How to solve kernel_task high CPU usage?

[prairyk]

So I upgraded to 16GB RAM and poof problem solved. Also learned from another page that the later OS versions do not run well on 4GB RAM which is what I had. A memory upgrade is the answer I guess.

What model & system number do you have? I am still using an old Macbook Pro (2010 I think) upgraded to 10.9.5—that's as far as I've cared to go without boosting hardware or other. I was plodding along, albeit somewhat slowly but acceptable. Fairly recently the old horse began slowing down more, especially when I use Safari or watch short YouTube videos (which I just started doing because our internet bandwidth has been so restricted). I have always worked a lot with graphics & photography. Using Activity Monitor I periodically check my CPU usage & it's high. Memory is outrageous—Safari & kernel task being the real problem. The other day my whole machine just shut down & scared me to death as that's never happened, despite having a few app crashes & freezes lately. I had been thinking before that happened I should check into adding RAM, as you mentioned. I'm running on 4GB now. Even though I've been a Mac user since the very first version, I'm not as geeky as perhaps I should be. So when I start reading about moving system files around & messing with my hardware, my brain shuts down, even if I'm somewhat familiar with the terms used. So, just curious about your equipment....

 

[lvntclkl]

Imac 21.5 (late 2012)
8 gb ram 1600 mhz ddr3
Intel core i5 2.7 ghz
Nvidia Gt 640 m 512 mb
1 tb disc 5400rpm
Mac os Sierra 10.12.5.
Fan works very badly.
It s so hard 2 use it now.
Its getting slower than before.
I dont know what to do!!!

 

[You are the One]

Thank you! In my case was an old HDMI cable that was messing up with the kernel_task, just replaced it and the kernel_task is now with 11% CPU usage instead of 500%!

Thank you! Today my kernel_task went crazy with cpu usage of over 1000% and computer unusable. Unplugged my external, HDMI connected, monitor and it went down to normal. I changed the HDMI-cable to a newer one and things work fine again.

 

[You are the One]

Thank you! Today my kernel_task went crazy with cpu usage of over 1000% and computer unusable. Unplugged my external, HDMI connected, monitor and it went down to normal. I changed the HDMI-cable to a newer one and things work fine again.

Hmm, after a couple of days kerneltask start to go haywire again when a HDMI-cable is connected. Have to go back to a VGA-cable to use an external monitor.

 

[nuggiefresh]

Okay, I seem to have solved the kernel_task PCU drain using this method I stumbled across on the web.

1. Go to About this mac under the apple in the upper left and click on More info
2. Click on system report
3. make a note of what it says after Model Identifier
4. go to your master drive – System -Library – Extensions – IOPlatformPluginFamily.kext -Contents – Plugins – ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext – Contents – Resources – find the name from step 3 and move it to a folder that you can find again if needed.
3. Restart and you’re done
I hope this helps.

Only problem now is the battery won't register, new or old and the fan is running 100% of the time.

WORKS LIKE A CHARM!!! DO IT!!!
THANKS, BRO,

 

[davewarden]

Okay, I seem to have solved the kernel_task PCU drain using this method I stumbled across on the web.

1. Go to About this mac under the apple in the upper left and click on More info
2. Click on system report
3. make a note of what it says after Model Identifier
4. go to your master drive – System -Library – Extensions – IOPlatformPluginFamily.kext -Contents – Plugins – ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext – Contents – Resources – find the name from step 3 and move it to a folder that you can find again if needed.
3. Restart and you’re done
I hope this helps.

Only problem now is the battery won't register, new or old and the fan is running 100% of the time.

I have a MacBook Pro 9,1 and was experiencing the same problems. Followed the procedure above and "hey presto" kernel task CPU usage down from 80%++ to 2%. One thing to note is I could not delete said file as it is being used. I needed to boot from my backup drive, delete the file and then boot from the primary drive once again.

 

[mommucks]

Hello, im facing the same problem and i already go through your tips and now stuck (refer photo i uploaded) because i noted that my Macbook Pro 15" Mid 2015 model identifier is : MacBookPro11,4 . but there is no file with this name after i go through step no 4. please help me my cpu usage getting higher day by day

Okay, I seem to have solved the kernel_task PCU drain using this method I stumbled across on the web.

1. Go to About this mac under the apple in the upper left and click on More info
2. Click on system report
3. make a note of what it says after Model Identifier
4. go to your master drive – System -Library – Extensions – IOPlatformPluginFamily.kext -Contents – Plugins – ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext – Contents – Resources – find the name from step 3 and move it to a folder that you can find again if needed.
3. Restart and you’re done
I hope this helps.

Only problem now is the battery won't register, new or old and the fan is running 100% of the time.

 

[Brassoo]

Hi, just wanted to share that i had this high kernel_task cpu for a couple of months now (400-600% CPU almost continuously) on my Macbook Pro 15" Retina mid 2012.

Tried all the steps, anything i could find on forums to discover the cause, nothing helped. Until i read that cleaning your fans might help. Screwed my MacBook open, cleaned out all the dust and she's running like new again. Shouldve done it 4 months ago!

So in case the problem is with a bit older laptop, see if you can get the inside free of dust!

 

[Jim breese]

Hi, just wanted to share that i had this high kernel_task cpu for a couple of months now (400-600% CPU almost continuously) on my Macbook Pro 15" Retina mid 2012.

Tried all the steps, anything i could find on forums to discover the cause, nothing helped. Until i read that cleaning your fans might help. Screwed my MacBook open, cleaned out all the dust and she's running like new again. Shouldve done it 4 months ago!

So in case the problem is with a bit older laptop, see if you can get the inside free of dust!

[doublepost=1504213458][/doublepost]Breakthrough!
In Post # 149 on Page 6, I listed about 20 steps that might lead to a solution to the "overloaded kernel and fast fans" problem.
I now have one more solution: replace the MCP chip. It's apparently a chip that combines the graphical processor with the Southbridge (whatever that is). I had it done by BrickFence, who is a board-repair vendor on eBay.
Note: just because this fixed my two boards doesn't mean it will fix yours. Do the 20+ steps in Post 149 before you decide to replace the MCP...

 

[Lessig]

Hello, im facing the same problem and i already go through your tips and now stuck (refer photo i uploaded) because i noted that my Macbook Pro 15" Mid 2015 model identifier is : MacBookPro11,4 . but there is no file with this name after i go through step no 4. please help me my cpu usage getting higher day by day View attachment 704664

Did you get an answer to this question? I too was trying this solution, but my system does not have the plist for my model.

 

[Ejsalling]

Changing the refresh rate for my external monitor from 60 to 50 hz seems to have resolved the problem for me.

For as long as I can remember, my 2014 Macbook Pro Retina has been having the kernel task problem when connecting any single external monitor. The kernel task would rise to 300-600 % within a few minutes after connecting the monitor.

So far I've been able to work for a full day without the usual kernel task madness - which was not at all possible before.
I'm not sure if it could have been some kind of conflict between the gpu and the monitor, or if it's because the lower refresh rate stresses the gpu less which then generates less heat?

At least this has fixed the problem for me. For now.

 

[kernelfixer]

Changing the refresh rate for my external monitor from 60 to 50 hz seems to have resolved the problem for me.

For as long as I can remember, my 2014 Macbook Pro Retina has been having the kernel task problem when connecting any single external monitor. The kernel task would rise to 300-600 % within a few minutes after connecting the monitor.

So far I've been able to work for a full day without the usual kernel task madness - which was not at all possible before.
I'm not sure if it could have been some kind of conflict between the gpu and the monitor, or if it's because the lower refresh rate stresses the gpu less which then generates less heat?

At least this has fixed the problem for me. For now.

THE FIX!

For me it was NOT related to graphics card switching, OS (update to High Sierra still had the same issues), external monitors, coin miners (I was almost ready to dump this thing or let it mine as it was always maxed anyway...) or other malware, defective components etc...

Freaking Spotlight!

Start with adding places like system and the hidden user Library and other system folders or drives you do not need indexed to Spotlights Privacy exclusions you will be surprised...

Adding the first system Library already had my macbook pro super quiet in only a few seconds...

Try this guys!.. Instant reduced CPU usage!

I've read it somewhere in a long topic on this but that was long closed and this got little to no attention, so I figured I had to re-share this for all who have a mac that becomes very slow and with fans at max speed blazing like it's about to take off..

Hope it works for all of you.

 

[Sven Seven]

I have observed a kernel_task load between 6-9% so I found this long thread via internet search.
I found out that the load came from using my Macbook Pro with an external display (27“ Apple Thunderbolt Display). Without the display the load went down to less than 1%.
Hence I conclude there is some Thunderbolt bandwidth handling thing going on. The system needs to transfer the bandwidth required for the display which is not little (educated guess: 2560*1440*4*60 ~= 900 MB/s).
So there’s nothing I can do about this load if I want to keep using the display.

Oh, and the external firewire audio interface (TC Electronic) also eats away another 13%. Bummer. Gotta replace that one some time.

 

[korpoludek]

Hello MacRumors Community,

I'm struggling with kernel_task process consuming 599%, making my Macbook Pro impossible to use. I've done some research on the topic and tried several ways to solve the problem, but none of them worked.

Symptoms:
- computer is extremely slow,
- fan is working very on high revs, very loud,
- kernel task consuming 400-600% of CPU.

What I've tried:
- reboot - didn't change anything,
- SMC reset - didn't change anything,
- NVRAM reset - didn't change anything,
- reboot in safe mode - it's almost impossible to check anything in the safe mode because the computer is working even slowlier than in the normal mode,
- removing the file from IOPlatformPluginFamily.kext - finally haven't done that since there is no file reflecting my model identifier.

Please find below the EtreCheck report. I would really appreciate your help with solving the problem - I didn't expect that a cutting edge, 3 year old computer would work this way.

Thank you in advance!
Peter

EtreCheck version: 4.1.4 (4A203)
Report generated: 2018-03-29 18:03:49
Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com
Runtime: 25:33
Performance: Poor

Problem: Computer is too slow

Major Issues:
Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention.

System Integrity Protection disabled - System Integrity Protection is disabled. This computer is at risk of malware infection.

Poor performance - EtreCheck report took over 10 minutes to run. This is very unusual.

Minor Issues:

These issues do not need immediate attention but they may indicate future problems.

Time Machine auto backup disabled - Time Machine auto backups are disabled.
Heavy RAM usage - This machine is using a large amount of RAM.
Clean up - There are orphan files that could be removed.
Unsigned files - There is unsigned software installed. They appear to be legitimate but should be reviewed.
System modifications - There are a large number of system modifications running in the background.

Hardware Information:
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
MacBook Pro Model: MacBookPro11,2
1 2,2 GHz Intel Core i7 (i7-4770HQ) CPU: 4-core
16 GB RAM Not upgradeable
BANK 0/DIMM0
8 GB DDR3 1600 ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
8 GB DDR3 1600 ok
Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 641

Video Information:
Intel Iris Pro - VRAM: 1536 MB
Color LCD 3360 x 2100

Drives:
disk0 - APPLE SSD SM0256F 251.00 GB (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)
Internal PCI 5.0 GT/s x2 Serial ATA
disk0s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB
disk0s2 250.79 GB
disk1s1 - Macintosh HD (APFS) 250.79 GB 204.63 GB
disk1s2 - Preboot (APFS) [APFS Preboot] 250.79 GB 20 MB
disk1s3 - Recovery (APFS) [Recovery] 250.79 GB 507 MB
disk1s4 - VM (APFS) [APFS VM] 250.79 GB 2.15 GB

Mounted Volumes:
disk1s1 - Macintosh HD 250.79 GB (43.34 GB free)
APFS
Mount point: /
disk1s4 - VM [APFS VM] 250.79 GB (43.34 GB free)
APFS
Mount point: /private/var/vm

Network:
Interface Bluetooth-Modem: Bluetooth DUN
Interface en0: Wi-Fi
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
One IPv4 address
Interface en4: ZTE WCDMA Technologies MSM
Interface en5: iPhone
Interface en3: Bluetooth PAN
Interface bridge0: Thunderbolt Bridge

System Software:
macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 (17C88)
Time since boot: About 6 days
System Load: 14.19 (1 min ago) 17.54 (5 min ago) 20.28 (15 min ago)

Security:
System Status
Gatekeeper Mac App Store and identified developers
System Integrity Protection disabled

Unsigned Files:
Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.avast.osx.secureline.uninstall.plist
Executable: /Library/Application Support/AvastSecureLine/hub/autouninstall.sh
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.paragon-software.NTFS.fsnotify.daemon.plist
Executable: /Library/PreferencePanes/ParagonNTFS.prefPane/Contents/Resources/com.paragon-so ftware.NTFS.fsnotify.daemon
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.avast.uninstall.plist
Executable: /Library/Application Support/Avast/hub/autouninstall.sh
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.amazon.sendtokindle.launcher.plist
Executable: /usr/bin/stkLaunchAgent.sh
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper.plist
Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.avast.osx.secureline.userinit.plist
Executable: /Library/Application Support/AvastSecureLine/hub/userinit.sh
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.avast.osx.secureline.home.userinit.plist
Executable: ~/Library/Application Support/AvastSecureLine/hub/userinit.sh
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist
Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.paragon-software.facebook.agent.plist
Executable: /Library/Application Support/Paragon Software/Paragon Software Facebook Agent.app/Contents/MacOS/Paragon Software Facebook Agent
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.avast.osx.secureline.update.plist
Executable: /Library/Application Support/AvastSecureLine/components/update/update.sh
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.avast.osx.secureline.init.plist
Executable: /Library/Application Support/AvastSecureLine/hub/init.sh
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.avast.userinit.plist
Executable: /Library/Application Support/Avast/hub/userinit.sh
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.avast.init.plist
Executable: /Library/Application Support/Avast/hub/init.sh
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.paragon-software.ntfs.automount.plist
Executable: /Library/PreferencePanes/ParagonNTFS.prefPane/Contents/Resources/NTFSAutomountA gent
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist
Executable: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/SwitchBoard/SwitchBoard.app/Contents/MacOS/launch.switchboard
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.avast.home.userinit.plist
Executable: ~/Library/Application Support/Avast/hub/userinit.sh
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/org.Navionics.NavService.plist
Executable: /Applications/Chart Installer/NavService.app/Contents/MacOS/NavService
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.paragon.ntfs14.refresh.plist
Executable: /Library/Application Support/Paragon Software/ntfs14refresh.sh
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.avast.update.plist
Executable: /Library/Application Support/Avast/components/update/update.sh
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Kernel Extensions:
/Library/Application Support/Avast/components/fileshield/signed
[Loaded] AvastFileShield.kext (AVAST Software a.s., 4.0.0 - SDK 10.12)
/Library/Application Support/Avast/components/proxy/signed
[Loaded] AvastPacketForwarder.kext (AVAST Software a.s., 2.1 - SDK 10.12)

/Library/Extensions
[Loaded] ufsd_NTFS.kext (Paragon Software GmbH, 14.3.318 - SDK 10.5)

/System/Library/Extensions
[Loaded] EZSound.kext (ACTIONS MICROELECTRONICS CO., LTD, 1.0 - SDK 10.9)
[Loaded] framebufferdriver.kext (ACTIONS MICROELECTRONICS CO., LTD, 1.0.0.44 - SDK 10.10)
[Not Loaded] usbscsistor.kext (ACTIONS MICROELECTRONICS CO., LTD, 1.0.0.43 - SDK 10.10)

System Launch Agents:
[Not Loaded] 11 Apple tasks
[Loaded] 168 Apple tasks
[Running] 111 Apple tasks

System Launch Daemons:
[Not Loaded] 38 Apple tasks
[Loaded] 176 Apple tasks
[Running] 118 Apple tasks

Launch Agents:
[Loaded] 6H4HRTU5E3.com.avast.passwords.Agent.plist (AVAST Software a.s. - installed 2017-09-20)
[Loaded] com.paragon.updater.plist (Paragon Software GmbH - installed 2016-11-29)
[Loaded] com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-03-29)
[Loaded] com.paragon-software.ntfs.automount.plist (? 23af1e7e - installed 2016-11-29)
[Loaded] com.paragon-software.facebook.agent.plist (? 95fb0bd4 - installed 2016-11-29)
[Loaded] com.avast.userinit.plist (? bb25154c - installed 2017-12-20)
[Other] com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a725c38014c95072f92651fb65e1bf9c8e43c37a2 3d420d.plist (? ed2af8df - installed 2017-01-14)
[Not Loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (? ffb65062 - installed 2018-02-13)
[Running] com.avast.update-agent.plist (AVAST Software a.s. - installed 2017-12-20)
[Running] com.paragon-software.NTFS.fsnotify.agent.plist (Paragon Software GmbH - installed 2016-11-29)
[Running] com.amazon.sendtokindle.launcher.plist (? d18c2039 - installed 2014-10-28)
[Running] com.avast.osx.secureline.update-agent.plist (AVAST Software a.s. - installed 2018-02-27)
[Loaded] com.avast.osx.secureline.userinit.plist (? 2fc1004f - installed 2018-02-27)
[Loaded] com.adobe.GC.Invoker-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-02)

Launch Daemons:
[Running] com.disc-soft.DAEMONTools.PrivilegedHelper.plist (Disc Soft Ltd - installed 2016-10-15)
[Other] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-01)
[Loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (? 6d8cb30e - installed 2015-01-16)
[Not Loaded] com.My-Soft-Update.agent.plist (? be8a33da - installed 2017-05-15)
[Loaded] com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (? d94017c4 - installed 2017-01-14)
[Running] com.adobe.acc.installer.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-03-29)
[Other] com.OptiBuy.agent.plist (? 6a96c5fa - installed 2017-05-22)
[Loaded] 6H4HRTU5E3.com.avast.passwords.AgentXPC.plist (AVAST Software a.s. - installed 2017-09-20)
[Loaded] com.paragon.NTFS.launch.plist (Apple, Inc. - installed 2017-12-01)
[Running] com.avast.osx.secureline.update.plist (? f50a649c - installed 2018-02-27)
[Running] com.paragon-software.NTFS.fsnotify.daemon.plist (? 66744841 - installed 2016-11-29)
[Running] com.adobe.agsservice.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-02)
[Loaded] com.avast.osx.secureline.init.plist (? 1bda83b1 - installed 2018-02-27)
[Loaded] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist (? 856489a3 - installed 2015-04-30)
[Loaded] com.microsoft.OneDriveUpdaterDaemon.plist (? 0 - installed 2017-07-18)
[Running] com.paragon-software.installer.plist (Paragon Software GmbH - installed 2016-12-06)
[Loaded] com.microsoft.autoupdate.helpertool.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2015-10-28)
[Loaded] com.avast.osx.secureline.uninstall.plist (? ba7a0061 - installed 2018-02-27)
[Loaded] com.avast.init.plist (? fc55b6fa - installed 2017-12-20)
[Not Loaded] com.My-SoftUpdate.agent.plist (? 8e4f68d6 - installed 2017-05-14)
[Running] com.avast.update.plist (? 5c6ac355 - installed 2017-12-20)
[Loaded] com.apple.installer.osmessagetracing.plist (Apple, Inc. - installed 2017-12-01)
[Loaded] com.paragon.ntfs14.refresh.plist (? 5941d160 - installed 2017-02-05)
[Loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper.plist (? 689758eb - installed 2015-05-08)
[Loaded] com.avast.uninstall.plist (? 22f94791 - installed 2017-12-20)
[Loaded] com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (? 1574c81e - installed 2017-01-14)

User Launch Agents:
[Loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (? 0 - installed 2018-02-13)
[Loaded] com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent.plist (Dropbox, Inc. - installed 2017-08-10)
[Running] com.disc-soft.DAEMONTools.DAEMONToolsAgent.plist (Disc Soft Ltd - installed 2016-09-19)
[Loaded] com.adobe.GC.Invoker-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-02)
[Loaded] com.avast.osx.secureline.home.userinit.plist (? 0 - installed 2018-02-27)
[Loaded] com.bittorrent.BitTorrent.plist (BitTorrent, Inc - installed 2016-03-17)
[Loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist (Google, Inc. - installed 2018-02-04)
[Loaded] com.skype.skype.shareagent.plist (Skype Communications S.a.r.l - installed 2017-08-10)
[Loaded] com.bittorrent.uTorrent.plist (? 0 - installed )
[Loaded] com.avast.home.userinit.plist (? 0 - installed 2017-12-20)
[Running] org.Navionics.NavService.plist (? 0 - installed 2016-07-05)


User Login Items:
iTunesHelper aplikacja (Apple, Inc. - installed 2018-01-28)
(/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)
Dropbox aplikacja (Dropbox, Inc.
(/Applications/Dropbox.app)
Android File Transfer Agent aplikacja
(~/Library/Application Support/Google/Android File Transfer/Android File Transfer Agent.app)
Macintosh HD wolumin
Avast Passwords Service SMLoginItem (AVAST Software a.s. - installed 2017-09-12)
(/Applications/Avast Passwords.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/Avast Passwords Service.app)
6H4HRTU5E3.com.avast.osx.secureline.avastsecurelinehelper SMLoginItem (AVAST Software a.s. - installed 2018-02-15)
(/Applications/AvastSecureLine.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/6H4HRTU5E3.com.a vast.osx.secureline.avastsecurelinehelper.app)
com.adobe.SwitchBoard.monitor.plist MachInit
(/etc/mach_init_per_user.d/com.adobe.SwitchBoard.monitor.plist)

Internet Plug-ins:
AdobeAAMDetect: 3.0.0.0 (installed 2018-03-29)
FlashPlayer-10.6: 28.0.0.161 (installed 2018-02-09)
QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (installed 2017-12-01)
AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: 17.012.20098 (installed 2018-02-28)
AdobePDFViewer: 18.011.20038 (installed 2018-02-28)
Flash Player: 28.0.0.161 (installed 2018-02-09)
SharePointBrowserPlugin: 14.5.7 (installed 2015-10-28)
Silverlight: 5.1.50709.0 (installed 2016-09-21)

3rd Party Preference Panes:
Flash Player (installed 2018-02-01)
FUSE (installed 2017-01-29)
Paragon NTFS for Mac® (installed 2017-02-05)

Time Machine:
Skip System Files:
Mobile backups: No
Auto backup: No

Volumes being backed up:

Macintosh HD: Disk size: 250.79 GB - Disk used: 207.45 GB

Destinations:

N**y [Local]

Total size: 0 B

Total number of backups: 0

Oldest backup:

Last backup:

T*********T [Local] (Last used)

Total size: 999.86 GB

Total number of backups: 1

Oldest backup: 2015-04-09 04:44:56

Last backup: 2015-04-09 04:44:56



Top Processes by CPU:

Process (count) Source % of CPU
SystemUIServer Apple 17
kernel_task Apple 7
Adobe (5) 5
airportd Apple 4
Adobe (5) 3


Top Processes by Memory:

Process (count) Source RAM usage
com.apple.WebKit.WebContent (9) Apple 2.03 GB
kernel_task Apple 1.19 GB
Finder Apple 564 MB
Adobe (5) 445 MB
MTLCompilerService (18) Apple 322 MB


Top Processes by Network Use:

Process Source Input Output
fpsaud Adobe Systems, Inc. 2 MB 969 B
Dropbox Dropbox, Inc. 108 KB 2 MB
mDNSResponder Apple 551 KB 496 KB
com.avast.proxy AVAST Software a.s. 490 KB 216 KB
apsd Apple 5 KB 5 KB


Top Processes by Energy Use:

Process (count) Source Energy usage (0-100)
com.apple.prefer 20
com.apple.Safari.History Apple 10
Spotlight Apple 4
mdworker (15) Apple 3
WindowServer Apple 3


Virtual Memory Information:

Available RAM 7.22 GB
Free RAM 362 MB
Used RAM 8.78 GB
Cached files 6.87 GB
Swap Used 284 MB


Clean up:

/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.microsoft.OneDriveUpdaterDaemon.plist

/Applications/OneDrive.app/Contents/OneDriveUpdaterDaemon.xpc/Contents/MacOS/One DriveUpdaterDaemon

Executable not found

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.bittorrent.uTorrent.plist

/Applications/uTorrent.app

Executable not found

/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.OptiBuy.agent.plist

/Applications/OptiBuy/OptiBuy

Executable not found



End of report

 

[Sven Seven]

Hello MacRumors Community,

I'm struggling with kernel_task process consuming 599%, making my Macbook Pro impossible to use. I've done some research on the topic and tried several ways to solve the problem, but none of them worked.

Symptoms:
- computer is extremely slow,
- fan is working very on high revs, very loud,
- kernel task consuming 400-600% of CPU.

What I've tried:
- reboot - didn't change anything,
- SMC reset - didn't change anything,
- NVRAM reset - didn't change anything,
- reboot in safe mode - it's almost impossible to check anything in the safe mode because the computer is working even slowlier than in the normal mode,
- removing the file from IOPlatformPluginFamily.kext - finally haven't done that since there is no file reflecting my model identifier.

Please find below the EtreCheck report. I would really appreciate your help with solving the problem - I didn't expect that a cutting edge, 3 year old computer would work this way.

Thank you in advance!
Peter

End of report

Peter,

To isolate the culprit I suggest you disconnect all external devices, and then see if the situation is better. If it is, reconnect each device one by one until the problem occurs.
You can use the same approach for software. Disable all virus scanners, basically everything in your startup items.
Also disconnect from WiFi.
You could also reboot into safe mode; press and hold the Shift key at boot time.

Sven

 

[korpoludek]

Peter,

To isolate the culprit I suggest you disconnect all external devices, and then see if the situation is better. If it is, reconnect each device one by one until the problem occurs.
You can use the same approach for software. Disable all virus scanners, basically everything in your startup items.
Also disconnect from WiFi.
You could also reboot into safe mode; press and hold the Shift key at boot time.

Sven

Hi Sven, thank you for replying.

I have disconnected all external devices and performed several reboots, unfortunately it didn't change a thing.
I have uninstalled my antimalware software and it didn't help either.
I have disconnected the Mac from wifi networks and there was no success.
I rebooted the computer into safe mode once and it was completetly unoperable then. It was so slow and crappy that I've had to reboot it into a normal mode again.

I would be extremely grateful for any other ideas, I really don't know what to do and I need this computer for my work.

Best wishes!

 

[Sven Seven]

Hi Sven, thank you for replying.

I have disconnected all external devices and performed several reboots, unfortunately it didn't change a thing.
I have uninstalled my antimalware software and it didn't help either.
I have disconnected the Mac from wifi networks and there was no success.
I rebooted the computer into safe mode once and it was completetly unoperable then. It was so slow and crappy that I've had to reboot it into a normal mode again.

I would be extremely grateful for any other ideas, I really don't know what to do and I need this computer for my work.

Best wishes!

Do you remember since when these problems occur? Did you change anything in the system around that date?
For example, do the problems occur since you upgraded to High Sierra, or did you install or update some 3rd party drivers.
If the kernel_task is running high, this points to a driver issue (kernel extensions).
Maybe deinstalling 3rd party drivers (or just move them to a temp folder somewhere else) could make a difference.
In your status dump there are some 3rd party extensions, could start with these.
On the other hand, booting in safe mode should only load necessary extensions: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262

You could also reinstall High Sierra over your installation, maybe it fixes something, but this is a shot into the dark: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904

The ultimate remedy is of course a wipe but any other option should be exhausted first.

 

[korpoludek]

Hi Sven,

Thank you for replying.

I didn't change a thing when the problem occured. I didn't even had any internet connection for about two weeks, and I switched the computer on and the problem appeared.

Booting in safe mode made the things even worse - the computer was impossible to use. What do you mean by 3rd party extension, which should I remove in your opinion?

The problem occured before I upgraded to High Sierra, so it was one of the first things I've done when it appeared - upgrade. The problem still persists.

I've read some other people's reports and wiping the computer didn't usually work for them.

 

[Sven Seven]

Booting in safe mode made the things even worse - the computer was impossible to use. What do you mean by 3rd party extension, which should I remove in your opinion?

The problem occured before I upgraded to High Sierra, so it was one of the first things I've done when it appeared - upgrade. The problem still persists.

I've read some other people's reports and wiping the computer didn't usually work for them.

3rd partry kernel extensions are drivers from companies other than Apple, for example I see an NTFS extension by Paragon.

Before you turn the MBP in for repair, I would try a clean reinstallation. Make a backup of all your files, then follow the link to an Apple support page I posted earlier, which describes how to do a clean installation. If the problem persists even after a clean installation you can be sure it’s not caused by any 3rd party software or drivers. A clean system just has to work.
If the problem disappears, then that’s good news — install your software one by one and keep an eye on the system to see if the problem re-emerges.
If the problem is still there, even after a reinstall, the Mac surely is a candidate for a repair check.
With all the symptoms you’ve described, I see no other course of action. Very sorry to say that. We have tried to disconnect all external devices, disconnected from the net, the machine seems to produce the problem all on its own. Even safe mode has issues, that’s a strong indicator.
You could certainly ask other tech people for their opinions before you do a clean reinstall.

As a last measure, have you tried the hardware test?
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201257

If money allows and customer projects are on the line, you could buy yourself a new machine just so you can do your important work right away.

 

[Rixt3r862]

Okay, I seem to have solved the kernel_task PCU drain using this method I stumbled across on the web.

1. Go to About this mac under the apple in the upper left and click on More info
2. Click on system report
3. make a note of what it says after Model Identifier
4. go to your master drive – System -Library – Extensions – IOPlatformPluginFamily.kext -Contents – Plugins – ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext – Contents – Resources – find the name from step 3 and move it to a folder that you can find again if needed.
3. Restart and you’re done
I hope this helps.

Only problem now is the battery won't register, new or old and the fan is running 100% of the time.

 

[ilgio]

please help me.
I have new macbook pro and KERNEL_TASK use 1,34GB of memory

EtreCheck version: 4.3.6 (4D041)

Report generated: 2018-07-25 10:28:07

Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

Runtime: 2:46

Performance: Excellent


Problem: Computer is too slow


Major Issues:

Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention.


Time Machine backup out-of-date - The last Time Machine backup is over 10 days old.


Minor Issues:

These issues do not need immediate attention but they may indicate future problems.


Heavy RAM usage - This machine is using a large amount of RAM.

Unsigned files - There are unsigned software file installed. They appear to be legitimate but should be reviewed.


Hardware Information:

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)

MacBook Pro Model: MacBookPro14,3

1 2,8 GHz Intel Core i7 (i7-7700HQ) CPU: 4-core

16 GB RAM - Not upgradeable

BANK 0/DIMM0 - 8 GB LPDDR3 2133 ok

BANK 1/DIMM0 - 8 GB LPDDR3 2133 ok

Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 14


Video Information:

Radeon Pro 555 - VRAM: 2048 MB

Intel HD Graphics 630 - VRAM: 1536 MB

Color LCD


Drives:

disk0 - APPLE SSD SM0512L 500.28 GB (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)

Internal PCI-Express 8.0 GT/s x4 NVM Express

disk0s1 - EFI [EFI] 315 MB

disk0s2 499.96 GB

disk1s1 - Macintosh HD (APFS) 499.96 GB (294.63 GB used)

disk1s2 - Preboot (APFS) [APFS Preboot] 499.96 GB (21 MB used)

disk1s3 - Recovery (APFS) [Recovery] 499.96 GB (518 MB used)

disk1s4 - VM (APFS) [APFS VM] 499.96 GB (1.07 GB used)


Mounted Volumes:

disk1s1 - Macintosh HD 499.96 GB (203.56 GB free)

APFS

Mount point: /

Encrypted


disk1s4 - VM [APFS VM] 499.96 GB (203.56 GB free)

APFS

Mount point: /private/var/vm


Network:

Interface en7: USB 10/100/1000 LAN

Interface en0: Wi-Fi

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

One IPv4 address

Interface en8: Bluetooth PAN 2

Interface bridge0: Thunderbolt Bridge

Interface bridge0: Thunderbolt Bridge 2


System Software:

macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 (17F77)

Time since boot: Less than an hour

System Load: 2.02 (1 min ago) 2.19 (5 min ago) 1.80 (15 min ago)


Configuration Files:

/etc/hosts - Count: 18


Security:

System Status
Gatekeeper Mac App Store and identified developers
System Integrity Protection Enabled

Unsigned Files:

Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist

Executable: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Resources/Java Updater.app/Contents/MacOS/Java Updater -bgcheck

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.extensis.FMCore.plist

Executable: /Applications/Suitcase Fusion.app/Contents/Resources/FMCore -standalone

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.virtualbox.startup.plist

Executable: /Library/Application Support/VirtualBox/LaunchDaemons/VirtualBoxStartup.sh restart

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist

Executable: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Resources/Helper-Tool

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/org.virtualbox.vboxwebsrv.plist

Executable: /Applications/VirtualBox.app/Contents/MacOS/vboxwebsrv

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist

Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK


Kernel Extensions:

/Library/Application Support/VirtualBox

[Loaded] VBoxDrv.kext (Oracle America, Inc., 5.2.16)

[Loaded] VBoxNetAdp.kext (Oracle America, Inc., 5.2.16)

[Loaded] VBoxNetFlt.kext (Oracle America, Inc., 5.2.16)

[Loaded] VBoxUSB.kext (Oracle America, Inc., 5.2.16)


System Launch Agents:

[Not Loaded] 8 Apple tasks
[Loaded] 185 Apple tasks
[Running] 100 Apple tasks
[Other] One Apple task

System Launch Daemons:

[Not Loaded] 36 Apple tasks
[Loaded] 174 Apple tasks
[Running] 124 Apple tasks

Launch Agents:

[Running] com.extensis.FMCore.plist (? c954f3e5 - installed 2017-12-14)
[Loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist (? c205c68a - installed 2018-03-12)

Launch Daemons:

[Not Loaded] org.virtualbox.startup.plist (? 700b9385 - installed 2018-07-24)
[Loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (? 6d8cb30e - installed 2010-09-23)
[Loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist (? e3fefdd2 - installed 2018-03-12)
[Loaded] net.tunnelblick.tunnelblick.tunnelblickd.plist (Jonathan Bullard - installed 2018-07-03)

User Launch Agents:

[Loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist (Google, Inc. - installed 2018-07-25)
[Loaded] com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent.plist (Dropbox, Inc. - installed 2018-04-13)
[Not Loaded] org.virtualbox.vboxwebsrv.plist (? 0 - installed 2018-07-24)
[Loaded] net.tunnelblick.tunnelblick.LaunchAtLogin.plist (Jonathan Bullard - installed 2018-06-26)

User Login Items:

iTunesHelper Applicazione (Apple - installed 2018-07-25)

(/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)

Dropbox Applicazione (Dropbox, Inc. - installed 2018-07-15)

(/Applications/Dropbox.app)

com.adobe.SwitchBoard.monitor.plist MachInit (?)

(/etc/mach_init_per_user.d/com.adobe.SwitchBoard.monitor.plist)


Internet Plug-ins:

AdobePDFViewer: (installed 2017-10-19)

QuickTime Plugin: (installed 2018-06-04)

JavaAppletPlugin: (installed 2018-03-12)

AdobeAAMDetect: (installed 2017-10-19)

SharePointBrowserPlugin: (installed 2010-09-23)


Safari Extensions:

Firebug Lite for Safari.safariextz - Slice Factory - http://www.slicefactory.com (installed 2014-03-25)
Auto Refresh.safariextz - Andy Griffin - http://www.agriffindesign.com/downloads/autorefresh (installed 2014-06-17)
OpenIE.safariextz - Parallels - http://www.parallels.com (installed 2014-07-18)

3rd Party Preference Panes:

FUSE (installed 2017-09-21)

Java (installed 2017-12-20)


Time Machine:

Skip System Files: No

Mobile backups:

Auto backup: Yes

Volumes being backed up:

Destinations:

b******************o [Local] (Last used)

Total size: 499.76 GB

Total number of backups: 5

Oldest backup: 2017-08-03 01:04:08

Last backup: 2018-05-11 17:03:19


Top Processes by CPU:

Process (count) Source % of CPU Location
WindowServer Apple 10
Google Chrome Helper (22) Google, Inc. 9
kernel_task Apple 3
Google Chrome Google, Inc. 1
syspolicyd Apple 0

Top Processes by Memory:

Process (count) Source RAM usage Location
Google Chrome Helper (22) Google, Inc. 2.43 GB
kernel_task Apple 1.35 GB
mds_stores Apple 247 MB
Google Chrome Google, Inc. 237 MB
Dropbox (3) Dropbox, Inc. 212 MB

Top Processes by Network Use:

Process Source Input Output Location
Dropbox Dropbox, Inc. 90 KB 1 MB
biometrickitd Apple 64 KB 107 KB
mDNSResponder Apple 40 KB 23 KB
netbiosd Apple 13 KB 7 KB
apsd Apple 4 KB 3 KB

Top Processes by Energy Use:

Process (count) Source Energy (0-100) Location
Google Chrome Helper (22) Google, Inc. 11
WindowServer Apple 4
FMCore ? 0 /Applications/Suitcase Fusion.app
Google Chrome Google, Inc. 0
SystemUIServer Apple 0

Virtual Memory Information:

Available RAM 8.65 GB
Free RAM 3.97 GB
Used RAM 7.35 GB
Cached files 4.68 GB
Swap Used 0 B

Software Installs (past 30 days):

Name Version Install Date
Oracle VM VirtualBox 5.2.16 2018-07-24
Numbers 5.0 2018-07-25
Pages 7.0 2018-07-25
Keynote 8.0 2018-07-25
The Unarchiver 4.0.0 2018-07-25
Microsoft Remote Desktop 8.0.27325 2018-07-25
LanScan 6.0.2 2018-07-25
Duplicate Cleaner For iPhoto 1.15 2018-07-25
Slack 3.2.0 2018-07-25
iTunes 12.8 2018-07-25

Diagnostics Information (past 7 days):

2018-07-24 19:13:43 Komodo IDE 10.app CPU

/Applications/Komodo IDE 10.app


2018-07-24 17:26:02 Microsoft PowerPoint.app Hang

/Applications/Microsoft Office 2011/Microsoft PowerPoint.app


2018-07-19 12:05:56 CEPHtmlEngine.app Crash

/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017.app/Contents/MacOS/CEPHtmlEngine.app

abort() called

*** error for object 0x7fc049c06388: incorrect checksum for freed object - object was probably modified after being freed.


2018-07-19 11:55:10 CCLibrary.app Crash (3 times)

/Applications/Utilities/Adobe Creative Cloud/CCLibrary/CCLibrary.app



End of report

 

[StellarVixen]

What I have found out:

MacsFanControl, SMC Fan Control, or any other fan control software, if they fail, this can happen.
It seems that the system cannot override the fan control if the fan control software fails to do what it needs to do.

What happened to me:

All of sudden, I have encountered that dreaded kernel_task problem. It made busy all of the CPU cores and made my Mac sluggish like I have never seen it before. Mouse and dock animations running at 10 FPS or so.

As soon as I knew that kernel_task monitors and manages the temperature, I started googling like crazy, to see what I can do.

Then I remembered, wait, if this thing controls the temperature, and console log is showing that my CPU and GPU are overheating, then why don't I hear any fans? Shouldn't it rev up the fans in order to try and cool itself?

Then, I opened the MacsFanControl, and what I found was that value was set to constant 6500 RPM, but it failed to execute that command for whatever the reason. I set the control to automatic, and I was so relieved to hear that sound, and see that kernel_task is gone, and that console logs do not show this kind of problem anymore.

So, this is for someone out there who might be facing this same problem as me.

 

[Frieg]

Kernel task throttling kicks in if there is some kind of hardware fault. bad battery, a sensor reports bad or wrong numbers and such. best way is to just disable the throttling with this guide to make the macbook usable again until the hardware problem is solved https://www.davidschlachter.com/misc/kernel_task

 

[marcel500]

This is a heat problem - kernel task kicks in when the computer is getting too hot. There is a good article on this at the german Macworld who explains it.

https://www.macwelt.de/a/systembremse-erklaert-wenn-kernel-task-das-system-bremst,3438750

I am sure you guys can translate.

My conclusion the macbook pro form factor and the heat is creating all these problems.

 

[Frieg]

It is not always a heat problem, i had this when my battery was dead. There are several hardware faults that can trigger the kernel tast throttling. If the cpu gets too hot the cpu itself throttles. If there is a problem with the fan or heatsink and it's still too hot, then os x reduces the load on the cpu thats throttled to the minimum clock to an absolute minimum. Kernal task throttling is also activated when one of the sensors apple places everywhere in the macbooks reports a high temperature or is faulty. A faulty sensor is not an uncommon defect.