High GPU usage by WindowServer on Mac mini M4 Pro (MacOS 26 Tahoe) when running the latest version Adobe InDesign 20.5
High GPU usage by WindowServer on Mac mini M4 Pro (MacOS 26 Tahoe) when running the latest version Adobe InDesign 20.5
WindowServer process consistently shows 60-80% GPU utilization in Activity Monitor when running Adobe InDesign
The problem began specifically after updating from macOS Sequoia to macOS Tahoe. WindowServer should maintain low GPU usage (3-5%) when applications are idle or performing basic tasks, as it did in macOS Sequoia 15.x..
When InDesign is opened WindowServer consistently uses 60-80% GPU, leading to:
- Increased power consumption
- Potential thermal throttling
- Reduced performance for other applications
The problem occurs when:
- InDesign is running in the foreground (active app)
- InDesign is running in the background (with a document open)
- InDesign is running in the background (without a document open)
Temporary workaround:
Only when the InDesign startup window and all other InDesign windows and documents are closed does the GPU usage drop to 0%.
