What is Finder?
Finder is the app you use to browse files, and it also draws your desktop icons. It stays light most of the time, but some views ask it to do a lot of work in the background.
Why is Finder using so much CPU?
- Calculating folder sizes in list view, which means reading every file inside each folder.
- Previews and thumbnails for folders full of photos, videos or PDFs.
- Network drives that are slow or have disconnected.
- Cloud folders where files are syncing or downloading.
- Copying lots of files, which is expected while it runs.
How to fix high Finder CPU usage
- Confirm it in Activity Monitor. Press ⌘ Space, type Activity Monitor, open the CPU tab and sort by % CPU. Watch
Finderfor a minute: short spikes are normal, only steady high usage needs fixing. - Turn off Calculate all sizes. In a Finder window, choose View › Show View Options and untick Calculate all sizes.
- Close windows on huge folders, especially in icon view with previews.
- Eject network drives you aren't using, and reconnect any that dropped.
- Relaunch Finder: hold Option, right-click the Finder icon in the Dock and choose Relaunch.
More help: How to check CPU usage on a Mac