WindowServer memory hog

[macdos]

WindowServer keeps on adding cached memory (purgeable mem in activity monitor) and never ever relinquishes it. Issuing purge in terminal has no effect. After some time, it will occupy a substantial amount of RAM, and the only way to solve the problem is to kill the server and force a log out.

RAM is expensive as it is, without the OS itself abusing it. Any hints on how to solve this?

 

[maflynn]

After some time, it will occupy a substantial amount of RAM

What is a substantial amount?

Also what's your ram pressure, its less about how much the processes are taking, but rather how well the OS is managing the resources. If your ram pressure is green, you have nothing to worry about.

How much ram is installed on your Mac?

 

[macdos]

A substantial amount is like 20 GB before I kill it.

”Memory pressure” means absolutely nothing. What matters is if there is free memory available. Apple has a serious problem with its memory handling, not just this bug, but also that it keeps clinging to useless cache instead of freeing it when it is needed. The result is ”compressing” and swapping to disk. Linux doesn't behave like that, it frees cached memory when needed.

 

[maflynn]

”Memory pressure” means absolutely nothing. What matters is if there is free memory available.

Actually no, free ram is wasted ram. MacOS does a great job at managing ram, and so memory pressure (being green/yellow/red) provides feedback regarding if the ram is constrained.

As for this issue, see this article

How to Reduce WindowServer CPU and RAM Usage in macOS? | OS X Tips

How to avoid overloading the process called WindowServer I will tell you in this article.

osxtips.net

Linux doesn't behave like that,

That's right, macOS is not Linux and you can't really apply one operating's handling of resources to another.

 

[macdos]

You obviously do not know what you are talking about. Keeping uselss cache and starting swapping to disk is insane. It slows any system to halt.

Anyway, I asked for solutions, not opinions.

Actually no, free ram is wasted ram. MacOS does a great job at managing ram, and so memory pressure (being green/yellow/red) provides feedback regarding if the ram is constrained.

 

[maflynn]

Well its clear, you're more interested in telling me what I don't know - I'm out. I was trying to help, good luck