How can I resolve high CPU usage by Zoom 6.2.11 on macOS 15.3?

Muller, S. wrote:

I have identified Zoom 6.2.11 as the culprit driving an absurd %CPU level on my mac Studio OS15.3. It forces corspotlightd and kernal-task to hit 200-400% levels. It stops when i erase zoom from my computer, restart and let spotlight re-index. Computer goes back to normal. When i re-install zoom, same scenario starts.

Anyone else currently suffering this? wait for zoom update? solution ideas? thank you

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

are you saying this spike is impacting your performance...(?)

live stream video conferencing is going to demand CPU yes.

Why would you be trying to run old version of the app?

I would verify you are current(?) https://zoom.us/download?os=mac Version 6.3.6 (47101)

Sounds like a zoom issue—if in doubt search the developers website or contact their: Support/Help/FAQ/Known issues/compatibility/updates…

Contact a third-party vendor - Apple Support

Contact a third-party vendor - Apple Support

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Muller, S. wrote:

I have identified Zoom 6.2.11 as the culprit driving an absurd %CPU level on my mac Studio OS15.3. It forces corspotlightd and kernal-task to hit 200-400% levels. It stops when i erase zoom from my computer, restart and let spotlight re-index. Computer goes back to normal. When i re-install zoom, same scenario starts.

Anyone else currently suffering this? wait for zoom update? solution ideas? thank you

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

As you know, Zoom is pretty ubiquitous so if this were common, a lot of people would be complaining. Anecdotally, we have Zoom installed on several Macs and have never seen this issue. Unless Zoom is set to load automatically when the Mac starts up and run in the background, it should not be using resources until you actually run it. The Macs with 15.3 I have are laptops, not your model, so maybe the experience will be different.

I am suspecting that the issue is not really with Zoom (unless it runs all the time in the background and loads on startup) but with something more pervasive in your system. Examples could include: anti-virus (any brand), security tools (any brand), network monitoring and security tools (example -- Little Snitch), or Mac "clean" tools (example -- CleanMyMac). If you suspect spotlight is not running properly, you can always re-initialize it

Rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac - Apple Support

Just a data point:

There used to be a well-known issue where zoom (and FaceTime, and probably other video-conferencing software) may cause the problems you describe when there is an external display attached. The high CPU via Kernel Task starts after about 20 or 30 minutes of videoconferencing. I don't know if this problem has been fixed yet for Apple silicon, but it happened to me recently with Sequoia 15.3 and Zoom 6.3.6 and an intel MBP.

So, if you are using Zoom with an external display when the problem occurs, you might try disconnecting the display and see if that brings the CPU back to where it should be.

For many users I would suggest simply using Zoom (and Teams, GoTo, etc.) through a web browser instead of the installed version. The majority of typical Zoom features are available through the browser version. I personally don't trust Zoom whatsoever and prefer to know that it has no persistence on my systems once I close it's browser tab.

I understand that a few features are not included on the web version and therefore it is not suitable for everyone's needs. However, for those making typical use of Zoom, you may want to try using it through the web browser. To use Zoom in the browser you can join a meeting directly from https://zoom.us/join. Or, use an existing invite link, but ignore the force-downloaded application, and instead click the "Join from your browser" link.

For those interested, the features comparison of platforms are avaialble here:

https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0064261

It's still the same for me.

I've also have a second monitor connected, and issue only happens when i'm on a zoom meeting.

I'm on the latest Sequoia 15.3.1 and the latest zoom app 6.3.10

This wouldn't work for me as I host zoom meetings and also participate in managing online conferences via zoom from time to time. So I really need the desktop version for this.