Nope. I am not using Firefox. Also, I already had the WindowServer memory leak appearing while not using any browser. As I said, there are multiple things that can trigger this issue. Watching videos in Firefox or Chromium based browsers is just one of them.
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Memory Leaks in Monterey?
- Thread starter JW Pepper
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I changed two things and the bug disappeared. I updated to 12.2 Beta and I stopped using an external screen (because I had to travel). So I'm wondering if the bug was fixed with 12.2 or it's related to the usage of an external screen. I'm using the MacBook now for several days without turning it off and the memory usage is absolutely normal.
Edit: I was wrong. It's sill there.
Edit: I was wrong. It's sill there.
Last edited:
No, it's not fixed. I had the WindowServer memory leak three times since installing 12.2 B1 when it came out. Both with and without external screen.
So I have a MBP 14" with 16+10.
These below are my stats related to memory usage during my normal workflow.
Honestly my biggest problems are What's App (need native client for calls), FB messenger and Microsoft Teams. All of them I need them to use on the native client because of specific features only available on those.
These below are my stats related to memory usage during my normal workflow.
Honestly my biggest problems are What's App (need native client for calls), FB messenger and Microsoft Teams. All of them I need them to use on the native client because of specific features only available on those.
You have less of a memory leak when not using an external screen. One thing I did notice is that my memory usage goes crazy to 75% when using 2 4k screens..
Unfortunately, the memory use of those apps is normal. They are Electron based and Electron is a memory hog.
I'm also finding I can't run Safari and Firefox and Apple News at the same time, without excessive memory pressure that slows down my M1 mini. I can look at Activity monitor, but it's too large to leave open all the time, so I'm looking for a smaller utility that can display the Memory Pressure. Your second screenshot seems a more reasonable size - which app is this?
Well, my 'memory leak' with Windowserver seems to be gone and it wasn't thanks to 12.1. I was still getting up to 1.5+GB of memory with it until I got an eGPU a couple weeks ago. Now my 4K display is running off an external Radeon RX750, Windowserver memory dropped to below 500mb every time I look at it now.. Not to mention, no more graphics hiccups thanks to scaling down to 2K, and all my audio apps like Ableton Live, Logic Pro and Cubase Pro dropped about 20% on the CPU meter (Live actually feels 'live' now). Guess that built in Intel GPU really does just suck heh.
You, like me and almost everyone who uses Monterey,. has the dreaded memory leak bug. Apple will fix it eventually.
Before then there is a simple temporary solution. Presumably you have several desktops on your mac. I have 11 at the moment. Go to one you don’t use often and open up Activity Monitor(its in your applications and on every mac). Leave it open all the time. Click on the column that tells you the use of memory by system processes and apps. Highlight(click on) any that look completely out of control, and then click on the little icon with the x in the middle of a circle. Choose force quit. If its an app it will quit and you will have to restart it. If its a process(weird names mostly) then it will quit but come back almost instantly in the small size it's supposed to be. For me about 15 minutes ago I noticed that the most common culprit, Control Center(which normally uses about 26 mb of memory) was slowly sucking more and was up to 144mb. Earlier this week I found it at 14 GB.
You can keep these little buggers from stealing memory by just keeping an eye on them. Be advised: if WindowServer is up at 1gb then its probably doing it too, and if you force quit that one, your screen will go black for about 5 seconds while the OS puts it back, and then you will have to type in your machine password again.
Hope this helps.
Before then there is a simple temporary solution. Presumably you have several desktops on your mac. I have 11 at the moment. Go to one you don’t use often and open up Activity Monitor(its in your applications and on every mac). Leave it open all the time. Click on the column that tells you the use of memory by system processes and apps. Highlight(click on) any that look completely out of control, and then click on the little icon with the x in the middle of a circle. Choose force quit. If its an app it will quit and you will have to restart it. If its a process(weird names mostly) then it will quit but come back almost instantly in the small size it's supposed to be. For me about 15 minutes ago I noticed that the most common culprit, Control Center(which normally uses about 26 mb of memory) was slowly sucking more and was up to 144mb. Earlier this week I found it at 14 GB.
You can keep these little buggers from stealing memory by just keeping an eye on them. Be advised: if WindowServer is up at 1gb then its probably doing it too, and if you force quit that one, your screen will go black for about 5 seconds while the OS puts it back, and then you will have to type in your machine password again.
Hope this helps.
Told you! 
What annoys me the most is that Apple still hasn't reacted to my memory leak bug reports. They haven't even linked the tickets and claim no similar recent reports. Not that this is something unusual, that's what they mostly do - ignoring reports. But it clearly shows that software quality is a very low priority for them.
What annoys me the most is that Apple still hasn't reacted to my memory leak bug reports. They haven't even linked the tickets and claim no similar recent reports. Not that this is something unusual, that's what they mostly do - ignoring reports. But it clearly shows that software quality is a very low priority for them.
Yeah sounds like we are back to the drawing board.... Let's hope everything works out with an upcoming update because right now my activity monitor is being driven crazy.
I'm not certain what is causing my memory pressure to go into the red. My Windowserver never goes about about 450 MB, which is fine. But if I add up all my Safari memory, it' 2.75 GB. One website alone takes over 2 GB. Firefox also uses nearly as much memory for that site.
Watching DirecTV Stream takes well over 1 GB in Firefox or Vivaldi (it won't play in Safari), but Apple TV can play the same show (when it has the same show) for around 250 MB.
All I've read and experienced makes me think there must be more than one memory issue.
Watching DirecTV Stream takes well over 1 GB in Firefox or Vivaldi (it won't play in Safari), but Apple TV can play the same show (when it has the same show) for around 250 MB.
All I've read and experienced makes me think there must be more than one memory issue.
Safari always has been a memory hog for me. Chromium based browsers are most efficient for me. But then again, other people have the opposite experience. 😂
I actually wonder if the memory defects are due to the OS or the firmware. With every major release there is a firmware update so it is easy to get confused here. Noticed that the new firmware breaks rEFInd functionality on certain platforms and other UEFI apps.
My safari is going insane with webcontent spiralling upwards after the latest Monterey beta. its insanely crazy and I don't know how to stop, tried uninstalling all extensions, resetting safari etc. but this climbs every second even with no page open. Crazy memory leak in this beta.
Interestingly though, when I force kill that process, it doesn't recur till the next time I quit safari and reopen it again.
No it is not just Safari, it is a Memory leak so some other apps can have it. It is a system fault.
On my new Macbook Pro (intel), using Montery 12.1, it is the mail app that keeps crashing. it was driving me crazy.
Quits unexpectedly, so i was doing some mail fixes. Nothing helps. When i open the Activity Monitor i see it using more and more memory untill it quits. No solution, so i hope Apple is doing some works on this.
On my new Macbook Pro (intel), using Montery 12.1, it is the mail app that keeps crashing. it was driving me crazy.
Quits unexpectedly, so i was doing some mail fixes. Nothing helps. When i open the Activity Monitor i see it using more and more memory untill it quits. No solution, so i hope Apple is doing some works on this.
I dont think this is a system fault, it seems more like a system-specific fault becuase it isnt translatable across all builds. I really hesitated in upgrading becuase of the issues people have complained about including this one and the external USB complaints but I have no problems at all, and i'm not doing anything special. The mac has been running for three or four days since it was last shutdown, window server is still chugging along at about 500MB of memory use, no swap being used, and I've got about fifteen apps open at any one time so its not for lack of trying to overload it I even have a couple of adobe apps running which are notorious for memory hogging. I'm using an intel based mac pro 2020 so maybe I have more headroom than a laptop.. I don't use safari, I prefer firefox, and I don't use apple mail either, I prefer spark, but other than that im a pretty standard kinda user
I even have a couple of adobe apps running which are notorious for memory hogging. I'm using an intel based mac pro 2020 so maybe I have more headroom than a laptop.. I don't use safari, I prefer firefox, and I don't use apple mail either, I prefer spark, but other than that im a pretty standard kinda userwell, i am also standard user on my mac pro 2020, using firefox, safari, sometimes affinity programs (and before adobe apps). Maybe i have to switch to Spark for now..
I came across this, for more insight: https://9to5mac.com/2021/11/15/monterey-app-memory-leak-solution-suggestion/
I came across this, for more insight: https://9to5mac.com/2021/11/15/monterey-app-memory-leak-solution-suggestion/
I don't think I really have any of these problems and I do have a 27" 2nd monitor on my MBP 16 max on the TB chain along with external TB drives, plus use a larger mouse cursor. I don't use safari though. On latest OS beta, but didn't have the issue on prior versions either.