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My MacBook Pro running on macOS Catalina is really slow and the kernel task is using 1000% of the CPU !!

I tried all the solutions suggested in MUF How to Fix Your Mac’s “kernel_task” High CPU Usage Bug. I still have the same problem.There is only one solution that I was not able to do exactly like it was mentioned, it is the one suggested by Victor Petterson in How to fix kernel_task CPU usage on Yosemite.

It involves removing the « model identifier ».plist file. I was not able to find the file with my model identifier so I removed all the files in : ../ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext/Contents/Resources

After removing the .plist files I have restarted my MacBook and re-enabled the SIP. Now the files are removed and the kernel task still using 70% of the CPU with a maximum speed of fans.

Does anyone have the same problem and was able to find a solution to the kernel task issue which is different from the ones mentioned above ?

Mouayd
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  • Any idea of whats causing the Kernel task to run? Have you tried killing the kernel task and seeing if it restarts itself but at a lower CPU usage? – Natsfan Jun 14 '20 at 14:50
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    You can’t really kill the kernel_task process because it’s an internal system process – Mouayd Jun 14 '20 at 21:09
  • you're right. my bad! – Natsfan Jun 14 '20 at 21:29
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    I spent more than 5 hours dealing with this problem. Activity Monitor showd kernel_task taking up 1400% of my CPU. Try running $ kextstat | grep -v com.apple and then try to get rid of everything which pops up there. In my case, the culprit was HAXM (com.intel.kext.intelhaxm). It’s supposed to provide better performance for android emulators (I installed it as soon as I got my macbook because Android Studio advised me to do so). However, after uninstalling it my emulators kept running ok, and I haven’t had this weird issue again. – LGenzelis Oct 20 '20 at 23:55
  • In my case a change to a refresh rate of 60 Hz of the monitor helped. You might find more information in the following explanation via youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK4AcBndg-0 – duffy356 Jul 29 '21 at 21:28
  • I had the same issue happening a few times on my 2012 MacBook Pro. For my case, it is battery/power related. Every time it happens, I disconnect the MagSafe power connector and reconnect. The kernel_task cpu usage immediately dropped off. – Guangliang Nov 05 '21 at 19:57

1 Answers1

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Kernel_task is a dummy process which takes up CPU resources from other applications in order to cool the system down. So I would look at your system's cooling, maybe use fan tools such as Mac Fan Control and perhaps disabling turbo boost with a tool such as TurboSwitcher. Also on some MacBook Pro's you can cool the system a bit by using a TB3 port on the right-hand side to charge from rather than the left.

Some other issues related to Kernel_task problems.

  1. Update software (so bugs get fixed)
  2. Check for malware.
  3. Adobe Flash! if you have this uninstall it is well known using up CPU resources. It is not needed anymore.
  4. Boot into safe mode see if that solves the issue
  5. If #4 works try uninstalling third-party software with kernel extensions (kexts) by using AppCleaner or CleanMyMac X, find them using terminal kextstat | grep -v com.apple and match them to the software packages. Do not remove Apple's, hence the command line filters them out of the listing of extensions.
  6. Use System Preferences -> Users & Groups -> Login Items and remove those applications you don't need to start upon login.
  7. Clean out your system using a tool like CleanMyMac X and uninstall applications you no longer use.
  8. Try resetting NVRAM
  9. Upgrade macOS 10.Reinstall macOS
AndrewC
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  • Thanks for your answer. Unfortunately, I had already tried all the 9 solutions. Nothing works really. I’ll try with Turboswither tool and see if it will do any good – Mouayd Jun 14 '20 at 21:11
  • @Mouayd No problem the main point is Kernel_task normally uses more CPU as your MacBook gets hotter. But when I say using more CPU its not really using the CPU for anything taxing its just controlling how much other applications can use. which model of MacBook are you using? – AndrewC Jun 15 '20 at 08:24
  • Exactly that’s what I found after doing some research. It usually does that when there is a hardware problem on the motherboard. I have the 2017 MacBook Pro 13 – Mouayd Jun 15 '20 at 19:44
  • @Mouayd software issues (bugs etc ) can do it as well and MacBook’s will naturally do it under a lot of load. Regarding hardware have you run Apple diagnostics? https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202731 – AndrewC Jun 15 '20 at 21:27
  • Yep I did and. It says that there may be an issue with SMC, power management system and the camera. The camera is working just fine but I don’t see how can I check the power management system or the SMC. I tried to reset the SMC but the problem kept occurring – Mouayd Jun 15 '20 at 22:46
  • @Mouayd if you have already reset the SMC I guess Apple is your best bet if hardware is involved. Also check Apples recalls and service programs. – AndrewC Jun 15 '20 at 22:51
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    The insight that kernel_task is used to steal CPU from other processed made me find a solution - I have been using MacsFanControll app and set fans to constant 2500 rpm - a little bit higher than minimum to keep my mac cooler.

    Once I turned off the app the fans immediately started to run faster, Mac cooled down and kernel_task stopped stealing CPU from other processed. It's weird cause I always thought MacsFanControl sets minimum RPM but nothing prevents it to spin faster.

    Note: I used Catalina 10.15.6 and newest MacsFanControl.

     – Jakub Głazik Aug 18 '20 at 13:33
  • Just checking in again for follow ups . @JakubGłazik Glad you got it sorted. By the way Apple Silicon also helps :-) No honestly since I moved away from Intel Macs to the M1 I haven't had such issues with throttling, fans and heat. – AndrewC Nov 24 '22 at 19:41