Task Manager Macbook Air

Dec 16, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

'Do we have a task manager in Mac as well – or some other Mac equivalent of task manager? I have to quit certain apps on Mac, but can't seem to find its task manager.'

If you have also moved to the macOS ecosystem recently, then you can have a similar query as well. Unlike Windows, accessing the task manager on Mac can be a tedious job. Though, it is one of the essential features of the operating system. From monitoring the CPU consumption of an application to closing a process forcefully – there are so many things that you can do with Macbook task manager.

Mac doesn’t have a Task Manager, it has Activity Monitor. Task Manager is for Windows. Mac uses the very tidy Activity Monitor app and while it does much the same thing, is very different to Task Manager. Many Windows switchers still call it Task Manager, but it isn’t. On Windows PCs, the Task Manager is typically used as a last resort to kill an app or process when it has become unresponsive. Users on Mac can sometimes face similar issues, and in such cases will.

To help you do the same, we have come up with this detailed guide on macOS task manager. Read on and learn how to access the task manager on Mac in no time.

Part 1. Is There a Task Manager for Mac?

The most powerful app and process management utility in the Mac OS X GUI, Activity Monitor is a powerful task manager that will reveal not only all running and active applications, but also all active and inactive processes. This includes quite literally everything running on the Mac, including the aforementioned windowed apps, and even.
Activity Monitor – The Task Manager on Mac Activity Monitor on new macOS The Activity Monitor lets you keep an eye on the running processes on your Mac by CPU, Memory, Energy, Disk, and Network usages so that you can quickly spot anomalies and stop them from affecting the overall health and speed of your Mac.

As you know, the task manager is a native feature on Windows computers. Though, Mac also has a similar component, which is known as Activity Monitor. As the name suggests, it will let you view and monitor all kinds of activities that are running on your Mac. You can view the CPU utilization of a process, system memory, disk storage, and other vital parameters. Furthermore, you can also use the Mac program manager to forcefully quit an app as well.

The feature was first introduced in Mac OS X v10.3 release and was initially known as process viewer or task manager on Mac. It was later when the tool was revamped and got released as an 'Activity Monitor' with Mac OS X 10.9 release.

Part 2. How to Open Task Manager on Mac?

In order to access the features of the Mac process manager, you need to locate the application first. Here are some quick ways on how to open the task manager on Mac that you can also try.

1. Access Task Manager from the Finder

This is the easiest solution to open the task manager on Mac. All you got to do is click on the Apple icon from the main menu and visit System Preferences > Applications. From the available Applications on Finder, visit the Utility folder.

This will open all the utility tools and components on your Mac. Just look for the 'Activity Monitor' tool and double-click its icon to open it.

2. Get Mac Task Manager on Spotlight

Spotlight is one of the most widely used features in Mac that helps us look for files and apps instantly. If you can't find where is task manager on Mac, then click on the spotlight bar (the search icon) at the top right corner of the screen. Now, just type 'Activity Monitor' on it as Mac would look up for it in the background. As you would get the relevant results, click on the Activity Monitor app to open it.

3. Open Task Manager from Mac's Dock

Apart from Finder, Mac's dock also lets us access the vital tools and applications quickly. By default, Activity Monitor is already a part of Mac's dock. Though, you can just drag and drop its icon to include it in the dock as well. Just double-click the Activity Monitor icon on the dock to launch it.

If you want, you can further customize the task manager Mac icon as well. Just right-click the icon to access its context menu. From here, you can select what to monitor and change the dock icon to different options.

4. Use the Mac Task Manager Shortcut

Some macOS versions also have a keyboard shortcut to open task manager in Mac. All you got to do is press Command + Option + Shift + Esc keys at the same time. Keep holding them simultaneously for at least 3 seconds to launch the Activity Monitor app on the screen.

Part 3. How to Format Hard Drive for Mac and PC on Windows?

Now when you know how to access the task manager on Mac, you can easily make the most of it. It can help you monitor the activity of all kinds of apps and processes running on your system. If you want, you can even use the Mac task manager app to forcefully quite a process as well. Apart from that, you can get to know about the following components via task manager on Mac (Activity Monitor).

CPU – This is the most important component as it provides a visual representation of the CPU utilization. Here, you can view how the processor of your Mac is affected by the app and what component is utilized by it. This can help you identify the most resource-consuming apps and processes.
Memory – This is mostly the second component in Activity Monitor which depicts how much memory (RAM) a process is consuming on your Mac.
Energy – If you are worried about the power consumption or overheating of Mac, then you should visit this tab. It will display the amount of energy consumed by an app or a process.
Disk – This component will provide useful details about disk utilization on Mac. You can see the amount of disk an app has consumed, the kind of data consumed, who can access it, and so on.
Network – Lastly, the tab will let you know the amount of data that has been exchanged on the network. This would include incoming and outgoing data via different sources.

Part 4. How to Force Quit an Application on Mac?

This is one of the major jobs of the Mac task manager app. It can help you monitor all kinds of above-listed parameters and let you forcefully quit an application too. For instance, if an application has been stuck or frozen, then you can just close it in the background using the task manager on Mac. Here are some of the simplest ways to forcefully quit an application on Mac.

1. Use the Apple Menu

If an application has been crashed on your Mac, then don't worry. Just press and hold the Shift key and click on the Apple logo (on the top left corner of the screen). Here, you can see an option of 'Force Quit' with the name of the selected application. Just click on it to close the application in the background.

2. Use the Mac Dock

If you want, you can also take the assistance of Mac's dock to close an application as well. Needless to say, the mouse should be working and the app must be present on the dock. All you got to do is select the app icon and right-click it. From the available context menu, click on 'Force Quit' to close it.

3. Use Activity Monitor

If you want to know about the details of an application before closing it, then consider using Activity Monitor. You can follow either of the above-listed methods to open the task manager on Mac. As you would get a list of all the running applications in the background, select the one that you wish to close. Click on the 'Force Quit' button and confirm your choice to close the selected application.

Read on and know more complete details on how to force quit Mac and apps.

Part 5. How to View Running Processes via Terminal?

Just like Activity Monitor, you can also use the Terminal to view all the running processes in your Mac. It will display a unique ID for every process, which you can later be used to kill the process as well.

Go to your Mac's Applications > Utility and launch the Terminal app from here.
If your Mac is malfunctioning, then restart it in the recovery mode and go to Utilities > Terminal instead.
Once the terminal app has been launched on your screen, simply type the 'ps –ax' command and press enter.
This will display a list of all the running processes with their process ID (known as PID).
If you want to forcefully close a process, then type 'kill' followed by its PID. To close all the processes of that application, just type 'killall' followed by the name of the app and press enter.

Part 6. Tips for Using Task Manager on Mac

Since Activity Monitor (task manager on Mac) is such a useful component, it will come handy to you on different occasions. If you want to make the most of it, then consider following these tips.

If the Activity Monitor icon is not added to the dock, then simply drag and drop it there. This will let you access it quickly.
Using the task manager on Mac, you can even close some vital system processes. Therefore, try not to close a process you are not able to understand.
You can also use the Activity Monitor the see the battery consumption of the system. It will also help you identify and close the most power-consuming apps.
Ideally, it is used to forcefully close a malfunctioning application. Whenever an app would crash, open the Activity Monitor, select it, and forcefully quit the application.
Try not to use the Activity Monitor to close apps on a regular basis. This might end up corrupting your apps at times.

Conclusion

That brings us to the end of this informative guide on how to access the task manager on Mac. Not only have we discussed how to open the task manager on Mac, but we have also listed its usage and all the vital things we can do with it. Since Activity Monitor is the Mac equivalent of Task Manager (Windows), every user should be aware of it. Feel free to follow this guide and try to access Activity Monitor on your Mac as well.

Another tip for Windows and Mac: How to ctrl alt delete on Mac.

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There’s a big if in front of this one. The answer to whether or not we have a task manager Mac version comes down to what you actually used the Windows version of Task Manager for to begin with. It’s true that there are many possible uses to the Task Manager. It’s also true that not many people actually use it to its full potential.

We’re here to tell you how to find the Task Manager Mac version, how you could possibly use it, and how to open it while your Mac is running haywire. No matter whether your Mac simply is becoming outdated, or if your programs are just demanding too much of such a simple computer.

Why Do You Need a Task Manager Mac Version?

Best Task Manager For Macbook Air

There are many possible uses to a task manager. If you’re not too familiar with the Windows version, we should first note precisely what you should want to do with the Task Manager Mac version. This is so that you can decide which of the Mac apps to use (there are two).

What program should I close? This seems to be the most basic functionality of the Task Manager Mac version that people are looking for. If your computer freezes, a way to close programs forcedly is paramount so the Task Manager Mac version is more than welcome. Still, if this is all you’re ever going to use a Mac task manager for, check the first option below – it should suit you just fine!
What’s loading your CPU? Another important use of the Task Manager is to see why your computer is running so slowly. For this precise task, all you need to do is look at which process running is occupying the highest percentage of your CPU’s power.
What’s taking up all that RAM? A far more common issue with computers is that they don’t have enough RAM. While the Mac may not generally show this problem, its operating system still doesn’t particularly take to programs munching up its random access memory. From the Task Manager Mac version you’re able to check out a lot of things relating to RAM usage.
What’s loading my disk so much? Another common problem: you run out of place to store your important files. While cloud storage may prove a good friend, in this case, it’s also a good idea to see what’s demanding so much of your Mac’s hard disk. The Mac task manager is perfect for this.
What’s taking up my bandwidth? Good point! Something must be either downloading something really fast or uploading something really fast. The task manager for Mac is the perfect tool to spy out that piece of software. And then to close it!
What’s draining my battery power? The Mac OS interface looks really pretty, but underneath that perfect screen lie some background processes that really put a strain on your computer’s battery life. Find them out with the task manager Mac version.

How to Open Task Manager on Mac

Task Manager For Macbook Air

Now, as I’ve previously said, there are two versions for the Task Manager Mac version. Here’s a rundown of how to open both of these versions:

Force Quit Task Manager. This one is the basic task manager for Mac. You can open it by hitting Comm. + Option + Esc. Once you’ve pressed that key combination you’ll see a list of apps that are currently running on your Mac. If you know precisely which of them is loading up your computer’s insides, you can close it directly from here. If not, then you’re going to need the next Mac task manager.
Activity Monitor for Mac. Now, technically, this is the real equivalent to the Windows version of the Task Manager. With this one, you can do all of the things mentioned above. However, unfortunately, there’s no shortcut for this one. To open it, you have to either type it into Spotlight or go to Applications> Utilities> Activity Monitor. If you’d like, you can also assign a shortcut key to this app by going to Preferences, then Keyboard, then Shortcuts, and choose App Shortcuts. Find the Activity Monitor there and give it any key combination that you would possibly want.

Conclusion

If you’d like to check out more about the functionality of the Activity Monitor for Mac, go here. The Force Close task manager Mac version is a very basic program and you should figure out how to use it just by looking at the few lines above. This has been our guide to the Mac task manager. Have any other questions? Don’t be afraid to ask in the comments below!

How To Start Task Manager Macbook Air

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