Laggy MacOS after leaving running

[macmus12]

So I have my macOS running constantly. However, after leaving in running for few days the GUI becomes laggy when I switch between screens or invoke different stages in the stage manager. The only way to restore "smoothness" is to do full reboot of the macOS..

Does anyone have this issue ?

What could we causing it?

I have 4 monitor setup on my max m2.

 

[zevrix]

i recommend to keep Activity Monitor open at all times (it's in Applications/Utilities folder).

keep the Memory tab selected, monitor memory pressure, and watch for any app that gradually starts to consume too much memory or/and CPU. sometimes relaunching such an app once in a while is enough to restore the normal performance of your Mac.

note: if your memory pressure is always (or nearly always) in the yellow no matter what you do then it's a sign you don't have sufficient RAM for your particular regular tasks.

p.s. it's also possible that your issues are not related to RAM/CPU usage, which Activity Monitor can also help figure out.

 

[Fishrrman]

A reboot can work wonders...

(I shut my Macs down each night and reboot the next day -- has kept things going smoothly for 35 years now)

 

[macmus12]

A reboot can work wonders...

(I shut my Macs down each night and reboot the next day -- has kept things going smoothly for 35 years now)

It should not be like that. I am keeping everything open... Mac is Unix after all and should have no leaks.

 

[zevrix]

It should not be like that. I am keeping everything open... Mac is Unix after all and should have no leaks.

Individual apps can have "leaks" and other memory and CPU mismanagement issues. Apple's own processes can also have their share of such issues (although the ones I'm aware of were eliminated on Mx processors).

Like I already mentioned, you may also simply have insufficient RAM for your tasks.

 

[macmus12]

Individual apps can have "leaks" and other memory and CPU mismanagement issues. Apple's own processes can also have their share of such issues (although the ones I'm aware of were eliminated on Mx processors).

Like I already mentioned, you may also simply have insufficient RAM for your tasks.

I have 32 Gig, are you telling me it's insufficient for safari browser with 5 tabs?

 

[zevrix]

I have 32 Gig, are you telling me it's insufficient for safari browser with 5 tabs?

of course it should be sufficient (you didn't mention your RAM amount before)

 

[zevrix]

...now if you monitor your Activity Monitor as I mentioned earlier you may find apps that are responsible for your issue. i have 64 GB RAM and I have some apps that gradually consume too much memory and which i have to relaunch once in a while (once i see my memory pressure moves into yellow).

 

[macmus12]

...now if you monitor your Activity Monitor as I mentioned earlier you may find apps that are responsible for your issue. i have 64 GB RAM and I have some apps that gradually consume too much memory and which i have to relaunch once in a while (once i see my memory pressure moves into yellow).

i think it’s general issues with macos which is piece of ****. It starts lagging when there are too many application open for too long.

 

[fakestrawberryflavor]

A reboot can work wonders...

(I shut my Macs down each night and reboot the next day -- has kept things going smoothly for 35 years now)

While I agree with you, reboots can do wonders and it doesn't hurt anything, I typically leave my macOS running for 5-10 days at a time, before saving and closing everything, and doing a reboot just to do it. Reboot takes less than 60 seconds feels like a fresh set of underwear and socks.

But with OP post, something is not right as the UI shouldn't get laggy just by leaving the machine on for a few days...

 

[bogdanw]

"As of April 21, 2022, Apple has discontinued macOS Server."
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208312
If you need 24/7 computing, buy a Linux server.

macOS is a consumer product, now in the process of being merged with iOS.
It’s unrealistic to expect it to run without turning it off and on again.

 

[irock101]

I only ever restart my mac if a software update requires it. Never have any issues and been doing that for 10+ years.

 

[lamboaudi4]

I am not sure how it is on Apple Silicon but since the op mentioned using 'Stage Manager' I found it to be very laggy and clunky on my Intel Macbook Pro (2018). It's a frame drop fest so I never bothered using it and just stick to good ol' Mission Control. I do remember reading around that it was a buggy mess anyways. Maybe this is contributing to what you're experiencing?

Otherwise, like other people mentioned check your Activity Monitor closely. I also think something is gone wrong but no OS is perfect; a reboot won't hurt every now and then. I haven't turned off my mac in 52 days and it's running like a champ.