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audiomxd high memory allocation port allocation CPU time

Apple Community.

audiomxd Memory and CPU screenshots

In February 2025, I bought a Mac Mini then migrated from my iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015) to my current Mac Mini M4 Pro. The Mac Mini is probably running Rosetta.

About: Mac Mini 2024 M4 Pro. 64 GB Memory. macOS Sequoia 15.4.1. Apple Pro Display XDR with NO MICROPHONE and NO SPEAKER. No Audio app. No VST plugins.

The Apple Pro Display XDR is connected with an Apple Thunderbolt 5 cable to one of the three Thunderbolt 5 ports in back.

An external Lacie backup drive is connected with an Apple Thunderbolt 4 cable to one of the three Thunderbolt 5 ports in back. Time Machine backs up the Mac Mini M4 Pro once a week.

Feedback - Mac mini - Apple

Feedback report 6 on the audiomdx memory leak.

2025-04-26 12.23PM 1.36 GB 102,386 Ports.

2025-04-27 10.14AM 1.52 GB 130,067 Ports.

On 2025.04.27 I changed some settings then Shut Down.

Apple > System Settings > Apple Intelligence and Siri >

Apple Intelligence: OFF

Siri: OFF

Adobe Elements 2021 Organizer > Preferences > Media-Analysis >

Generate Auto Creations: OFF.

On 2025.04.29 I uninstalled an Adobe desktop app the Shut Down.

https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/uninstall-creative-cloud-desktop-app.html

Uninstall the Creative Cloud desktop app

On 25.05.02 I changed some settings then Shut Down.

Sequoia is moving my windows off the scre… - Apple Community

Settings > Desktop & Dock > Click wallpaper to reveal desktop change to Only in Stage Manager

Settings > Desktop & Dock > Drag Windows to screen edges to tile OFF

Settings > Desktop & Dock > Drag Windows to menu bar to fill screen OFF

On 2025.05.03 here are Activity Monitor screenshots of CPU Time and of Memory Allocation.

2025.05.03 12:49 PM audiomxd CPU Time 20:02:08.10

2025.05.03 12:49 PM audiomxd Memory 770.2 MB 39,904 Ports.

Usually, I Logout after each time I use the Mac Mini.

Occasionally, I only Lock the Screen.

Why is Memory allocated, but not freed after closing the app that was using the Memory?

Why does audiomxd need an ever-increasing Memory Allocation to manage the internal speaker on a Mac Mini? I have no external speaker or microphone.

[Edited by Moderator]

Mac mini, macOS 15.4

Posted on May 3, 2025 12:16 PM

Top-ranking reply

tcabq Author

Level 1

50 points

Posted on Jul 20, 2025 3:26 PM

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]

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201 replies

tcabq Author

Level 1

50 points

Jul 20, 2025 5:59 PM in response to tcabq

I was away from the Mac mini for a few days, and have been recording audiomxd activity sparsely. Almost all of the Up Time after Start Up, no one is Logged In. I'm not running any apps while I'm Logged Out.

audiomxd Memory grows for several days, then appears to reset itself. If successive audiomxd Memory allocation peaks continue to increase, then this might indicate an incomplete freeing of audiomxd Memory.

audiomxd activity after Start Up 2025-07-05 5:16 PM

2025-07-12 11:19 AM CPU Time 143:58:04.97 1.87 GB 234,061 Ports

2025-07-17 4:08 PM CPU Time 264:41:44.71 2.52 GB 305,453 Ports

2025-07-17 5:51 PM CPU Time 264:41:47.63 2.52 GB 305,454 Ports

2025-07-18 1:40 PM CPU Time 19:05:26.32 748.3 MB 14,895 Ports

2025-07-18 3:25 PM CPU Time 20:44:45.76 780.6 MB 35,390 Ports

2025-07-19 8:52 AM CPU Time 37:52:54.32 1,014.1 MB 35,392 Ports

2025-07-19 6:39 PM CPU Time 46:13:51.56 1.10 GB 131,501 Ports

2025-07-20 9:07 AM CPU Time 60:13:08.60 1.24 GB 150,900 Ports

2025-07-20 6:37 PM CPU Time 69:22:57.39 1.33 GB 170,783 Ports

tcabq Author

Level 1

50 points

Aug 3, 2025 12:32 PM in response to tcabq

During an attempt to re-visit Sound settings, I discovered that the Output Volume appears to affect every output device detected by the Mac mini on the shared Wi-Fi network.

Apple menu > System Settings... > Sound > Output

Here is a sequence of screenshots.

Screenshot 2025-08-03 at 10.46.47 AM.jpg

Mac mini Speakers Built-in

I set the Output volume of the "Mac mini Speakers" to midrange.

Screenshot 2025-08-03 at 10.47.02 AM.jpg

Enter the AirPlay code for "Streaming Stick 4K"

I Canceled the AirPlay code-request popup.

Screenshot 2025-08-03 at 10.47.21 AM.jpg

Streaming Stick 4K AirPlay

I Muted the Output volume of the "Streaming Stick 4K"

Screenshot 2025-08-03 at 10.47.39 AM.jpg

Mac mini Speakers Built-in

I discovered that the Output volume of the "Mac mini Speakers" had been Muted.

The Built-in "Mac mini Speakers" are located in a room. The "Streaming Stick 4K" is a Roku device located in a second room. The "Master TV" is an Apple AirPlay device located in a third room.

Q1. How do I Reject individual Output audio devices?

Q2. How do I Ignore individual Output audio devices?

Q3. How do I Mute individual audio devices?

tcabq Author

Level 1

50 points

Aug 5, 2025 9:05 AM in response to tcabq

Yesterday, I increased the Log-Out After-Inactivity Time to 960 minutes then began the calculation of System Data.

Today, System Data is still being calculated.

Apple menu > System Settings... > Privacy & Security > Advanced >

Require and administrator password to access system-wide settings: YES

Log out automatically after inactivity: YES

Log out after: 960 minutes

Apple menu > System Settings... > General > Storage

Lock Screen

den.thed

Level 10

89,560 points

Jun 3, 2025 7:22 PM in response to tcabq

This still sounds like some bad third-party software or the Mac mini attempting to connect to a bluetooth audio device.

Possibly even when the Mac mini is suppose to be in sleep mode.

https://community.jamf.com/t5/jamf-pro/audiomx-process-maxed-out/m-p/342280

https://iboysoft.com/tips/audiomxd-processor-using-so-much-ram.html

https://macsecurity.net/view/614-coreaudiod-cpu-overuse-mac

If the audiomxd numbers seem to be building when the Mac mini is sleeping at night...?

Then as a test, shut down at night and check the audiomxd numbers in the morning after startup.

den.thed

Level 10

89,560 points

May 12, 2025 8:55 AM in response to tcabq

EtreCheckPro is an excellent tool for finding and sorting out various problems.

Download and run the free version of EtreCheckPro, from > https://etrecheck.com/en/index.html

Then post back here with your Report, as per > How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community

den.thed

Level 10

89,560 points

Jun 8, 2025 6:21 PM in response to tcabq

Select the mouse that is up stairs and click the x.

den.thed

Level 10

89,560 points

Jun 12, 2025 11:33 AM in response to tcabq

Maybe something below will help you figure out what process or service is opening ports.

On macOS, ports are opened by specific processes or services that need to communicate over a network. The system uses a process called launchdto manage these processes and open ports as needed. While macOS's firewall helps manage connections, apps and services can still request and be granted access through it.

Here's a more detailed explanation:

1. Processes Open Ports:

When a process needs to listen for incoming connections or send outgoing requests on a specific port, it requests that port from the operating system.
If the process is allowed to use the port, launchd (a background service) will open it and keep it open as long as the process is running or actively waiting for connections.

2. Sharing Services:

Sharing services like file sharing can automatically open specific ports to allow other devices on the network to connect.
These ports are opened and closed based on whether the sharing service is enabled or disabled.

3. Firewall:

The macOS firewall allows or blocks connections based on applications and services, not individual ports.
You can add an app to the firewall's allowed list to grant it access, and macOS will automatically open the necessary ports.

4. Identifying Open Ports:

You can use commands like lsof or nmap in the Terminal to see which ports are currently open and which processes are using them.
For example, lsof -i :8080 will list any processes using port 8080.

5. Closing Ports:

You can close a port by stopping the process that's using it.
For example, you can use kill -9 <PID> to forcefully stop a process and close its associated ports.

BDAqua

Level 10

250,193 points

May 19, 2025 11:39 AM in response to tcabq

Probably not the cause but should still be gone, delete this file & restart…

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

Also the high usage started on the day these were installed…

2025-05-12 EPSON Printer Driver (13.26) - Installer

2025-05-12 Epson Scan 2 (6.4.143) - Installer

2025-05-12 EPSON PC-FAX Driver (2.40) - Installer

2025-05-12 Epson Extended Service Plan (1.0.1) - Installer

2025-05-12 ET-4850 (1.0) - Installer

2025-05-12 macOS 15.5 (15.5) - Software update

2025-05-12 RosettaUpdateAuto (1.0.0.0.1.1746349326) - Install on demand

tcabq Author

Level 1

50 points

Jun 12, 2025 2:44 PM in response to tcabq

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

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

2025-06-12 2:05PM CPU Time 14:50.58 130.2 MB 2,448 Ports

2025-06-12 2:05PM CPU Time 1:38:49.82 249.5 MB 6,510 Ports

den.thed

Level 10

89,560 points

Jun 20, 2025 8:51 AM in response to tcabq

So it looks like the audiomxd CPU usage has subsided, but the creation of new ports is still off the chart.

A Google AI response says:

In macOS, various processes can create and utilize ports. While launchd is responsible for managing many system services and their associated ports, individual applications can also open ports for communication. To identify the specific process using a port, the lsof -i :<port_number> command is useful. This command lists open files and network connections, allowing you to see which process is associated with a particular port.

for more info, see > what macOS process is creating ports

Personally I think that I would just uncheck Ports on the Activity Monitor toolbar and go on with life.

tcabq Author

Level 1

50 points

Jun 24, 2025 6:04 AM in response to tcabq

audiomxd activity after Start Up 2025-06-21 02:28PM

2025-06-21 6.26PM CPU Time 0.05 2.8 MB 55 Ports

2025-06-22 6.05AM CPU Time 11:20:54.15 589.4 MB 54 Ports

2025-06-22 8.11AM CPU Time 12:44:59.98 622.3 MB 10,636 Ports

2025-06-22 10.59AM CPU Time 14:57:36.42 669.4 MB 17,254 Ports

2025-06-22 3.53PM CPU Time 15:31:47.87 682.9 MB 30,779 Ports

2025-06-23 6.06AM CPU Time 29:03:18.19 904.5 MB 66,986 Ports

2025-06-23 7.29AM CPU Time 29:03:19.30 904.5 MB 66,986 Ports

2025-06-23 10.09AM CPU Time 31:09:38.18 932.4 MB 66,987 Ports

Apple menu > System Settings... > Privacy & Security > Local Network

Ecrp: OFF (Epson Customer Research Participation )

Epson Installer: OFF (This may be optional for an AirPrint printer)

EtreCheckPro: ON

Log Out.

Shut Down.

Start Up 2025-06-23 10:42AM.

audiomxd activity after Start Up 2025-06-23 10:42AM

2025-06-23 10.58AM CPU Time 0.06 2.9 MB 55 Ports

2025-06-23 12.50AM CPU Time 1:36:51.94 249.0 MB 3,390 Ports

2025-06-23 3.03PM CPU Time 3:22:24.95 337.6 MB 7,752 Ports

2025-06-24 6.57AM CPU Time 18:23:05.68 733.1 MB 12,265 Ports

tcabq Author

Level 1

50 points

Jun 25, 2025 6:05 AM in response to tcabq

Monitoring audiomxd Memory growth -

audiomxd activity after Start Up 2025-06-23 10:42AM

2025-06-23 10.58AM CPU Time 0.06 2.9 MB 55 Ports

2025-06-23 12.50AM CPU Time 1:36:51.94 249.0 MB 3,390 Ports

2025-06-23 3.03PM CPU Time 3:22:24.95 337.6 MB 7,752 Ports

2025-06-24 6.57AM CPU Time 18:23:05.68 733.1 MB 12,265 Ports

2025-06-24 12.52PM CPU Time 24:08:27.34 828.2 MB 29,518 Ports

2025-06-24 4.35PM CPU Time 27:18:14.56 876.1 MB 40,574 Ports

2025-06-25 6.58AM CPU Time 41:36:07.62 1.03 GB 40,578 Ports

tcabq Author

Level 1

50 points

Jul 20, 2025 3:30 PM in response to tcabq

I just now Logged Into my username.

Activity Monitor CPU and Memory screenshots:

2025-05-04 07.42AM audiomxd

CPU Time 36:39:11.84

Memory 1,004.7 MB

Ports 53,378

Is audiomxd actively using the memory it has allocated for itself?

Is it possible to identify all the processes which may be currently using audiomxd?

[Edited by Moderator]

tcabq Author

Level 1

50 points

Jul 20, 2025 3:38 PM in response to BDAqua

A few days later and audiomxd memory leak continues to grow more slowly after the following actions:

Apple Intelligence: OFF

Siri: OFF

Uninstall the Creative Cloud desktop app

Show items In Stage Manager: Uncheck

Click wallpaper to reveal desktop change to Only in Stage Manager

Drag Windows to screen edges to tile: OFF

Drag Windows to menu bar to fill screen: OFF

Replaced Intel Audacity with Audacity 3.7.3 ARM 64 dmg (Apple Silicon)

Lacie Toolkit > Settings > Launch on Startup: OFF

audiomxd - % CPU 0.0. CPU Time: 82:17:22.45. Memory: 1.42GB. 119,664 Ports. Real Memory Size: 1.52 GB. Context Switches: 11876063. Faults: 392688774.

kernel_task - % CPU 7.6 CPU Time 1:42.55.16

WindowServer - % CPU 36.2 CPU Time: 1:27:21.11

[Edited by Moderator]

tcabq Author

Level 1

50 points

Jul 20, 2025 3:24 PM in response to BDAqua

Here are screenshots of audiomxd memory usage and Port growth since restarting a few days ago.

For almost all of this time I was Logged Out.

CPU Time 102:12:18.58 1.57 GB 166991 Ports.

[Edited by Moderator]

audiomxd high memory allocation port allocation CPU time