac to prevent lags, crashes, and shutdowns.
- Regularly check your Mac’s temperature to avoid overheating.
- A fast-draining MacBook battery signals an issue that needs quick fixing, or you may need a new battery or Mac.