HOA 232: Activity Monitor

HOA 232: Activity Monitor

From Hands-On Apple (Audio) by TWiT

May 21, 2026 · 32 min · Season 2 · Episode 232

About this episode

This episode covers the use of Activity Monitor in macOS for diagnosing system performance issues.

Learn why Activity Monitor is the macOS tool experienced users trust first to diagnose hidden memory drains, runaway CPU usage, and behind-the-scenes energy hogs. Mastering a single built-in tool can put real-time answers and expert-level control right at your fingertips. Quick Access Methods: Spotlight, Finder, and Utilities Folder Five Main Tabs: CPU, Memory, Energy, Disk, and Network Explained Sorting and Identifying Resource-Heavy Processes in CPU Tab Understanding Percent CPU, Multi-Core Macs, and High Usage Scenarios Spotting and Managing Frozen or Runaway Apps via Activity Monitor The Importance of the Kind Column: Rosetta Support and Apple Silicon Transition Using Memory Tab and Pressure Graph to Gauge RAM Health Sorting by Memory to Find Leaky or Misbehaving Apps Energy Tab Insights: Finding Battery-Draining and Power-Hungry Apps Disk Tab: Diagnosing Read/Write Issues and Competing Background Tasks Network Tab: Tracking Data-Heavy Apps and Monitoring for Security Live Dock Icon Graphs for CPU, Network, and Disk Usage How to Force Quit or Inspect Troubled Processes in Activity Monitor Homework: Add Activity Monitor to Dock and Monitor Rosetta Apps Before Support Ends…

People in this episode

Host: Mikah Sargent

Topics covered

  • Activity Monitor
  • macOS tools
  • CPU usage
  • memory management
  • energy consumption
  • application performance

Keywords

  • Activity Monitor
  • macOS
  • CPU
  • memory
  • energy
  • disk
  • network
  • Rosetta
  • Apple Silicon

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: TWiT

Products: Activity Monitor, macOS, Rosetta, Apple Silicon

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