The task manager for Windows is one of the most efficient features that maintain the OS and help to operate the system at the optimum level. But have you ever wondered where is something similar? A task manager for Mac also exists!

Well, you may not have known it but such a feature exists and it is called Activity Monitor on Mac. This is an advanced feature that is quite similar to the task manager. It displays multiple system resources and their uses in real-time. The list includes disk activity, memory usage, CPU speed and more. The feature gives you a real insight into the innermost sanctum of macOS and its performance.

1. What is Task Manager on Mac?

The Mac process manager or "Activity Monitor" is similar to the Windows Task Manager. The utilities and the performance of this feature are quite the same, just the name is different.

When you launch the activity monitor, the main tab will open with a list of all the processes running on your Mac. You will be able to spot the apps that are running at the moment but some of the processes will be completely unknown. These are essential processes required for running macOS effectively.

On the top, there will be five tabs CPU, Energy, Memory, Disk, and Network. All the tabs provide detailed information about the respective properties of the system. There are also options for troubleshooting purposes. A search filter at the top right corner of the panel is also available. It lets you search for explicit processes.

activity monitor

2. How to Open Task Manager on Mac

Spotlight is the easiest way to access pretty much anything on Mac. This is a built-in search feature that helps the users to find apps, files, and settings using keywords.

Launching Spotlight on Mac is very simple, just pressing "Cmd + Space" buttons on the keyboard. After the Spotlight is launched, then type "Activity Monitor". When the result gets displayed on the screen, hit "Return" and the Activity Monitor window will be on-screen right away.

activity monitor via spotlight

This is the way to access the macOS task manager via Spotlight. But if you don't want to use Spotlight, then Launchpad is also available to do the same. The Launchpad icon is available at the Dock. Click on it and a list of apps will be displayed. Click on "Other" and you will find the "Activity Monitor" icon.

But there are not your only two options. Activity Monitor can also be accessed from Finder : Open Finder and go to "Applications" and click on "Utilities".

3. What Does the Task Manager Do on Mac?

There are a lot of similarities between the Windows Task Manager and Mac Task Manager.

On the Mac Task Manager Panel, all the information regarding CPU, Memory, Energy, Disk and Network Usage are available in the form of tabs. You will be able to choose specific tabs as per your requirement.

Now, each of the tabs displays all the processes running on your computer at that certain moment. It also shows numerous information regarding their impact on the computer.

activity monitor on mac

Average users don't have severe use for the task manager. They don't really open it, as the system works perfectly it doesn't require micromanaging. Although, in certain instances using a task manager can be very useful if the Mac system is acting up.

Like if the system is running slower than usual, you will be able to pinpoint the issue or the app which is consuming too much CPU power or RAM. So, after figuring out the apps that are causing the issue, you can eliminate them. This will improve the battery life of your Mac as well. Using the Network tab you will be able to know which apps are using internet the most.

4. The Overview of Activity Monitor on Mac

Activity Monitor is capable of system optimization efficiently and effectively. It shows all the processes running on the Mac and which programs that are consuming most CPU power and RAM and making the Mac run slower.

But as effective it may be, when it comes to speeding up a slow Mac, the Activity Monitor lacks some of the most vital stuff. It can't manage all the items in bulk, and it canot give you a suggestion that which processes can be closed to make the Mac run faster. For all the limitations it has, we'd like to recommend an excellent Mac manage tool for you. Lets' read on!

5. The Best Task Manager for Mac - iMyFone Umate Mac Cleaner

Umate Mac Cleaner is a very powerful tool designed for Mac. This program is an all-in-one package that can be considered the best MacBook task manager. It compatible with all MacBooks or iMacs which running from macOS 10.9 Mavericks to 10.15 Catalina.

The app is capable of many things. Starting with cleaning to speeding up the Mac, so that to free up disk space and make it run faster than before. The wonderful features are: Clean Up Junks, Delete Large Files, Delete Duplicate Files, Erase Private Data, Speeding Up Your Mac and Manage Apps & Extensions. In this post, we are going to specify the feature of speeding up the Mac, and learn how does it manage tasks on Mac.

Mac version

Umate Mac Cleaner manage tasks in 4 particular ways, disables the startup items, deactivates heavy consumers according to CPU, remove the launch agents and free up RAM.

  • Disable Startup items

This feature disables all the startup items on the Mac that gets launched automatically when you boot the Mac. It can find and list all the startups on your Mac and then you can disable then in bulk or one by one.

  • Deactivate Heavy Consumers

The apps that are using high CUP will be displayed to you in real-time. This can give you a suggestion to disable the processes to make the computer run faster. What the most important is it can filter the ones may affect the running of your Mac system. 

  • Remove Launch Agents

The launch agents run secretly in the background of the Mac, then they start their parent program automatically. These programs are very small but they consume Mac memory too much and effectively slow down the device. The tool helps in disabling them and speed up your system.

  • Free Up RAM

The processes which take large amount of RAM will slow down the performance of your Mac system. The said app will release the RAM in one click and manage the tasks that occupy more than 50MB well. It capable of managing the tasks in single or bunch.

The procedure used by Umate Mac Cleaner is also very simple. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Download and install Umate Mac Cleaner on your Mac and launch it.

Mac version

Step 2: Select, "Speed Up Your Mac" tab from the program interface. After that, click "Start Now" and the program will start scanning the Mac.

speed up your mac

Step 3: After the scan, the results will be displayed on the screen. Click on "Disable" and selected items will be deactivated.

remove unwanted files

Summary

Therefore, if you were asking is there a task manager for Mac, you can be sure that it exists and it is known as Activity Monitor. Similar to the task manager, an activity monitor is also very effective, provides a detailed report of your system, helps you to balance and optimize the system. But there is a better option available to speed up Mac and it is called Umate Mac Cleaner. It's an excellent and very effective tool!