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After upgrading my M1 iMac to Sequoia yesterday, I've been noticing that the CPU usage for Google Drive is constantly high (25 to 45%). Since none of the Google Drive folders are downloaded, this CPU usage in the past has always been very low--so low as to be almost unnoticeable.
There are a few posts on Reddit about this same issue.
iMac 24″, macOS 15.0
I noticed the same thing on a 13'' M2 MBP running Sequoia. Whenever I connect my external monitor the CPU usage of Google Drive goes up to 40-50%. It drops to almost 0% when I disconnect the drive. This happens consistently and must be at least part of the problem. Maybe Google Drive thinks the monitor is an external disk that it tries to scan?
I contacted Google Drive support; they said they've made no changes and it must be an issue with the upgrade to Sequoia. (Well, yes, it did start when I upgraded to Sequoia.)
I also contacted Apple Support. They said it must be a case where the Apple operating system and the Google Drive application are "optimizing".
On my M1 iMac, the Google Drive process continues to be at the top of CPU usage on the Activity Monitor; it's currently at 35%. The next process is at 2 to 5%.
I have a 14" M1 MBP, same issue after upgrading to Sequoi. I often run with an external monitor, and I have noticed that when I do not run with 2 monitors (either closing the lid on the MPB, or unplugging the external monitor), google drive drops to just about zero. It seems odd that use of second monitor can impact the cpu utilization of Drive.
Seems to be the same for me too, anywhere between 49-70% cpu at all times. I uninstalled and re-installed, and it made no difference. I did note however the re-install had all the same account preferences, making me think that the uninstall didn't entirely clear out all preferences, which may be a factor.
HRT3039 wrote:
I noticed the same thing on a 13'' M2 MBP running Sequoia. Whenever I connect my external monitor the CPU usage of Google Drive goes up to 40-50%. It drops to almost 0% when I disconnect the drive. This happens consistently and must be at least part of the problem. Maybe Google Drive thinks the monitor is an external disk that it tries to scan?
Confirmed here too! As soon as I unplugged my monitors the CPU drop to almost nothing.
Definitely more research needed here!
Veerrrry interesting observation regarding external displays!
I have a CalDigit TS4 that has two 4k displays attached to it, one via the DP1.4 port on the dock, and one through USB-C (both are Dell monitors with USB-C input, as well as a standard DP input).
I don't even have to physically disconnect the displays to see a change in CPU usage - simply powering them off makes a difference.
Thankfully, when I'm unplugged from the dock, I have no external displays, so CPU usage goes down and I'm not killing battery life... but it's really annoying having the GDrive app eating CPU needlessly when plugged in. 🤦♂️
As bizarre as it sounds, I'm seeing the same since the upgrade. Disconnecting my external monitor drops the Google Drive CPU from around 25% to 0. Apple - are you listening?
Oh my gosh! On my 2021, 16" MBPRO, I just unplugged my second monitor and BOOM! 52.2% to 0.2%! What the heck?!
Yup same issue. Only started happening when I upgraded to Sequoia. I've had Google Drive open for 2 days now so it's not some indexing or syncing issue but CPU is still pegged at 50% from Google Drive. Macbook Pro M1 14 inch.
That's an interesting observation. I normally run with 2 external monitors. If I close the MBP lid, the Google Drive CPU roughly halves (from 61% to around 30%). So not the same experience as yours, but equally odd. I don't have much on Google Drive other than email, so I'm just not running Google Drive to avoid the problem until it's resolved.
Oh wow, I run 2 monitors as well (1 connected to HDMI and 1 connected with a USB-C to HDMI adapter). I disconnected both monitors and Google Drive's CPU usage drops to near 0. And when I reconnected the monitors it jumps back up to 50% CPU usage.
So that's what it is.
Yes, interesting indeed. I have two external monitors connected via USB to a USB-C dock, which then obviously connects to my MBP via USB-C. I tried removing power from the monitors and Google Drive CPU went from 67% to 44%. I then disconnected the monitor USBs and the CPU went close to zero. The same happens when disconnecting the dock from the MBP. It seems that even though the monitors are powered down, the dock still sees that something is connected. Some monitors have inbuilt docks and can have connected storage - is this what Google Drive is perhaps looking for to give the option of backing up attached storage?
i.lewis.au wrote:
Yes, interesting indeed. I have two external monitors connected via USB to a USB-C dock, which then obviously connects to my MBP via USB-C. I tried removing power from the monitors and Google Drive CPU went from 67% to 44%. I then disconnected the monitor USBs and the CPU went close to zero. The same happens when disconnecting the dock from the MBP. It seems that even though the monitors are powered down, the dock still sees that something is connected. Some monitors have inbuilt docks and can have connected storage - is this what Google Drive is perhaps looking for to give the option of backing up attached storage?
I was actually curious about this as well, so I tested it. 😉
My displays both have built-in Ethernet and USB3 and USB-C ports (although no actual "storage" on them). One of them is connected directly to my dock via a standard DisplayPort cable, and the other one was using a USB-C connection into a Thunderbolt port on the dock. This obviously exposes the monitor's USB3 hub and ethernet to the Mac through the dock.
As a test, I used a DisplayPort to USB-C adapter, and changed the monitor that had been using a direct USB-C link, over to using its standalone DisplayPort input. I did not notice any appreciable change in behavior in Google Drive when doing this, so I don't think the monitor's "extra accessories" had anything to do with the CPU usage in GDrive. It seems like it's simply the act of having "extra displays" attached is causing the problem, although I don't understand why.
Also, unlike your experience, with my system simply powering off the external displays makes a big difference in CPU usage by GDrive. I didn't have to disconnect their signal cables from the dock. It is definitely easier to see the change by simply unplugging the dock's TB4 cable though.
Some interesting differences there - perhaps due to different docks? As an update, I provided additional feedback to Google explaining the impact external monitors seem to have on Google Drive CPU. It makes me feel better, but I'm not convinced anyone actually reads it, and they don't seem to have any page showing known issues.
I'm facing the exact same issue. Any type of external Monitor (HDMI or DP with Thunderbolt Dockingstation), the CPU goes up to 40-50% for GDrive while connected.
I also have OneDrive running but that one does not panic.
Macbook Air M3 btw...
I replaced Google Drive with Mountain Duck. Solved the problem.
That's an interesting solution and you've got me looking into it... only concerns I have is that apparently it uses a different API to access Drive and so it may get rate limited? Additionally, I think in a Google Workspace environment, a Workspace Admin has to approve its use somehow? My main use case is (unfortunately) Workspace...
Can you still right click in Finder to get a GDrive "sharing link" when you're using Mountain Duck?
Unrelated to Mountain Duck - I upgraded to Sequoia 15.1 (just released yesterday), and the problem still persists there.
Google Drive CPU usage is high after upgrading to Sequoia
