Chronic WindowServer crashes on 2020 MacBook Pro

Consider downloading and running this little "discovery" utility, Etrecheck. It changes NOTHING. Etrecheck was developed by a senior contributor here, and uses mostly system calls and simple tests to collect often-needed information.

it contains little tests for speeds of devices, CPU utilization, memory usage, energy usage and a digest of recent problems, in one easy to use package. it does not even need to be Installed. Because less can be learned when your Mac is running great, best time to run is when your problems are actually occurring, if possible.

if you follow the directions faithfully, its report (pre-laundered of all personally-identifiable information) can be "Shared" to the System ClipBoard, then Pasted into an ‘Additional Text’ window in a reply on the forums.

Use Etrecheck Pro for free:

http://Etrecheck.com

The amount of data you get can be daunting. If you POST your report, some Readers here are willing to look over those reports, and can provide valuable insights.

Then start a reply on the forums, click the 'additional text' icon in the footer, and PASTE

By far the easiest way to cause poor performance, instability, overheating and crashing is to install ANY third-party speeder-uppers, Cleaners, Optimizers, Virus scanners, Bit Torrent, or a VPN that you installed yourself.

The idea that a third party, with no special knowledge of the inner workings of MacOS, can somehow find a simple way to protect or speed up your computer — that is not already being done by MacOS itself — suggests that the MacOS developers are somehow "holding out on you". That is absurd.

You should remove any and all (other than Apple built-in) virus scanners, speeder uppers, optimizers, cleaners, App deleters or VPN packages you installed yourself, or anything of that ilk.

Your exceptionally well-crafted Macintosh computer does not accumulate filth that needs any third-party anything to clean it. Everything needed to run it efficiently was included in the box, except ONE: a drive on which to store a second copy of your files in case the first copy is damaged or deleted by accident. The backup software, Time Machine, is already present -- integrated deeply into MacOS.

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UGH you have installed CleanMyMac.

That junk-ware is referred to by suers her as "BrickMyMac". Simply following the software-makers un-install instructions is not always enough to undo the damage it may have already caused. sometimes a McOS re-install is needed.

Chrome is particularly resource-intensive because it installs Google which renders your Mac a full time information-harvesting and -uploading "bot" for Google's purposes. Those processes can't be turned off or disabled, even if you quit the Chrome browser. Even without knowing what else is installed on that Mac it is all but assured a multitude of Google's automatically updating virus-like processes are causing your Mac to work overtime.

Get rid of it. No one needs Chrome. .

—senior contributor John Galt

Follow these removal instructions

https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95319?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop#zippy=%2Cmac

More supporting evidence:

https://chromeisbad.com/

Your boot drive has only 180 GB of out 1,000 GB free. 18 percent is a bit less than the suggested 20 percent free for completely fast and trouble-free operation.

But there may be at least one large item that you might be able to remove quickly.

You appear to have an oldest backup snapshot from March:

Backup:

Time Machine information is limited without Full Disk Access

Destinations:

h*************n [Local] (Last used)

6 local snapshots

Oldest local snapshot: 2025-03-18 01:50:33

Last local snapshot: 2025-12-12 10:24:49

if you have not connected your physical backup drive since March, shame on you. Do that now. Otherwise Readers can help you get rid of that too-old snapshot.

VPN:

A virtual private network, or VPN, is a private connection over the Internet from a device to a specific network.  VPN technology is widely used in corporate environments. If you need to be "present" on an institutional network, a VPN is a great tool for accomplishing this. It is generally issued and controlled by the institution.

Almost all other uses are a SCAM. There is generally no need for you to have a private (and almost always MUCH slower) connection to a VPN vendor's Network, except to make it easier for them to harvest your data to sell. If you are behind a Router you control or Trust, there is NO security advantage whatsoever in using a VPN. Your connections are already encrypted in most cases.

If VPN vendors just stopped there, it would be bad. But many of these packages also insist on scanning all your files, non-stop, -- nominally looking for viruses, but who knows for sure what data they are harvesting. Their non-stop file reading punishes your computer's performance in the process.

Some also break into your other secure connections so they can be FIRST to examine your data, often leaving your Mac MORE vulnerable to attack.

What VPN service to use? DON'T use VPN services

https://gist.github.com/joepie91/5a9909939e6ce7d09e29