audiomxd high memory allocation port allocation CPU time

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.

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.

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.

audiomxd activity after Start Up 2025-07-26 1:59 PM

2025-07-26 2:10 PM CPU Time 0.06 2.8 MB 55 Ports

2025-07-26 2:24 PM CPU Time 0.08 2.9 MB 54 Ports

2025-07-26 5:39 PM CPU Time 2:03:44.35 273.3 MB 3,552 Ports

2025-07-27 6:08 AM CPU Time 14:21:51.87 656.7 MB 8,594 Ports

audiomxd memory growth seems unnecessarily large, because the only audio connected to the Mac mini M4 Pro is its own internal speaker. The external LaCie backup drive has no audio input or output and the Apple Pro Display XDR has no camera, no microphone, and no speaker.

There is little to no audiomxd memory growth while Logged In. The audiomxd memory growth occurs chiefly during the periods when I am Logged Out.

It may be unrelated, but System Data continues calculating for hours. I have never seen it finish.

Apple Menu > System Settings... > General > Storage > System Data: Calculating

The audiomxd history scatter charts posted on Aug 17, 2025 8:30 AM are similar to the first few days of a pattern seen in the audiomxd history scatter charts posted on Jul 5, 2025 7:37 AM. In that post, the second Memory allocation peak is greater than the first.

2025-07-03 7:26PM CPU Time 116:56:01.38 1.73 GB 288,112 Ports

If that pattern were to continue for a few months, then it's possible that audiomxd may allocate 2 GB of Memory for itself. The only audio equipment connected to my Mac mini is its own internal speaker. The only devices connected to my Apple Mac mini are:

1. Apple Pro Display XDR -- no microphone, no speaker, no camera

2. LaCie external backup drive -- no microphone, no speaker

Why did audiomxd need 1.73 GB of Memory and 288,112 Ports to operate one internal speaker?

Migrate from a recent Time Machine Backup WITHOUT: Other Files & Folders, System & Network

audiomxd activity after Start Up 2025-08-17 08:23 PM

2025-08-17 08:57 PM CPU Time 0.07 2.8 MB 54 Ports

2025-08-18 05:38 AM CPU Time 8:27:19.04 517.7 MB 4,887 Ports

The NewUserName continues to experience no audiomxd issues.

The unidentified troublesome files had probably been migrated into /Macintosh HD/Users/OldUserName/Library/.

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

2025-10-01 5:16 AM CPU Time 29:38:03.51 3.9 MB 176 Ports

2025-10-01 1:06 PM CPU Time 29:38:03.86 3.9 MB 177 Ports

2025-10-02 12:52 PM CPU Time 43:19:01.58 4.0 MB 176 Ports

2025-10-12 5:22 AM CPU Time 175:08:45.33 4.1 MB 175 Ports

audiomxd activity after startup at 12:40 PM Sunday 2025-05-25

2025-05-25 1:35PM CPU Time 48:02.88 189.3 MB 2,960 Ports

2025-05-25 3:50PM CPU Time 48:03.70 189.4 MB 2,959 Ports

2025-05-26 7:25AM CPU Time 15:51:04.50 684.0 MB 2,961 Ports

2025-05-26 1:30PM CPU Time 20:08:59.49 764.1 MB 25,818 Ports

2025-05-26 3:58PM CPU Time 20:09:02.76 764.1 MB 25,820 Ports

2025-05-27 8:18AM CPU Time 35:23:58.33 979.9 MB 35,137 Ports

2025-05-28 6:14AM CPU Time 56:08:04.12 1.18 GB 64,688 Ports

2025-05-28 2:33PM CPU Time 62:17:24.90 1.25 GB 90,057 Ports

2025-05-29 6:45AM CPU Time 77:59:44.71 1.38 GB 90,083 Ports

2025-05-29 9:43AM CPU Time 80:45:05.48 1.40 GB 102,914 Ports

2025-05-30 10:27AM CPU Time 103:12:07.47 1.59 GB 169,999 Ports

2025-05-30 10:46AM CPU Time 103:14:15.34 1.59 GB 184,332 Ports

2025-05-31 6:11AM CPU Time 120:35:03.76 1.72 GB 228,144 Ports

2025-06-01 10:04AM CPU Time 14:54:35.52 667.1 MB 5,539 Ports

The unexpected decrease in CPU Time, Memory, and Ports may indicate trouble.

EtreCheckPro indicates a Major Issue.

[Edited by Moderator]