Processes & background apps

Suggested reading

Work through the guides that match your situation, in the order below.

1. Task Manager for Mac: The Real Equivalent (and What's Better)

   Looking for Task Manager on a Mac? macOS uses Activity Monitor and the Force Quit window instead. Learn the Windows-to-Mac equivalents, how to open them, and a more powerful alternative.

   System tools Software

   May 17, 2026

2. How to See All Running Processes on Mac

   See every running process on your Mac with Activity Monitor or Terminal. Show background processes, find a PID, and check CPU or memory usage.

   Tutorials System tools

   Mar 1, 2026

3. What Is Process Monitoring on macOS? A Developer's Explanation

   Process monitoring on macOS means tracking running programs, their resource usage, and relationships. Learn what processes are, how PIDs and process trees work, and why developers need more than Activity Monitor.

   System tools Software

   Mar 5, 2026

4. How to Find Which Process Owns a Window on macOS

   Learn the fastest ways to identify which macOS process owns a specific window using Activity Monitor, Quartz window APIs, Terminal, and ProcXray.

   Tutorials System tools

   Mar 16, 2026

5. How to Monitor Processes on macOS: A Complete Developer Guide

   Learn how to monitor, inspect, and manage macOS processes beyond Activity Monitor — from process trees and PIDs to environment variables and code signatures.

   System tools Software

   Feb 10, 2026

6. Process Explorer for Mac: What It Is and How to Get the Same Power on macOS

   Microsoft Process Explorer doesn't run on Mac. See how ProcXray brings process trees, dylibs, code signatures, and real-time monitoring to macOS.

   System tools Software

   Apr 8, 2026

7. Is This Mac Process a Virus? How to Tell If a macOS Process Is Safe

   See a strange Mac process in Activity Monitor? Check its path, code signature, parent, and behavior to tell whether it is legitimate or suspicious.

   Security System tools

   Jul 31, 2026

8. How to Detect Suspicious Processes on macOS

   Learn to identify malware and suspicious processes on your Mac using code signature verification, Gatekeeper checks, and process inspection techniques.

   Security System tools

   Feb 25, 2026

9. How to Check Loaded Modules and Libraries of a Process on macOS

   Learn how to inspect dynamic libraries (dylibs) and frameworks loaded by a running process on macOS using vmmap, otool, lsof, dyld_info, and ProcXray.

   Tutorials System tools

   Apr 4, 2026

10. ProcXray vs Activity Monitor: Why Developers Are Switching

    A detailed feature-by-feature comparison of ProcXray and Apple's Activity Monitor — process trees, regex search, environment variables, dylib inspection, and more.

    Software System tools

    Feb 15, 2026

11. Getting Started with ProcXray: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

    Learn how to install and use ProcXray on macOS — process trees, regex search, environment variables, code signatures, and network inspection in one tutorial.

    Tutorials Software

    Mar 10, 2026

12. Best macOS Developer Tools in 2026: The Essential Toolkit

    A curated list of the best macOS developer tools in 2026 — from terminals and editors to process monitors, API clients, and Git GUIs that actually improve your workflow.

    Software Productivity

    Mar 8, 2026

Tools for your investigation