M1 pro Macbook pro- Kernel_task using 22.75GB of ram?

[UKwarrior]

Hi everyone, I am using a M1 Pro 14 inch macbook pro, and have noticed that in activity monitor Kernel_task is using up a massive amount of RAM- I only have 16GB so I am not even sure how this is possible.

Does anyone have any idea why it is using so much, and what I need to do to fix this?

The strange thing is my macbook doesn't seem slow, and shows memory pressure as green and using 13GB of RAM, however the same window in activity monitor shows Kernel_task at the top using that much memory.

 

[Andrey84]

Hi everyone, I am using a M1 Pro 14 inch macbook pro, and have noticed that in activity monitor Kernel_task is using up a massive amount of RAM- I only have 16GB so I am not even sure how this is possible.

Does anyone have any idea why it is using so much, and what I need to do to fix this?

The strange thing is my macbook doesn't seem slow, and shows memory pressure as green and using 13GB of RAM, however the same window in activity monitor shows Kernel_task at the top using that much memory.

I assume it's the latest Sequoia?
Does it lead to any actual performance issues?
Is it a one-off or does this always happen?
How often do you restart?

...and comments from the Copilot:

Hello! It’s not uncommon for users to notice kernel_task using a significant amount of RAM on macOS, especially on machines with Apple Silicon like the M1 Pro. Here are a few points to consider:

1. Memory Management: macOS has a sophisticated memory management system. The kernel_task process is responsible for managing system resources, and it can appear to use a large amount of RAM. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the memory is actively being used. It’s often reserved for potential use, which can make it look like more memory is being used than actually is.
2. Memory Pressure: The memory pressure graph is a better indicator of memory usage. If it’s green, your system has enough memory available, and you shouldn’t worry about the high RAM usage shown by kernel_task.
3. Inactive Memory: macOS doesn’t immediately clear out memory that’s no longer in use. Instead, it marks it as inactive and will reuse it when needed. This can also contribute to the high memory usage reported by kernel_task.