macOS Sequoia Massive memory leak

I found the Reason！

When the mouse passes over the top window special effect every time, Windowser would be larger and larger and won't be erased.

THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED IMMEDIATELY!

The speed at which it gets fixed is directly related to how much information you provide Apple and the number of people who report it to Apple.

Note: Apple isn't here.

Me too.

Since updating to Sequoia, after opening iPhone Mirroring, the ram of windowserver will become larger and larger and it won't be erased when I close all the apps.

(M1 Pro/16G)

I too have the memory leak issue.

Also, the screen flickers intermittently without apparent reason.

Kindly hope a fix is in the works ahead of macOS 15.1 release next month.

I have the same problem. it keeps getting bigger and bigger over time. especially when i use iphone mirroring it keeps adding around 500 mb every time i open it.

MCC_Mac wrote:

My MacBook Air is now virtually unusable, since "upgrading" to Sequoia 15.1.1. Out of memory about every 5-10 minutes. Rebooting 3-4x per hour. Closing apps doesn't seem to help.

Review the processes you have launching on startup. The easiest way is to use EtreCheck.

How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community

If you use Google Chrome, be aware that it is a memory hog and that is compounded with multiple tabs.

It's also important to remember that modern operating systems are specifically designed to use the available RAM. Unused RAM is wasted RAM. What do you see when you look at Memory Pressure? If it's green (or even occasionally yellow), you're fine.

I run dual displays, have a ton of App's open, haven't restarted in days and like Barney, I'm not seeing a memory leak.

To get a better look at what might be ailing your system,

Download and run the free version of EtreCheckPro, from > https://etrecheck.com/en/index.html

Then post the Report, as per > How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community

Post the free EtreCheck report using the Additional Text option when posting. It contains no personal information and will provide more information about what is going on with your System.

How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community

chenpeel wrote:

Me too. （M1 Air）

And there's a started with qemu- process used more than 10GB, I killed it and nothing happened

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/30cfd9f9-9419-4412-bdf3-bf30991aebdb

Sounds like you have a third party process or malware related to crypto mining software that may have been attached to an application you downloaded.If you download torrents, that is the source. As stated many times in this thread, the way to determine that is by posting the free EtreCheck report. It is likely that the same problem will come back the next time you reboot your computer.

A lot of the posters here seem to regard increased RAM usage as a problem in itself when the only problem is when there is not enough RAM and a programme has to be closed or, worst case, a new machine purchased.

Graig1122 wrote:

I found the Reason！

When the mouse passes over the top window special effect every time, Windowser would be larger and larger and won't be erased.

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/7c31920a-ec9d-4317-8368-84afc1758a31

As you can see from cytan in this thread, their case was caused by a third party process that was launching on startup and once removed by using the suggested tools, the problem went away. You have not identified the cause to your problem, you have seen what happens when the third party add-ons in your System folders conflict with the OS.

MacDataSaviour wrote:

Many users are experiencing similar issues....

Sometimes, resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) can help resolve memory issues...... To do this, shut down your Mac, then hold down the Shift + Control + Option keys along with the power button for about 10 seconds, then release everything and turn your Mac back on. Also, check for any software updates, as Apple often rolls out patches for these kinds of bugs.

Users who have experienced this issue had third party software installed that conflicted with the OS and once that was removed the problem went away. Doing a clean install and loading that same software back leaves the user in the exact same situation.

The instructions you provided to reset the SMC only works on an Intel Mac and does not pertain to any Mac that uses the M series chip. Creating a new user will only work if the third party software is installed on the User folder and that new user does not have that software that is causing the problem.

The way to determine what may be conflicting with the OS and causing the high RAM of Windowserver is to post the free EtreCheck report. For those that do not want to do that, then you are left with a Clean Install without restoring from a backup and not installing any third party software. It would be trial and error to install one at a time to identify which one is causing the problem. Those are the 2 options. The apps that are known to cause conflicts with the OS are:

• Cleaners
• Optimizers
• AntiVirus
• VPN
• Display Managers - In some cases these just need updated for external display support or not needed at all.

Quote from @ Grant Bennet-Alder

" WindowServer is the task that makes sure the right stuff is in every window, manages multiple windows in multiple positions on the screen, possibly overlapping or not, and generally manages all issues related to drawing the stuff on the screen. " end quote 

FYI - like both of my colleagues, running Sequoia 15.0 on 1 M1, 1 M2 and 1 M3 machines and I am not experiencing the WindowServer issue.

Not seeing that either. My Mac was rebooted 5 days ago after installing Sequoia and the Window Server process is not eating RAM. This is after opening and closing many tabs and having Mail open the entire time. I suspect as others have mentioned you may have an app the is running on startup that is causing the problem and can be identified using EtreCheck at the previous link. Very common to see this with Cleaners or Antivirus software on any MacOS version.