Process Monitor

Process Monitor is a great tool for keeping an eye on what's happening on your Mac. Sure, you can use the built-in Activity Monitor, but let’s be real—sometimes it feels like there’s just too much going on in that app. If you’re looking for something simpler, this could be the perfect fit.

Simplified Process Tracking

With Process Monitor, you get a clean and straightforward way to see all the processes that start up after you launch it. It gives you a simple list, showing each process along with its PID (that's the Process ID) right above where the program came from.

Advanced Details at Your Fingertips

If you're curious about what each process is doing, just click on the little arrow next to it. This reveals advanced info like arguments used, codesigning details, and even the bundle identifier and sha256 hash. It's pretty handy!

User-Friendly Interface

Now, one thing to note is that when you look at process paths in Process Monitor, they don't wrap text. So if a path is long, you'll need to resize the window to see everything clearly. But don’t worry! There’s a “Copy” button at the top that lets you grab all that info easily so you can view it in any text editor or word processor.

Performance Insights

I’ve tested Process Monitor myself and it works like a charm! Just keep in mind that it does use some CPU resources—up to 30% of one core if you're monitoring for a while. That’s pretty similar to what Apple's Activity Monitor uses.

Memory Efficiency

The good news? Its memory usage is light—never more than 60 MB even after hours of running in the background. Most Macs nowadays have quad-core CPUs, so this won’t really slow down your computer.

Your Go-To Alternative

If you're after an easy-to-use alternative to macOS' Activity Monitor, give Process Monitor a try! It's got just what you need to track down any sneaky processes running behind the scenes.