MacBook Pro overheating during large Pages file usage [& MacPaw]

Question

Level 1

21 points

MacBook Pro overheating during large Pages file usage [& MacPaw]

I recently posted an ongoing overheating problem on a 2018 Intel Macbook, Sequoia 15.7.1

I followed advice of 'oobimichael' and the high CPU usage due to corespotlighted has abated by deleting 34GB's of metadata files, BUT the problem remains whilst using large Pages documents (200MB). Corespotlightd has dropped from 100-200% to zero/low CPU usage.

The main culprit now, although not as severe as corespotlightd, is ‘tccd' (Transparency, Consent, and Control) showing 40-70%. With ‘Pages', and ‘fileproviderd' which hover around 30-50% each, they now make up the big-3.

I assume these are causing the overheating. I also have large Number docs but they don't cause any problems. I am linked to iCloud (if relevant)

A Google AI search suggested going to ‘privacy and security’ and closing permissions.

There are lot to turn off and I’m not sure if it is wise to do so.

By the way I operate MacPaw's Cleanmymac. I have reached out to them without success. Their CPU is low.

The Genious Bar store said that Apple do not recommend MacPaw.

Any suggestions/thoughts re the high CPU usage [and MacPaw]?

Posted on Nov 3, 2025 5:19 PM

Reply

Answer 1

VikingOSX

Level 10

123,152 points

Nov 4, 2025 5:58 AM in response to rayannsen

For several years, the general consensus in the Pages and operating system communities is to not install CleanMyMac as it interferes with the normal operation of the Mac, may damage legitimate applications, remove required configuration settings and more. You should consider CleanMyMac as a deliberate infection of malware and it is to be completely removed, not just moved to the Trash. Follow that with a reboot. If it has not done damage while installed, your Mac may return to normal operation.

Your Mac Mini may be overheating simply based on its physical configuration and attempting to use more resources that it has to provide. That will run the CPU and GPU longer and hotter with the observed effect.

I do not launch Activity Monitor and attempt to make sense of what is running, or attempt to out think normal operating system behavior. It is a waste of my time and I would rather focus on work that needs to get done. If you have a Mac mini with limited RAM and run large applications or their multiples, that will drive some of the processes wild that you observe in Activity Monitor. Cause and effect. I do not kill off processes, tamper with Spotlight functionality, or whack the privacy (tccd) database and my Mac runs quickly and normally.

Resist surfing the web for answers about things you can do to your Mac as many are out of date for your operating system or application, untested, or completely wrong. Any response you get from AI would be based on what trained that AI and that is why at the bottom of that AI response you will see the caution that it may be wrong.

Reply