Sep 06, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
“Do we have a task manager in Mac as well – or some other Mac equivalent of task manager? I have to quit certain apps on Mac, but can’t seem to find its task manager.”
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If you have also moved to the macOS ecosystem recently, then you can have a similar query as well. Unlike Windows, accessing the task manager on Mac can be a tedious job. Though, it is one of the essential features of the operating system. From monitoring the CPU consumption of an application to closing a process forcefully – there are so many things that you can do with Macbook task manager.
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To help you do the same, we have come up with this detailed guide on macOS task manager. Read on and learn how to access the task manager on Mac in no time.
Part 1. Is There a Task Manager for Mac?
As you know, the task manager is a native feature on Windows computers. Though, Mac also has a similar component, which is known as Activity Monitor. As the name suggests, it will let you view and monitor all kinds of activities that are running on your Mac. You can view the CPU utilization of a process, system memory, disk storage, and other vital parameters. Furthermore, you can also use the Mac program manager to forcefully quit an app as well.
The feature was first introduced in Mac OS X v10.3 release and was initially known as process viewer or task manager on Mac. It was later when the tool was revamped and got released as an “Activity Monitor” with Mac OS X 10.9 release.
Part 2. How to Open Task Manager on Mac?
In order to access the features of the Mac process manager, you need to locate the application first. Here are some quick ways on how to open the task manager on Mac that you can also try.
1. Access Task Manager from the Finder
This is the easiest solution to open the task manager on Mac. All you got to do is click on the Apple icon from the main menu and visit System Preferences > Applications. From the available Applications on Finder, visit the Utility folder.
This will open all the utility tools and components on your Mac. Just look for the “Activity Monitor” tool and double-click its icon to open it.
2. Get Mac Task Manager on Spotlight
Spotlight is one of the most widely used features in Mac that helps us look for files and apps instantly. If you can’t find where is task manager on Mac, then click on the spotlight bar (the search icon) at the top right corner of the screen. Now, just type “Activity Monitor” on it as Mac would look up for it in the background. As you would get the relevant results, click on the Activity Monitor app to open it.
3. Open Task Manager from Mac’s Dock
Apart from Finder, Mac’s dock also lets us access the vital tools and applications quickly. By default, Activity Monitor is already a part of Mac’s dock. Though, you can just drag and drop its icon to include it in the dock as well. Just double-click the Activity Monitor icon on the dock to launch it.
If you want, you can further customize the task manager Mac icon as well. Just right-click the icon to access its context menu. From here, you can select what to monitor and change the dock icon to different options.
4. Use the Mac Task Manager Shortcut
Some macOS versions also have a keyboard shortcut to open task manager in Mac. All you got to do is press Command + Option + Shift + Esc keys at the same time. Keep holding them simultaneously for at least 3 seconds to launch the Activity Monitor app on the screen.
Part 3. How to Format Hard Drive for Mac and PC on Windows?
Now when you know how to access the task manager on Mac, you can easily make the most of it. It can help you monitor the activity of all kinds of apps and processes running on your system. If you want, you can even use the Mac task manager app to forcefully quite a process as well. Apart from that, you can get to know about the following components via task manager on Mac (Activity Monitor).
- CPU – This is the most important component as it provides a visual representation of the CPU utilization. Here, you can view how the processor of your Mac is affected by the app and what component is utilized by it. This can help you identify the most resource-consuming apps and processes.
- Memory – This is mostly the second component in Activity Monitor which depicts how much memory (RAM) a process is consuming on your Mac.
- Energy – If you are worried about the power consumption or overheating of Mac, then you should visit this tab. It will display the amount of energy consumed by an app or a process.
- Disk – This component will provide useful details about disk utilization on Mac. You can see the amount of disk an app has consumed, the kind of data consumed, who can access it, and so on.
- Network – Lastly, the tab will let you know the amount of data that has been exchanged on the network. This would include incoming and outgoing data via different sources.
Part 4. How to Force Quit an Application on Mac?
This is one of the major jobs of the Mac task manager app. It can help you monitor all kinds of above-listed parameters and let you forcefully quit an application too. For instance, if an application has been stuck or frozen, then you can just close it in the background using the task manager on Mac. Here are some of the simplest ways to forcefully quit an application on Mac.
1. Use the Apple Menu
If an application has been crashed on your Mac, then don’t worry. Just press and hold the Shift key and click on the Apple logo (on the top left corner of the screen). Here, you can see an option of “Force Quit” with the name of the selected application. Just click on it to close the application in the background.
2. Use the Mac Dock
If you want, you can also take the assistance of Mac’s dock to close an application as well. Needless to say, the mouse should be working and the app must be present on the dock. All you got to do is select the app icon and right-click it. From the available context menu, click on “Force Quit” to close it.
3. Use Activity Monitor
If you want to know about the details of an application before closing it, then consider using Activity Monitor. You can follow either of the above-listed methods to open the task manager on Mac. As you would get a list of all the running applications in the background, select the one that you wish to close. Click on the “Force Quit” button and confirm your choice to close the selected application.
Read on and know more complete details on how to force quit Mac and apps.
Part 5. How to View Running Processes via Terminal?
Just like Activity Monitor, you can also use the Terminal to view all the running processes in your Mac. It will display a unique ID for every process, which you can later be used to kill the process as well.
- Go to your Mac’s Applications > Utility and launch the Terminal app from here.
- If your Mac is malfunctioning, then restart it in the recovery mode and go to Utilities > Terminal instead.
- Once the terminal app has been launched on your screen, simply type the “ps –ax” command and press enter.
- This will display a list of all the running processes with their process ID (known as PID).
- If you want to forcefully close a process, then type “kill” followed by its PID. To close all the processes of that application, just type “killall” followed by the name of the app and press enter.
Part 6. Tips for Using Task Manager on Mac
Since Activity Monitor (task manager on Mac) is such a useful component, it will come handy to you on different occasions. If you want to make the most of it, then consider following these tips.
![Manager Manager](/uploads/1/1/3/6/113622771/407664238.png)
- If the Activity Monitor icon is not added to the dock, then simply drag and drop it there. This will let you access it quickly.
- Using the task manager on Mac, you can even close some vital system processes. Therefore, try not to close a process you are not able to understand.
- You can also use the Activity Monitor the see the battery consumption of the system. It will also help you identify and close the most power-consuming apps.
- Ideally, it is used to forcefully close a malfunctioning application. Whenever an app would crash, open the Activity Monitor, select it, and forcefully quit the application.
- Try not to use the Activity Monitor to close apps on a regular basis. This might end up corrupting your apps at times.
Conclusion
That brings us to the end of this informative guide on how to access the task manager on Mac. Not only have we discussed how to open the task manager on Mac, but we have also listed its usage and all the vital things we can do with it. Since Activity Monitor is the Mac equivalent of Task Manager (Windows), every user should be aware of it. Feel free to follow this guide and try to access Activity Monitor on your Mac as well.
Another tip for Windows and Mac: How to ctrl alt delete on Mac.
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By the virtue of being on Windows for many years, most users develop a muscle memory in hitting Ctrl + Alt + Delete when their PC acts up to open the Task Manager and restart a stalling process. It's just part of daily life. But what's the Mac equivalent of Task Manager?
Some say there's no need for the Apple Task Manager, as Macs run better and smoother than their PC counterparts. And while this is largely true, from time to time you absolutely need a way to force quit Mac processes to keep it in good shape.
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So how to get Task Manager on Mac? Easy! There's already an OSX Task Manager pre-installed (or rather the Mac equivalent of Task Manager) — called Activity Monitor, which you can find in Applications ➙ Utilities.
Activity Monitor Is The Apple Task Manager
Below is a guide for long-time Windows users in the process of onboarding to Mac and hence wondering, 'Where is Task Manager?' 'How to get Task Manager on Mac?' 'How to open Task Manager on Mac?' But Mac users who haven't used the MacBook Activity Monitor in a while will find the instructions on how to halt Mac processes useful as well.
What is Activity Monitor?
Activity Monitor is basically the OSX Task Manager, a utility that shows how much memory your Mac processes are using and which apps are currently active (even if they aren't open), letting you force quit stalled ones if you can't close them the usual way.
If you've never used this task manager for Mac before, it can be quite a lot to take in. But don't worry, here's a quick breakdown of all Activity Monitor's features.
CPU: The first tab in Activity Monitor lists all the processes that are currently taking up your Mac's CPU, displays the exact percentages of power they are consuming, and notes how long they have been running.
There's a process you might notice in the CPU tab called 'kernel_task' that could be taking a large share of resources. Don't panic and don't shut it down! The process simply ensures your CPU isn't working too hard by forcing other memory-intensive Mac processes out. As a result, it might seem like one of the heaviest processes on the list. Similarly, 'mds' and 'mdworker' help index files for the Spotlight search, which sometimes spikes their appetite.
Memory: The second tab reflects how much RAM every process is taking up, which could be the most useful indicator of all. RAM is directly responsible for the speed of your Mac, so getting rid of heavy users is the fastest way to speed things up.
Another interesting feature of the Memory tab is the RAM Pressure Gauge at the bottom. If the bar is green then your Mac's RAM isn't being taxed too much. But if it turns red — consider buying additional memory for your machine.
Energy: The middle tab comes handy when you're using your MacBook without plugging it in. Here you can easily find apps and processes that drain your battery and quit them to extend your screen time.
Disk: Even though this tab might not be the most useful one for daily use, it still shows how various processes interact with your hard drive, rewriting data. If you ever happen to install some malware, you might find its processes here as large outliers and quit them just in time.
Good Task Manager For Macbook Pro
Network: The last tab in Activity Monitor reflects the amount of data received and sent by every app you have installed. Again, it's generally good for spotting outliers that might send too much data online.
Cache: If you're running macOS earlier than High Sierra, you might see another tab in Activity Monitor called Cache. It basically lists how much data your network devices have cached so far and is only useful for those who know how to clean up those caches (read more on this below).
How to open Task Manager on Mac?
Unfortunately, there are no keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl + Alt + Delete to open your Mac process monitor, but launching Activity Monitor is still quite simple. Pick one of the three ways to do it.
Open Activity Monitor from Spotlight:
- Press ⌘ + Space to open Spotlight
- Start typing Activity Monitor
- Once Activity Monitor comes up highlighted, hit Enter or click on it
Open Activity Monitor from Finder:
- Click on Finder in your Dock
- Navigate to Applications on the sidebar
- Choose Utilities in the Applications window
- Double-click on the Activity Monitor icon
Open Activity Monitor from Dock:
If you've been having recurring troubles, setting up Activity Monitor in your Dock is absolutely worth doing. It's essentially a handy one-click Mac Task Manager shortcut.
But before you can open Activity Monitor from your Dock, you need to use one of the previous two methods first. Then, once Activity Monitor is active:
- Right-click on the Activity Monitor icon in your Dock
- Select Options
- Choose 'Keep in Dock'
'Keep in Dock' should now have a checkmark beside it, which means it will stay in the Dock even if you quit the app — then you can launch it like any other program.
How to force quit an application?
If you're looking for answers regarding the Mac OS Task Manager, chances are it's because some app has stalled on you. There are two ways to go here.
From the Activity Monitor:
- Navigate to either the CPU or the Memory tab and find the slow process
- Click to highlight
Best Task Manager For Mac 2020
- Press the X icon in the top toolbar
- Confirm that you're sure you want to quit the process
The other force-quit option is from the Force Quit Applications window:
- Press ⌘ + Option + Esc
- Highlight the program you want to quit
- Click Force Quit
Check out: Mac startup programs
Are there better Apple Task Manager alternatives?
While Activity Monitor is definitely the Mac equivalent of Task Manager, sometimes you want to monitor your Mac's processes a little more closely and get real time updates on your Mac's performance. iStat Menus will help you do that.
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iStat Menus is the single Mac monitoring tool you need for a great performance. Get updates on your Mac’s resources in a click.
iStat Menus gives you fast updates on what's using your Mac's resources at just a glance. Working hard right from the menu bar, the app displays graphs for nearly every function of your Mac, so you can instantly find out what's wrong or just notice how your Mac behaves in different conditions.
It's likely that if you need a Mac OS Task Manager it's because your computer is running slowly. But don't just address the symptom, address the cause. Instead of quitting processes, get your Mac to run smoothly overall with CleanMyMac X.
CleanMyMac X is an optimization software that's designed to improve your Mac's performance with just a few clicks. It removes user and system caches, protects against malware, uninstalls unwanted software — all to bring your Mac back up to speed. If there's an app constantly stalling or hanging up, it's probably due to a conflict with some other process — CleanMyMac X will clear it up right away:
- Open the app
- Navigate to System Junk ➙ Scan
- Review Details to see what might be wrong and hit Clean
Knowing how to use your MacBook Task Manager is essential to getting the most out of your Mac and following the tips above is a good start.
Best of all, iStat Menus and CleanMyMac X are both available for a free 7-day trial through Setapp, a platform with over 150 useful apps that turbocharge your Mac's capabilities. Now you surely won't miss the Windows Task Manager at all.
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