Forum Discussion
High CPU usage on macOS
For some reason, I get very high CPU usage on Edge Dev v79.0.294.1 on macOS 10.14.6
Attached is a screenshot of the Browser Task Manager with Edge at 180% CPU usage (somehow?)
My laptop's fans are running with only Edge opened and a couple of tabs which aren't very resource intensive. (The same CPU usage shows up on Activity Monitor).
Edit: This doesn't seem to happen all of the time. Perhaps a specific number of tabs? Or a specific website is causing this. I still find it strange considering none of the tabs I have opened are resource intensive.
Also, I'm not getting this issue on Safari (I haven't tried on Chrome).
Same here.
I confirmed the same behavior on both M1 Max and Intel CPU. (Monterey 12.1)
Once Edge stuck CPU usage high state, even if I closed all tabs & disabled all extensions, 100% CPU usage continues.
Even if I closed all tabs, I still get high CPU usage
just closed it as I noticed the laptop stayed hot for all night. one of the cores was 99% and no windows were open. after restart is back to normal usage.
Big Sur 11.6.4
Edge isVersion 98.0.1108.62 (Version officielle) (x86_64)
- so on Mac OS big sur what I've done is that you go into activity Monitor and from there if you see that Microsoft Edge Helper (renderer) is using too much CPU. Double click on Microsoft Edge Helper (renderer). It should automatically restart and shouldn't use as much CPU and should Idle at about 2%-30% depending on your model.
Deleted HotCakeX Thanks for mentioning it. I have been running 82.0.446.0 continuously since March 12 and the issue has not recurred. Previously Edge would spike up to ~250% usage after running for a day or two and I'd have to restart. So, fingers crossed! Thanks. Looking forward to any further update.
stevexyz Yay! And to loop back, if you check out our What's New page from a mac, you should see our announcement about the fix. Let me know if you can't see it, and I'll send you a screenshot.
Fawkes (they/them)
Project & Community Manager - Microsoft Edge
I'm still getting very high CPU (300%) usage at random intervals on macOS. I have kept Windows Defender Smartscreen completely disabled and this issue still occurs. (On Edge Dev v81.0.416.6, macOS 10.15.3)
Are there any plans to fix or any way for me to send some kind of diagnostic info to hopefully help get this issue fixed?
Yes, I have the same problem. Tried stable(80.0.361.56) and beta(80.0.361.53) versions with Smartscreen disabled. It occupies 95~150% cpu after some random time and can not be closed properly.
It might be worth noting the website you were trying to access at the time, as this can also have an impact on CPU / RAM consumption.
For example, we currently have a very similar experience in Safari 13, when accessing SharePoint Online pages using a particular web part. The issue (we believe) is partly due to changes in Safari 13, which have caused incompatibility with elements of this web part. In short, the two elements --- browser and website --- have to be considered.
One further note: I have been experiencing massive CPU spikes in other applications in MacOS Catalina recently e.g. Affinity Photo & Affinity Publisher. These previously ran seamlessly, so I am starting to wonder whether OS update 10.15.3 is itself the issue. We should really call it MacOS Vista! 🙂
- "" We have a fix for high CPU on MacOS when Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is enabled! ""
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/discussions/we-have-a-fix-for-high-cpu-on-macos-when-microsoft-defender/m-p/1138553 - I'm experiencing the same problem on Windows 10
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Discussions/Super-High-CPU-usage-on-Windows-i9-9900K-Edge-insider-Canary/m-p/916094
the problem is no longer isolated to MacOS only.. For me, Edge Dev has been excellent from a memory / cpu perspective on MacOS up until I upgraded to Catalina. Since then, I've encountered the same issue you describe.
However, following the suggestion in this thread, I have disabled Defender SmartScreen, and that seems to have resolved the issue for now. Hopefully the Edge dev team can resolve the issue to enable MacOS users to turn the feature back on again later.
On the other hand, MacOS Catalina doesn't seem very stable as a whole. It is very laggy. I wish I hadn't upgraded!
- You're welcome 🙂
- That seems to have worked. (I'll reply here if I get this issue again).
Thanks!- Thanks 🙂
pandawan I'm seeing the same thing here on masOS Catalina. I didn't capture the in-browser process reader but on the system level Edge's CPU usage increased exponentially with time. The strange thing is I'm looking at static pages, downloading files from one of the open pages, but nothing that I can think would need the CPU.
