Within this article, we are going to discover How to Check CPU Usage on a Mac and even add a monitor to your dock. Knowing how much your CPU is being used can give you clues why your Mac is slowing or how many tasks your Mac can handle.
- From the dock select Launchpad
- From Launchpad select the Other Folder
- On the Other folder select Activity Monitor
- on the Activity Monitor select the CPU tab
It is not always easy following along with a how-to with a simple list. So I have the how-to with pictures and, if you look below, even video instructions.
How to Check CPU Usage on a Mac
Your Mac OS comes with an inbuilt utility that allows you to check your CPU usage. All without the need for outside apps.
If you are having problems with your Mac, especially if the problem is that the Mac is slowing down. Then checking the CPU usage can help you identify problems quickly.
Any app that is CPU hungry is likely to slow down your Mac so let us get right into how to check the Mac CPU.
Step 1. From the dock select Launchpad
Step 2. From Launchpad select the Other Folder
Step 3. On the other folder select Activity Monitor
Step 4. On the Activity Monitor select the CPU tab
How to Show CPU Usage on Mac Dock
If you are already in the activity monitor box. Then you can enable the dock view without right-clicking the App icon.
Here is what you need to do:
Step 1. Right-click on the Activity Monitor icon on the dock
Step 2. Open Dock Icon
Step 3. Select Show CPU Usage
This is how the CPU monitor will display in the Mac dock. As the CPU is used more the bars will add extra tabs on the bar indicator.
Show CPU Usage on Mac Dock From the Activity Monitor Box
If you are already in the activity monitor then you can enable the dock view without right-clicking the App icon.
Here is what you need to do:
Choose View > Dock Icon > Select Show CPU Usage
How to Check CPU Usage on Mac Terminal
If you are someone who likes to use Mac Terminal. Then you are in luck and you can check the CPU usage within the terminal. Unlike if you want to know more about your Mac RAM usage in the terminal.
There is a downside to using the terminal to see the CPU usage. As you will only see the CPU utilization and not what apps are taking up the most CPU power.
Here is how to check CPU usage on a Mac terminal:
- Open up Spotlight
- Search and open Terminal
- Past in (top -l 2 | grep -E “^CPU”) and run the command
- CPU usage will populate
The code is without the brackets I have included it below for you to easily copy and paste.
top -l 2 | grep -E "^CPU"As you can see in the image below that there is a lot less information on the terminal console way of checking your CPU.
How to Check CPU Usage on a Mac Video
If you prefer video, then I have you covered with this simple-to-follow video on How to Check CPU Usage on a Mac.
