audiomxd high memory allocation port allocation CPU time

Thank you, den.thed, for the excellent descriptions. Given the growing amount of memory allocated and of the growing number of ports opened, it appears that processes or services or apps are CHECKING IN, but they are NOT CHECKING OUT.

Previous reports from EtreCheckPro mentioned the following kernel extension:

Kernel Extensions:

/Applications/Toolkit.app

[Not Loaded] SeagateDiskService.kext - com.seagate.IOSED01 (67.0 - SDK 10.10)

I just now removed it and rebooted.

audiomxd activity after Start Up 2025-06-11 2:35PM

Logged Out most of the time between samples unless otherwise indicated.

2025-06-11 4:00PM CPU Time 1:19:32.28 230.3 MB 3,260 Ports

2025-06-12 9:51AM CPU Time 18:51:17.30 740.1 MB 3,262 Ports

Logged Out.

Printed a few pages from iPhone to nearby AirPrint printer.

Just now Logged In and launched Activity Monitor.

2025-06-12 11:13AM CPU Time 19:49:13.29 760.5 MB 18,527 Ports

2025-06-12 12:10PM CPU Time 20:22:36.66 771.7 MB 26,335 Ports

Uninstalled LaCie Seagate Toolkit.

https://www.seagate.com/support/kb/lacie/uninstalling-toolkit/

In the top left, click on the Apple icon

Click on System Settings

In the left-hand window, scroll towards the bottom and locate Toolkit

Click the Toolkit icon then click uninstall

Finder Search: This Mac "Macintosh HD" > Search "LaCie"

Removed

LaCieToolkit.zip

Logged Out.

Shut Down.

Moved Mac Mini back to original location.

Start Up 2025-06-12 1:01 PM.

audiomxd activity after Start Up 2025-06-12 1:01PM

Logged Out most of the time between samples unless otherwise indicated.

2025-06-12 1:19PM CPU Time 14:50.00 130.2 MB 2,450 Ports

I just now ran EtreCheckPro, and no malware was found. Here are screenshots of Activity Monitor.

Preferences are still set to the following:

Apple Intelligence: OFF

Siri: OFF

Show items In Stage Manager: Uncheck

Uninstall the Creative Cloud desktop app

Click wallpaper to reveal desktop change to Only in Stage Manager

Drag Windows to screen edges to tile: ON

Drag Windows to menu bar to fill screen: OFF

Lacie Toolkit > Settings > Launch on Startup: OFF

Brief history of audiomxd CPU Time, GB, and ports.

2025-05-07 08.21AM CPU Time 41:17:13.73 1.02 GB 45,087 Ports.

2025-05-08 12.16AM CPU Time 64:57:45.38 1.27 GB 98,198 Ports.

2025-05-09 07.39AM CPU Time 82:17:22.45 1.42 GB 119,664 Ports.

2025-05-10 08.58AM CPU Time 102:12:18.58 1.57 GB 166,991 Ports.

2025-05-12 07.45AM CPU Time 145:19:56.50 1.88 GB 258,220 Ports.

2025-05-12 10.56AM CPU Time 147:09.27.88 1.89 GB 285,523 Ports.

EtreCheckPro. Removed 2 malware launch agents.

Updated Mac Mini M4 Pro to macOS Sequoia 15.5

Updated iPhone 12 Mini to iOS 18.5

2025-05-13 05.41AM CPU Time 9:07:06.79 534.5 MB 4,971 Ports.

Activity Monitor provides an important capability in identification of apps that are experiencing concerning trends in CPU Time, memory usage, and ports.

EtreCheckPro is very useful in identification and removal of likely suspects which may be causing the concerning trends.

Thank you, BDAqua for troubleshooting this problem.

[Edited by Moderator]

EtreCheckPro identified the following two files as Definitely malicious:

Malware

-/Library/LaunchAgents/com.appstart.AppStart.plist

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.onlineapplicationrequest.AppRequest.plist

I removed the two User Launch Agents then purchased 6 uses of the EtreCheck Power User Package.

Currently, audiomxd is using 2.9 MB and 54 Ports.

Following your suggestion den.thed, I first searched for an appropriate gpg uninstaller on the Mac and online. No success, so I read through the EtreCheckPro report and removed what I could find.

Finder ~/Applications/GPG Keychain.app

Remove GPG Keychain.app

Finder ~/Library/LaunchAgents

Remove org.gpgtools.gpgmail.enable-bundles.plist

Remove org.gpgtools.macgpg2.shutdown-gpg-agent.plist

Remove org.gpgtools.gpgmail.patch-uuid-user.plist

Remove org.gpgtools.Libmacgpg.xpc.plist

Remove org.gpgtools.updater.plist

Remove org.gpgtools.macgpg2.fix.plist

Finder ~/Library/LaunchDaemons

Remove org.gpgtools.gpgmail.patch-uuid.plist

Finder ~/Library/Logs

Remove gpgmail-uuid-patcher

Finder ~/Library/PreferencePanes

Remove GPGPreferences.prefpane

Finder ~/Library

Remove GPGServices.service

Finder ~/usr/local

Remove gnupg-2.2

Remove MacGPG2

Logged Out, Shut Down, Started Up, Logged In.

In a Terminal window: uptime

16:08 up 50 mins

The time of day at Startup was 15:18

audiomxd history after startup at 03:18 PM Saturday 2025-05-24

2025-05-24 4.11PM CPU Time 2.93 18.6 MB 882 Ports.

audiomxd memory allocation is much improved. We'll know more in a day or two.

The other app, SENA device manager, remains on the Mac Mini. One change at a time.

audiomxd activity after Start Up 2025-06-13 11:04AM

2025-06-13 7.57AM CPU Time 12:34:15.59 618.3 MB 5,334 Ports

Logged In continuously between 7:57AM and 9:13AM

2025-06-13 9.13AM CPU Time 12:34:19.92 618.3 MB 5,333 Ports

Logged Out most of the time

2025-06-13 10.14AM CPU Time 13:25:33.91 636.9 MB 9,963 Ports

Apple menu > System Settings... > Screen Time > Communication Limits >

During Downtime > Allow Communication with: Contacts Only

Log Out.

Shut Down.

Start Up 2025-06-13 11.04AM

audiomxd activity after Start Up 2025-06-13 11:04AM

2025-06-13 2.21PM CPU Time 0.00 2.8 MB 55 Ports

All three measures are now decreased: CPU Time, Memory, Ports.

On May 3, 2025, this audiomxd memory growth issue was posted for the Community of Mac mini users. A Community Moderator categorized it as suitable for a, possibly broader, Community of Sequoia users.

The majority of the audiomxd memory growth occurs when Logged Out (during Screen Downtime).

Less-restrictive permutations of the following System Settings may also mitigate audiomxd memory growth:

Apple > System Settings... > General > AirDrop & Handoff

Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices: OFF

AirDrop [No One | Contacts Only | Everyone]: No One

AirPlay Receiver: OFF

Allow AirPlay for [Current User | Anyone on the Same Network | Everyone]: Current User

Apple menu > System Settings... > Screen Time > Communication Limits >

During Downtime > Allow Communication with: Contacts Only

Special acknowledgments to den.thed and BDAqua.

2025-06-17 Reinstalled macOS Sequoia

audiomxd activity after 2025-06-17 5:01PM

2025-06-18 4.54AM CPU Time 11:17:17.02 588.5 MB 56 Ports

2025-06-18 8.25AM CPU Time 12:46:31.10 624.0 MB 11,043 Ports

audiomxd Ports increased while I was Logged Out.

2025-06-18 Removed additional files related to:

Adobe

Audacity

Epson Printer

Firefox

Google

GPG

Mozilla

Sena Device Manager

Emptied Trash.

Start Up 2025-06-18 01:32PM.

audiomxd activity after 2025-06-18 01:32PM

2025-06-18 1.51PM CPU Time 0.07 2.9 MB 55 Ports

Thank you for the reply, pey33.

For my Mac mini M4 Pro, the audiomxd memory growth hasn't occurred after I migrated only my non-system files to a new user created while using macOS 18.6.

It may be unrelated, but macOS 26 Tahoe is the last version of macOS that will run on Intel Macs.

Years ago, the upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit software was a significant change, but both versions of an app were written for the Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC) architecture.

The decision to migrate from CISC architecture (Intel) to Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) architecture was probably influenced by consideration of future Artificial Intelligence (Apple Intelligence) performance.

Migration of only non-system files to a new user likely resulted in a user Library that contains only software that is written, signed, and supported for RISC architecture.

Here's a screenshot of recent audiomxd history: no significant memory growth.

audiomxd activity after Start Up 2025-09-17 11:35 AM

2025-09-25 7:38 AM CPU Time 109:38:59.84 4.1 MB 175 Ports

2025-09-25 3:41 PM CPU Time 112:35:18.44 4.1 MB 174 Ports

2025-09-26 7:20 AM CPU Time 123:28:39.13 4.1 MB 174 Ports

2025-09-26 3:31 PM CPU Time 127:38:29.07 4.1 MB 173 Ports

2025-09-27 7:10 AM CPU Time 127:38:29.43 4.1 MB 173 Ports

2025-09-27 2:01 PM CPU Time 130:52:40.53 4.2 MB 176 Ports

2025-09-27 4:45 PM CPU Time 130:58:00.04 4.1 MB 174 Ports

2025-09-28 11:15 AM CPU Time 144:16:56.13 4.1 MB 173 Ports

2025-09-29 11:59 AM CPU Time 161:18:55.47 4.1 MB 175 Ports

2025-09-30 6:34 AM CPU Time 13:21:31.30 3.9 MB 175 Ports

During the months from February 2025 to September 2025, I've attempted to remove most of my CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer) apps and each app's System Files. Some unidentified or hidden System Files were probably still in my Library directory. Some of these CISC (Intel architecture) apps were from 2011 and earlier. Several apps were unsigned and unsupported.

After conversations with Apple Senior Advisors during the previous months, I decided to create a new user with Administrator privileges and move my NON-System files (music, photos, and documents) to the new Administrator.

Do NOT try this without expert Apple assistance.

As a reasonable first step, I copied my files to two different brands of 1-TB flash drives: a familiar trusted brand of 1-TB flash drive and an unfamiliar but faster brand of 1-TB flash drive.

During the back-and-forth copying procedures, I Logged Out of each account before Logging In to the other.

Unknown to me, my two Administrator accounts were each holding open the same external backup drive. I realized this when I discovered that macOS had automatically reduced each Administrator's permission from READ-WRITE to READ-ONLY. This is what a good OS like macOS should do.

I set each user's Time Machine to MANUAL BACKUPS, then ran Disk Utility and performed First Aid on the external LaCie hard drive.

This took an hour or two because the drive held 195 large Backup SnapShots.

During the first few hours after moving to the New Administrator account with its new user Library directory, audiomxd has NOT allocated any significant resources to itself.

I don't know if this good result will hold, but, if it does stand, the Community can decide whether to try it or not.

The data I collected during the last few months, shows that, for my situation, audiomxd periodically resets its Memory allocation to zero.

If audiomxd is not putting pressure on Memory, then users may decide the potential cost of removing a few counterproductive System Files is not worth the potential benefit.

audiomxd activity after Start Up 2025-06-09 6:58PM

Logged Out most of the time between samples unless otherwise indicated.

2025-06-09 7:37PM CPU Time 2.32 15.5 MB 796 Ports

2025-06-10 6:30AM CPU Time 10:36:28.87 573.6 MB 10,870 Ports

2025-06-10 9:58AM CPU Time 12:32:15.63 621.2 MB 31,786 Ports

-----

As an experiment, I changed some of the settings in

AirDrop & Handoff

Apple > System Settings... > General > AirDrop & Handoff

Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices: OFF

AirDrop [No One | Contacts Only | Everyone]: Contacts Only

AirPlay Receiver: OFF

Allow AiPlay for [Current User | Anyone on the Same Network | Everyone]: Current User

Log Out.

Shut Down.

Start Up 2025-06-10 10:19 AM.

audiomxd activity after Start Up 2025-06-10 10:19AM

Logged Out most of the time between samples unless otherwise indicated.

2025-06-10 11:59AM CPU Time 0.14 2.8 MB 55 Ports

2025-06-10 3:54PM CPU Time 1:57:24.84 271.0 MB 10,439 Ports

Uninstalled Google Earth Pro.

Uninstalled Google.

Start Up 2025-06-16 08:41PM.

audiomxd activity after Start Up 2025-06-16 08:41PM.

2025-06-17 8.31AM CPU Time 11:37:02.67 595.8 MB 5,239 Ports

Thank you, den.thed, for the suggestion.

Finder ~/Applications/

Remove Audacity.app

Finder ~/Library/Application Support/

Remove audacity

Empty Trash

Log Out.

Shut Down.

Start Up. 2025-06-07 01:41 PM.

I'll check Activity Monitor in a few days.

As an experiment, I adjusted the settings in

AirDrop & Handoff

Apple > System Settings... > General > AirDrop & Handoff

Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices: OFF

AirDrop [No One | Contacts Only | Everyone]: No One

AirPlay Receiver: OFF

Allow AirPlay for [Current User | Anyone on the Same Network | Everyone]: Current User

Log Out.

Shut Down.

Start Up 2025-06-10 4:16PM

audiomxd activity after Start Up 2025-06-10 4:16PM

Logged Out most of the time between samples unless otherwise indicated.

2025-06-10 6:15PM CPU Time 0.06 2.8 MB 55 Ports

A Senior Advisor helped me create a new user. System Data finished calculations for the newly created user.

Here's a log of Mac Mini activity from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday evening

2025-05-14 Wednesday

This morning I discovered that the audiomxd CPU Time, Memory, and Ports had continued to grow overnight.

After discovering this, I removed the following migrated items that were found by EtreCheckPro:

Internet Plug-ins:

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: 3.3.3.1 (? - installed 2015-02-14)

Audio Plug-ins:

Flip4Mac WMA Import: 3.3.3.1 (? - installed 2015-01-05)

3rd Party Preference panels:

A Better Finder Preferences (? - installed 2010-03-21)

Flip4Mac WMV (? - installed 2015-01-05)

MacFUSE (? - installed 2010-09-12)

I looked at processes that were being launched at Startup.

Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions

There was one app that was being opened at Login. I Removed it from "Open at Login."

Next, I looked at "Allow in Background." None of the background apps were from Apple. All were non-Apple, third-party apps.

I had Uninstalled Adobe Creative Cloud, but it was still listed in the "Allow in Background" group.

I switched them all OFF. If this causes trouble, I may selectively switch them ON, but only one at a time.

Why are there three different background apps with the same name "uuid-patcher"?

Adobe Creative Cloud

2 items: 1 item affects all users

AMZN Mobile LLC

1 item

EPSON

1 item

EPSON Event Manager

2 items

fixGpgHome

Item from unidentified developer.

Google LLC

2 items: 1 item affects all users

GPG Suite

2 items

Seiko Epson Corporation

5 items: 1 item affects all users

shutdown-gpg-agent

Item from unidentified developer.

UpdaterStartupUtility

Item from unidentified developer.

uuid-patcher

Item from unidentified developer.

uuid-patcher

Item from unidentified developer.

uuid-patcher

Item from unidentified developer.

2025-05-15 Thursday

Yesterday evening, I removed selected Plugins, Preference Panes, and "Open at Login" apps, and switched OFF all the "Allow in Background" apps, then I Logged Out.

Just now, I Logged In and discovered that audiomxd has been: 1) using the CPU most of the time, 2) allocated a little more memory than WindowServer, 3) has opened about three times as many Ports as WindowServer. This may be OK. The question is whether, in the long-term, Memory and Ports remains constant or decreases. Then it would not be a memory leak. Especially, if most of the allocated Memory would be freed and available if the user had need of it.

If audiomxd memory demand continues growing (2, 3, 4 ... GB) and if it is not available to the user, then that would be worth investigating further.