CPU Usage too high in High Sierra
MacOs 10.13.2
CPU Usage is too high while using one drive.
Please correct!

We’re actively working on some architecture improvements that will significantly help reduce cases of high CPU.
355 comments
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Derek Berube commented
Here is something interesting I noticed. The OneDrive app is using 112.8% CPU Utilization and if you look at the status menu from the toolbar, it says it is synching one file. However, when I opened up the directory where that one file is located in Finder, I can see the "syncing" icon to the right of almost every other file in that folder.
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João Pinto commented
I've also noticed that there is a different behaviour when comparing the execution of same version of OneDrive, for the same account, using Big Sur (CPU issue) and High Sierra (no CPU issue).
I used dtrace to get the system calls performed by OneDrive and the infinite loop is only verified in Big Sur, with more than 3.000 calls per second to workq_kernreturn. The 100% CPU issue is result of this infinite loop:
sudo dtruss -p <OneDrive PID> -o
...
0 workq_kernreturn(0x100, 0x70000D1FCB80, 0x2) = 0 -2
0 workq_kernreturn(0x100, 0x70000D1FCB80, 0x2) = 0 -2
0 workq_kernreturn(0x100, 0x70000D1FCB80, 0x2) = 0 -2
0 workq_kernreturn(0x100, 0x70000D1FCB80, 0x2) = 0 -2
0 workq_kernreturn(0x100, 0x70000D1FCB80, 0x2) = 0 -2
0 workq_kernreturn(0x100, 0x70000D1FCB80, 0x2) = 0 -2
.../* workq_kernreturn commands */
#define WQOPS_THREAD_RETURN 0x04 /* parks the thread back into the kernel */
#define WQOPS_QUEUE_NEWSPISUPP 0x10 /* this is to check for newer SPI support */
#define WQOPS_QUEUE_REQTHREADS 0x20 /* request number of threads of a prio */
#define WQOPS_QUEUE_REQTHREADS2 0x30 /* request a number of threads in a given priority bucket */
#define WQOPS_THREAD_KEVENT_RETURN 0x40 /* parks the thread after delivering the passed kevent array */
#define WQOPS_SET_EVENT_MANAGER_PRIORITY 0x80 /* max() in the provided priority in the the priority of the event manager */
#define WQOPS_THREAD_WORKLOOP_RETURN 0x100 /* parks the thread after delivering the passed kevent array */
#define WQOPS_SHOULD_NARROW 0x200 /* checks whether we should narrow our concurrency */ -
João Pinto commented
As other users already mentioned, this issue is still occurring on macOS Big Sur.
I've tested 3 different accounts and behaviour is exactly the same: OneDrive runs normally at launch but, as soon as a file is modified and all files are in sync, exactly 60 seconds later, CPU rises from 0% to 100%. The only way to make it drop to 0% again is to change/sync a new file; however, 60 seconds later, CPU rises again to 100% and stays like that endlessly.
Looks like there is a looping process after those 60 seconds, awaiting for file changes, consuming all the CPU and battery.
I've searched in other forums and I couldn't find any resolution or workaround for this issue, since no suggestion worked for me (reinstall application, turn Finder extension off, disable/enable files on-demand, fix permissions etc.).
Until this problem is solved, OneDrive for Mac is completely useless.
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Derek Berube commented
I've opened four different cases with Microsoft Office 365 technical support and ALL OF THEM have been useless. The iCloud Drive synchronization agent uses 412 times less CPU resources synchronizing 67GB of data than OneDrive uses synchronizing 7GB of data.
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Karl Emil Nikka commented
I can confirm that the issue persists on macOS Big Sur. Any update on when the new version with the architectural improvements will arrive?
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Thomas Dori commented
Got the same issue on Big Sur. And I guess this issue is related to the ridiculous energy consumption (see attachment).
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Bernd Schwarz commented
I have the same problem. Really obstructs productivity.
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Rasmus Linnet commented
Same here. My MacBook Pro (as well as myself) is struggling with this daily. I've started to pause the sync for the entire workday because its eating up system ressources and battery. If I had know I wouldn't have made the move from Dropbox Teams to Sharepoint / OneDrive.
A daily headache. A complete waste of time (and money) as it is - and have been for way too long. Come on Microsoft, its a bit embarrassing to keep waiting for a fix. -
mat commented
3 years I'm waiting for this to be fixed. Thought the Big Sur updates might be a fix for it. Useless, no change. 100% usage even when theres nothing interacting with the thing at all. Continuously says 167 changes to sync when I havnt chagned a thing in months!
NOT IMPRESSED. PLEASE FIX ASAP! I am on the verge of moving my entire company and all our workers off one drive cause of this!
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Mesut Yılmaz commented
Same problem on catalina.
Looking forward to see a solution asap.
Thanks
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Leonid Bobovich commented
Any news ? The status on Big Sur is same as previos Mac OS versions. 100% CPU utilization. Notice that your apps is just syncing files over the internet. It's obvious design for 21 century. What is your app doing ? Are you increase CO2 level ? Are you heating air ? Are you mining crypto on my laptop ? because of app i/o or network activity are not justify such high CPU usage. If you can't handle simple CS arch so at least provide some control for CPU usage in app if you are not capable to fix download over few years.
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Ricardo commented
Are they really working on it or just slapped a label on the thread to appease the customers?
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Heather commented
Any ETA on this? I've had to force quit OneDrive more than once. I cannot believe OneDrive takes more than 100% of a 16 GB Mac. I didn't think anything could be worse of a memory hog than Chrome or Docker. OneDrive keeps proving me wrong in the worst way and I'm wondering if it's time to switch to Google. It sucks because I've had OneDrive basically since it was born but I can't deal with my fan and the overheating all the time.
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Danny commented
I've been trying for the past 3 weeks to sync down our project files since switching to OneDrive from Dropbox (never had issues with Dropbox). The recent update to Big Sur hasn't helped.
After much experimenting I think the slowdown is an issue where the initial download of placeholder files (for sync on demand) has not completed but I've marked these incomplete folders to always download to my machine before the initial sync has completed. I may also have attempted to access these folders and so triggered a sync on demand process.
I was watching the files crawl down to my machine and made a note of some of these files that appeared to be getting stuck, found where the files should be downloaded to and attempted to download them using the on-demand system. It said that file was locked so couldn't be downloaded but I had no problem downloading it directly off the website.
A few days later, when everything has finally synced down, I can now see the file has downloaded correctly.
I don't pretend to know what's going on with OneDrive but it sounds like two or more processes are trying to work with the same files but locking each other out and OneDrive is going into meltdown trying to work around this.
I've heard from a colleague that there's a major update to OneDrive due very soon, hopefully that will fix this problem.
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Frederic commented
Not better on BigSur.... Fix Onedrive !
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Peter Flanagan commented
Had this very same issue today. Was editing a document with autosave on and boom! CPU through the roof and it was onedrive going nuts. OS X Catalina latest update, ondrive 20.168.0823.0006 Do microsoft even care about this or read these threads? I see the working on it post here from over a year ago, yet the problems persist.
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Philip Veilleux commented
This problem ain't resolved! OS X Catalina, OneDrive still uses up to 30% on a constant basis, EVEN if my files have not changed for over a month!!! are you Cryptominin your customers????
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Will Jorgensen commented
This continues to be a problem in macOS Catalina. It's not just that it uses a lot of CPU, but OneDrive is generally very slow. Takes a long time to sync files, is not very responsive when clicking on menus, etc... would like to love OneDrive, but just can't with these performance issues.
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Tom Agerbo Nielsen commented
Is no one watching this?
Files on demand is totally useless, if a file is in use, OneDrive is consuming 120 % CPU and my MacBook Pro is heating up.I think it has something to do with file / folder access rights.
If I copy some files for Onedrive to Dropbox, they will not upload to dropbox, because of file / folder rights.
I think MS is not going to solve this for Mac users, as they want us all to buy a windows PC :-(
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Mark McEntee commented
You Identified it in Aug 2019, it is now September 2020. The problem remains. MY MAC gets so hot I can not touch it.