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safari reducing available memory

My iMac is running Catalina 10.15.7. I am getting a f.txt automatically downloading and running. Malwarebytes detects no problems. MyPhysical memory is 24GB, but the amount of memory used quickly increases over half an hour to over 20Gb causing impaired performance. Closing Safari and reloading resorts back to low memory use which then starts to increase again. Any help greatly appreciated. P.S. I am not a techie so treat me like an idiot when replying. Regards Perplexed Safari

Posted on Sep 25, 2020 10:30 AM

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10 replies

Sep 25, 2020 1:31 PM in response to PerplexedSafari

Download and run Etrecheck. Etrecheck is a diagnostic tool that was developed by one of the most respected users here in the ASC and recommended by Apple Support  to provide a snapshot of the system and help identify the more obvious culprits that can adversely affect a Mac's performance.


Copy the report



and use the Add Text button to include the report in your reply. How to use the Add Text Feature When Posting Large Amounts of Text, i.e. an Etrecheck Report


IMPORTANT:

Before running Etrecheck assign Full Disk Access to Etrecheck in the Etrecheck's Privacy preference pane so that it can get additional information from the Console and log files for the report:




Also click and read the About info to further permit full disk access.


Then we can examine the report and see if we can determine what might be causing the problem.

Sep 30, 2020 9:57 AM in response to PerplexedSafari

Booting into Safe Mode is always a good tool for fixing problems. Starting your Mac in safe mode does the following:

• Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed

• Loads only required kernel extensions

• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically

• Disables user-installed fonts 

• Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files


Glad you're back up and running smoothly.

Sep 27, 2020 9:32 AM in response to tadpoles

There is no reason to ever install or run any 3rd party "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up", anti-virus or security apps on your Mac.  This user tip describes what you need to know and do to protect your Mac: Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community.   Trusteer Rapport falls into that category. Unless you're forced to use lit by a bank or employer uninstall it according to the developer instructions. As you've found out it does nothing but hinder performance.


Sep 25, 2020 10:43 AM in response to PerplexedSafari

What do you mean by getting a f.txt automatically?


Check the installed Safari extensions and disable them to see if there is a change.


Also check if some page you visit is having an impact on memory used.


And to check for other possible causes Please run Etrecheck and post its full report here.

Use the “additional text” button and paste the report into the text box.

Sep 25, 2020 2:21 PM in response to PerplexedSafari

You have shot yourself in both proverbial feet ☹️ by installing this creepware called cleanmymac. This is to be considered malware.


Furthermore you also have Trusteer and MalwareBytes. The latter is a decent program but it only should be run manually when there is a reason to.


For safe and normal operation you should have ZERO third party antivirus. You have THREE.


This can only lead to conflicts, degrading performance and decreased security.


Uninstall cmm and trusteer, and only run MalwareBytes manually.


Even then it is very likely that your system has already been damaged by cmm so you probably should do a clean install.

Sep 30, 2020 9:36 AM in response to Old Toad

Let me first apologise for not responding quickly to your informative answers. My wife's birthday took priority over the computer! I have deleted caches, removed Rapport and Malwarebytes but to no effect. I went to Apple help today and after confirming the actions I had already taken, I was told to restart the Mac in Safe mode. On eventually restarting in normal mode, Safari's memory hungry problems appear to have disappeared. I have a link back to the support team if the problem occurs again, so fingers crossed we have made some progress. If this does not appear to have solved the problem, the next step is a time machine backup followed by a complete reinstallation of the operating system and a restore of my data files Once again, thank you all for taking the time to offer suggestions with the problem, it is appreciated,

safari reducing available memory

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