What is Dock?
The Dock process draws more than the Dock. It also runs Launchpad and Mission Control, including switching between desktops (Spaces).
It works for a moment whenever you open one of those, or when the Dock animates. Steady high usage usually means it's stuck.
Why is Dock using so much CPU?
- Dock animations, like magnification and bouncing icons, while they play.
- Mission Control with many windows or many desktops.
- A stuck state after sleep, display changes or a macOS update.
- Third-party Dock or window utilities that hook into it.
How to fix high Dock CPU usage
- Confirm it in Activity Monitor. Press ⌘ Space, type Activity Monitor, open the CPU tab and sort by % CPU. Watch
Dockfor a minute: short spikes are normal, only steady high usage needs fixing. - Restart the Dock. Open Terminal and run
killall Dock. It disappears for a second and comes back fresh. Your apps and windows stay open. - Turn off magnification in System Settings › Desktop & Dock if animations feel heavy.
- Close windows you don't need before using Mission Control.
- Update or quit Dock and window utilities to test whether one is the cause.
More help: How to check CPU usage on a Mac