MacOS Big Sur Lagging

App & System Services Core OS
Seplaz OP
Created Nov ’20
Replies 294
Boosts 2
Views 161k
Participants 274
Hello! Help please, after updating the system to Big Sur, my MacBook Pro 13 began to slow down, previously there were no such problems.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
2,7 GHz 2‑core processor Intel Core i5
8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3
Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB
Replies  294
Boosts  2
Views  161k
Participants  274
HansBBB OP
Feb ’21
Reset SMC solved the problem! I followed the advice in this thread and powered down, then pressed the power button for 10 seconds and released, then pressed the power button the normal way to start up. This procedure worked for my MacBook Pro 13" late 2013. Thank you!
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mstu5 OP
Feb ’21
The problems I have had since many weeks (!) in BigSur on my beefy MacBook Pro 15 was:

Extremely lagging UI just everywhere, in Safari, in Finder, Word, Chrome, Mail etc. It sometimes took 10 seconds until the UI responded to a click or a key stroke. For example when writing in Mail it took many seconds until the letters show up. Also in video conferences there were stutters, also reported by other people who joined the sessions (I have Fiber 1Gbit/s connection).

I tried:

  • detaching dock

  • detaching external screen

  • restarting the system (sometimes it solved the problem for some hours)

  • closed all safari tabs (it was helping a bit)

  • moved thunderbolt cables to other side of laptop

  • checked with Intel Power Gadget the performance

  • checked activity log, top etc (no evidence)

  • installed temp monitoring, nothing special

  • cleaned all caches with OnyX

  • reset SMC

  • reset NVRAM or PRAM

There was zero clue what what going on when the system was so unresponsive.

What solved the problem immediately, close my 10+ Finder windows!! And then the system went back to normal. (Maybe there is a problem with the preview option in Finder??)

For your reference, I have installed BigSur 11.2 (20D64) and using a 2018 MacBook Pro:

  • MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)

  • 2.6 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7

  • 32 GB 2400 MHz DDR4

  • Radeon Pro 560X 4 GB

Attached is a CalDigit UBC-C Pro Dock (Logitech Mouse via USB transmitter, USB headset etc) and via another Thunderbolt 3 port my Acer Nitro 4K Display.

I hope this helps.
1
cirofeitosa OP
Feb ’21
I tried several tips to fix the problem, none had any effect.

I returned my iMac (2017) and Macbook Air (2015) to the Catalina macOS version, with completely recovery from zero. Everything is working fine (back) now.

What's going on with Big Sur, makes me imagine that Apple did it on purpose, to make Intel-based machines obsolete. Just like they do on iPhones.

PS.: I have another MacBook Air (with M1 chip) and Big Sur is so fast on that machine.
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zerofootprint OP
Feb ’21
I experienced a lot of the same problems as others: Very very slow, 400% CPU utilization (all cores saturated). I have a 2018 15-in 6-core i7 with 32GB RAM. I went straight to OS 11.2

Two things resolved it:

  • I unplugged a Lenovo Thunderbolt dock I had been using. This finally dropped off utilization which was being eaten by a kernel process.

  • I finally did a hard reset (held power button down until Mac just shut off) - rebooted.

Finally kernel utilization is gone, and performance is back. Actually, I think its a touch faster than it originally was. And the dock now works again fine.

That all being said, I am gonna hold off upgrading my Mac Pro until another point release. Seems there are some issues still needing resolution. But - all and all now, I am quite happy on the MBP


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a-la-montagna OP
Feb ’21
I solved my issues by doing a few things. (iMac 5k Late 2014 going from High Sierra to Big Sur 11.2)

  1. I manually removed as many old / unused and incompatible / 32bit apps and audio drivers etc etc as I could find that might be somehow conflicting with the Big Sur architecture.

  2. I downloaded Litte Snitch and blocked ocsp.apple.com from within the trusted folder

  3. I removed all USB peripherals such as USB audio interfaces etc / printer / USB drives and performed a SRAM reset on my main internal SSD.

  4. I also have a secondary internal SSD so booted from that and performed another SRAM reset on it, too.

I'm no wizard, so I don't know exactly what fixed everything ––but doing this combo of things solved all my horrible Big Sur issues.

Thought I'd share in case anyone wants to give these things a go :)
1
SlippyJohny OP
Feb ’21
I have tested MacBook Pro 16 inch on Big Sur 11.2 - only the release date is 2020 november (my laptop 2019 december) - and it has no Slow UI, input, cursor stuttering lags - . Apple must replace such notebooks - but instead - the authorized service center said that everything is fine all the tests pass
0
pasty_viking OP
Feb ’21
Same here Macbook Pro 2017 15", painfully slow after update to big sur.
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Xepe OP
Feb ’21
Same problem with my mbp 2019
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jesse-sravya OP
Feb ’21
Same here, battery drains faster as well. Is this resolved?
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MrLuxury OP
Feb ’21
Hello,

I followed your raised question and here are some fixes for your Mac but first of all, I would have to tell you to not downgrade to Catalina because Catalina's support is ended and apple is fully concentrated on Mac Big Sur, to keep in touch with apple's movement and latest features, I highly suggest you stay with Mac Big Sur.

Here are some fixes that worked with my 2017 iMac which came with Mac Catalina when I first got it, now I have Big Sur and it's as smooth as butter.

  • Enable reduce motion through accessibility (This will help reduce or perhaps fully stop your map from lagging. If you still face slowing/lagging/glitching issues, you can also reduce transparency which will help for sure but won't look as good).

  • Make sure to get CleanMyMac and run all of its free programs (You can also get paid version if you want)

  • If you just recently updated to macOS Big Sur and you feel the Mac is slower than usual, the best course of action is to keep the Mac awake, plugged in (if it’s a laptop), and let it sit for a while (perhaps overnight or for a nights) – basically, hurry up and wait. I know that sounds like weird advice, but here’s the logic behind it: after a major macOS system software update, the Mac performs various maintenance routines behind the scenes, it reindexes the drive for Spotlight and Siri and apps like Photos may reindex too. So basically, let the Mac sit turned on overnight, perhaps for a few nights in a row, and allow those indexing and optimization processes to complete. When they’re finished, the performance of the Mac should be significantly better, if not entirely back to normal. This is often the number one reasons Mac users think a new operating system is slower than a prior version, so don’t disregard this simple advice!

  • You should also get firefox instead of using chrome (if you do) because chrome can slow your mac very much and plays key part, especially on Mac Big Sur. Firefox is one of the Top 3 browsers and it's very smooth.

Taking these steps has helped me significantly to reduce total lag and other slowing issues. In-fact, my iMac now runs better with Mac Big Sur compared to Catalina.
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phillipsykes OP
Feb ’21
Same problem here - 2015 MBP with i7, 16GB, dual graphics card.

I was about to downgrade back to an earlier OS as was becoming unusable - 90-100% CPU within minutes of booting.
I've tried all the suggestions (SMC, updates, disable any 32-bit apps etc) but nothing worked.

Just as I've moved my machine to the side whilst it backs up before a downgrade, I've disconnected the external monitor (an ultra widescreen 34" Samsung).

I come back to it after a few minutes and CPU is almost zero - system nice and fast and responsive and looks to be just fine. Arrgh!!

Too early to tell whether the complete fix but I would be interested to know whether people see a similar result once they disconnect any external monitors.

I'm thinking in this case whether bigsur is having trouble constantly switch between the two graphics cards rather than can't support the larger monitor (2gb graphics card)
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mesutpiskin OP
Feb ’21
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)
2,9 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
6 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3
Radeon Pro 560 4 GB
Intel HD Graphics 630 1536 MB

same problem, very slow opening :(
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vddl OP
Feb ’21
I bought the new MacBook Air m1 less than 2 weeks ago and it's running Big Sur. I have been using a digitizer for e-class and sometimes it freezes, which isn't what I expected from a 1200 euro laptop. If it is unable to handle something like that, then it's just a big waste of money. I am not going to start using apps for cleaning apps working in the background, which is hopeless for such an expensive piece of equipment. Also the function key which switches languages stops working after a few times to the point I had to switch it to caps lock. Skype's share screen function just stopped working without me changing anything, to the point that I had to switch back to my old windows laptop for work. I bought a MacBook over a windows laptop with the hope that I get a better working environment and it turns out that it's worse than my 10yo laptop. I hope the OS gets fixed soon because I don't want to see such an expensive investment, in our times, to be used just for browsing and watching movies. All in all Im very disappointed from the first 2 weeks of use.
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phillipsykes OP
Feb ’21
Same problem here - 2015 MBP with i7, 16GB, dual graphics card. - but for now solved.

I posted a couple of days ago about how i was about to downgrade my machine - on unplugging the external monitor everything looked to improve.

Well, i've been able to go further and two things were definetly affecting the machine.

  1. I've changed from using the internal HDMI port to a mini-display adapter - i can now get my external monitor reconnected and it's isn't taking 100% of the CPU

  2. I've reverted back to allowing the os to control the fans rather than 3rd part app - and after a short burst from the fans to drop the temp down from about a 65degrees to 50, its' gone back to running fine.

I would be worth checking you are not having thermal issues (high temps) forcing OSX to increase it's reliance on push up kernel_task CPU usages which looks to block user doing much with the computer until it's reduce the temperature back down.


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fenyvesb OP
Feb ’21
MBP 18 13” lags a lot!!
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