macOS processes › Menu bar and interface
What is Control Center on Mac?
Control Center, the ControlCenter process, runs the Control Center panel and many menu bar items, including the clock, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, battery, sound and Focus. It's safe to quit, and macOS restarts it right away.
What it does
Since macOS Big Sur, most of Apple's own menu bar items run inside it, along with the Control Center panel and its controls. In macOS Tahoe, you choose which controls appear in Control Center and the menu bar in System Settings › Menu Bar (on Sequoia, System Settings › Control Center).
Why it gets busy
- Memory that grows over days of uptime, sometimes to gigabytes.
- Menu bar items that update often, like a clock showing seconds or Now Playing.
- Lots of controls added, including third-party ones.
Why is Control Center using so much CPU?
Control Center uses CPU when menu bar items update often, and its memory can grow over time. Quitting it is safe and gives you a fresh copy.
Is it safe to quit?
macOS restarts it within seconds. The menu bar items blink and come back.
How to calm it down
- If its memory has grown large, quit it in Activity Monitor or run
killall ControlCenterin Terminal. It relaunches fresh. - Remove menu bar items and controls you don't use in System Settings › Menu Bar (Control Center on Sequoia).
- Turn off seconds in the menu bar clock in its Clock Options if you don't need them.
In SystemWatch
SystemWatch knows Control Center's typical memory use and flags when it's far above it. The website edition can restart it in one click; in the App Store edition, use Open in Activity Monitor to quit it there.
