ApplicationsStorageExtension high memory and CPU in macOS

What is ApplicationsStorageExtension on Mac?

If you’ve opened Activity Monitor after hearing the fan roar and spotted something called ApplicationsStorageExtension hogging CPU and memory, you’re not alone. This process is part of macOS itself rather than a random third-party app or standalone executable.

Behind the scenes, ApplicationsStorageExtension powers the storage breakdown view you see in:

• macOS Ventura, Sonoma, and newer:
  Apple menu → System Settings → General → Storage
  

• macOS Monterey and earlier:
  Apple menu → About This Mac → Storage
  

When you open this area, the system starts crunching numbers to work out how much space your apps, data, and system files occupy. That calculation is what kicks ApplicationsStorageExtension into gear.

In a healthy scenario, the process briefly spikes while it does the math, then idles once the breakdown is ready. In reality, though, it sometimes sticks around at the top of the CPU and memory charts even after the storage bar has “finished thinking”. That’s where it becomes a drag instead of a helper.

To add another twist, recent macOS builds may show a sibling called TrashStorageExtension doing the same thing when you access storage statistics, effectively a renamed or auxiliary component of the same logic.

The key point is simple: ApplicationsStorageExtension is a legitimate Apple-signed process. It’s not malware by design. The problem lies in how aggressively it sometimes recalculates storage, especially on busy or cluttered systems.

Why ApplicationsStorageExtension can hog memory and CPU

Let’s walk through the common triggers that push this normally quiet helper into resource-hog territory.

1. Storage pane left open in the background

Most reports of ApplicationsStorageExtension going berserk boil down to one thing:

• The user has About This Mac → Storage or System Settings → General → Storage open.
• While that view is visible, ApplicationsStorageExtension keeps recalculating and updating the storage breakdown.

On some systems, the process:

• Continues to chew CPU even after the graph has settled
• Keeps holding on to hundreds of megabytes (or more) of RAM instead of freeing it

This behavior is particularly noticeable if you like to leave System Settings open on the Storage pane as a sort of status dashboard.

2. Very large or messy application footprint

The heavier and messier your applications directory and caches are, the more work macOS must do to figure out what’s using space. This includes:

• Dozens of large pro-grade apps (Adobe suite, 3D tools, video editors, VMs)
• Gigantic cache and log folders
• Lots of remnants from uninstalled apps, legacy components, and outdated support files

Every time the system recalculates storage, ApplicationsStorageExtension walks that mess. The more there is, the longer and noisier the walk.

3. Low free disk space and heavy I/O

When your disk is nearly full, macOS starts juggling purgeable space, caches, and local snapshots more aggressively. This can cause:

• Repeated recalculations of what’s reclaimable
• Extra pressure on Spotlight indexing and related services
• Longer “thinking” periods in the Storage view

All of that translates into more CPU and RAM consumed by ApplicationsStorageExtension while it tries to make sense of the situation.

4. Conflicts with background utilities

Backup tools, third-party cleaners, duplicate finders, cloud sync clients, and similar utilities often hook into the same file system areas and metadata that the Storage module uses. When several tools try to inspect or manipulate storage at the same time, you can get:

• Slow, repeated scans
• Processes stuck in a loop
• ApplicationsStorageExtension refusing to settle down

5. Adware and junk adding fuel to the fire

Although ApplicationsStorageExtension itself is benign, it doesn’t operate in a vacuum. If your Mac is already bogged down by:

• Browser hijackers (e.g., redirecting searches through strange domains)
• Resource-hungry adware that spawns endless pop-ups and background scripts
• Dubious “cleaners” and optimizers

…then the system is under constant load. In that context, any extra bookkeeping from ApplicationsStorageExtension becomes the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

From a broader perspective, cleaning up the underlying clutter typically helps more than just taming this one process.

First steps to diagnose ApplicationsStorageExtension high CPU

Before you dive into advanced tweaks, it makes sense to verify that ApplicationsStorageExtension is really the culprit and then try the low-hanging fixes.

Step 1: Confirm the process in Activity Monitor

1. Open Activity Monitor from:

   • Applications → Utilities → Activity Monitor, or
   • Spotlight (⌘ + Space → type Activity Monitor).

2. Go to the CPU tab.

3. Click the % CPU column header to sort from highest to lowest.

4. Look for ApplicationsStorageExtension near the top of the list.

5. Switch to the Memory tab and check its RAM footprint as well.

If you see it constantly near the top while you’re not actively doing anything intense, you’re dealing with the issue discussed here.

Step 2: Close the Storage window

Here’s the kicker: in many cases, you fix this by simply closing the right window.

Do the following:

• If you’re on Ventura / Sonoma or newer and have
  System Settings → General → Storage
  open, close System Settings or switch to a different section (for example, General → About).
  
  

• If you’re on Monterey or earlier and you’re looking at
  About This Mac → Storage,
  close that window.
  
  

Watch Activity Monitor for a minute or two. On most machines, the moment you close the Storage view, ApplicationsStorageExtension:

• Stops climbing in CPU usage
• Either vanishes from the top of the list or drops to negligible values
• Gradually releases memory as the system stabilizes

Step 3: Quit ApplicationsStorageExtension (if it’s stuck)

If the resource drain continues even with all Storage-related windows closed, you can give the process a gentle nudge:

1. In Activity Monitor, select ApplicationsStorageExtension.
2. Click the “X” button in the top-left corner of the window.
3. Choose Quit. If it doesn’t respond, repeat and choose Force Quit.

Important nuance:

• If you still have the Storage pane open, macOS will likely respawn the process instantly.
• Make sure no Storage window is visible while you do this; otherwise, you’re just playing whack-a-mole.

Step 4: Restart your Mac

A short reboot can:

• Clear temporary caches
• Release memory held by stubborn processes
• Nudge stalled system daemons back into normal behavior

Once the Mac is back up, avoid opening the Storage pane just to “check” whether the issue is gone — that’s the very thing that triggers ApplicationsStorageExtension.

Advanced troubleshooting: when the problem keeps returning

If ApplicationsStorageExtension continues to spike frequently or stays high even after basic steps, it’s time to look deeper under the hood.

Method 1: Free up disk space and reduce storage churn

As a rule of thumb, you want at least 10–20% of your drive free. Skating too close to full capacity keeps storage-related services busy all the time.

Consider the following clean-up actions:

• Delete huge, obsolete apps you barely use.
• Remove large DMG installers from Downloads.
• Get rid of older iOS backups and unused Xcode simulators if applicable.
• Empty the Trash (a surprisingly common omission).

Once you’ve clawed back some space, reboot and see if ApplicationsStorageExtension behaves better next time it’s invoked.

Method 2: Boot in Safe Mode to rule out conflicts

Safe Mode cuts out third-party login items and kernel extensions while performing additional system checks. If ApplicationsStorageExtension only behaves in Safe Mode, something you’ve installed is likely antagonizing it.

• On Apple silicon Macs:

  1. Shut down the Mac.
  2. Press and hold the power button until you see “Loading startup options”.
  3. Select your startup disk and choose to continue in Safe Mode.

• On Intel Macs:

  1. Restart the Mac.
  2. Immediately hold Shift until you see the login window with “Safe Mode” in the menu bar.

Use the Mac in Safe Mode for a bit (without opening Storage). Then reboot normally. If the issue reappears only in regular mode, take a hard look at your:

• Backup/clone tools
• “Cleaning” utilities
• Disk monitors
• Cloud synchronization clients

Those are usual suspects when storage analysis processes misbehave.

Method 3: Audit login items and background agents

Modern macOS versions centralize much of this under one pane:

1. Go to System Settings → General → Login Items.
2. In Open at Login, disable apps you don’t absolutely need to auto-start.
3. In Allow in Background, turn off mysterious or redundant helpers.

For a deeper cut, advanced users can manually inspect:

• /Library/LaunchAgents
• /Library/LaunchDaemons
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents

and remove clearly unwanted third-party entries. As with any system-level edits, avoid touching Apple-signed items or anything you don’t recognize.

Method 4: Update macOS and key apps

macOS storage logic has evolved quite a bit over the past few releases, and some of the early quirks were ironed out via point updates. Keeping the OS and heavyweight apps current is a low-effort hedge against known bugs.

Security angle: adware and junk on a struggling Mac

From where I stand, any persistent high-CPU situation is a good excuse to review your Mac’s overall hygiene. Even if ApplicationsStorageExtension is just doing its job, additional strain from shady software is the last thing you need.

Typical red flags that you’re dealing with more than a storage glitch:

• Browser searches keep being redirected through unfamiliar sites before hitting a mainstream engine.
• Safari, Chrome, or Firefox are flooded with pop-ups and ads you never saw before.
• New “cleaner” or “optimizer” apps appeared around the time the trouble started.

Campaigns like common Mac browser hijackers are garden-variety examples of adware that both degrade performance and resist straightforward removal.

If these symptoms ring a bell, treating ApplicationsStorageExtension in isolation misses the bigger picture. That’s where an automated cleanup tool or careful manual review of installed software comes into play.

Manual cleanup and hardening (advanced users)

If you’d rather roll up your sleeves, you can manually inspect and remove likely culprits that might be amplifying ApplicationsStorageExtension’s behavior.

1. Remove suspicious apps

1. Open Finder → Applications.
2. Sort by Date Added to see what appeared around the time problems started.
3. Drag obviously shady or redundant utilities (strange “cleaners”, ad-spewing browsers, unknown VPNs) to the Trash.
4. Empty the Trash.

2. Prune login items and background helpers

As mentioned earlier:

• Head to System Settings → General → Login Items.
• Disable anything you don’t recognize or no longer rely on in both the Open at Login and Allow in Background sections.

This single step often has a tangible impact on how quickly storage-related processes settle down after boot.

3. Remove malicious configuration profiles

Some adware uses Profiles to reinstate unwanted settings after each reboot.

1. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security (or Profiles directly if present in the sidebar).
2. Look for any configuration profiles you didn’t install yourself (often with generic or advertising-related names).
3. Select the suspicious profile and click Remove.

If no Profiles section exists, you can move on — there’s nothing to delete in this area.

4. Reset affected browsers

If your overall performance woes coincided with a spike in intrusive ads or redirects, it’s worth resetting your browsers to a sane state:

Safari

1. Open Safari → Settings → Extensions.
2. Remove dubious extensions.
3. In the Privacy tab, clear website data.

Google Chrome

1. Go to the Extensions section and remove unknown add-ons.
2. Open Chrome’s reset settings and restore defaults.

Firefox

1. Open Add-ons and Themes from the menu.
2. Remove anything suspicious.
3. Use Firefox’s refresh feature to revert to a clean profile.

Cleaning up the browser layer reduces the amount of junk content and background activity, which indirectly helps lower overall system stress.

How to prevent ApplicationsStorageExtension issues going forward

Once you’ve restored order, a bit of routine hygiene will minimize the odds of seeing ApplicationsStorageExtension at the top of Activity Monitor again:

• Don’t camp in the Storage pane. Open it when you need a quick glimpse, then close it instead of leaving it as a permanent dashboard.
• Maintain free disk space. Aim for at least 10–20% of your drive capacity free at all times.
• Be picky with “cleaners” and optimizers. Many do more harm than good or duplicate what macOS already does internally.
• Keep macOS and major apps updated. Bug fixes and performance improvements matter for these corner cases.
• Restart periodically. A simple reboot once in a while clears up lingering daemons and frees memory.
• Stick to reputable software sources. Download apps from the Mac App Store or well-known vendors; stay away from pirated bundles and sketchy download portals that are fertile soil for adware.

The bottom line

ApplicationsStorageExtension is one of those obscure macOS processes you typically never think about — until it suddenly jumps to the top of Activity Monitor and makes your Mac sound like a jet engine. In most situations, it’s just a slightly overzealous storage analyzer that gets stuck when the Storage pane is open, especially on systems with little free space or lots of data to catalog.

The good news is that you can usually bring it back in line with a combination of simple steps: closing the Storage view, quitting the process if needed, reclaiming disk space, and rebooting. If your Mac also shows classic symptoms of adware or bloatware, pairing these measures with an automated scan (or careful manual cleanup) will tackle both the resource hogging and its underlying accelerants.

All things considered, ApplicationsStorageExtension high CPU isn’t a catastrophe — it’s a solvable nuisance. Once you understand what triggers it and tidy up the environment it runs in, your Mac should return to its usual, quiet self.

FAQ

1. What is ApplicationsStorageExtension on my Mac?

2. Why is ApplicationsStorageExtension using so much CPU and memory?

3. Is ApplicationsStorageExtension a virus?

4. How do I stop ApplicationsStorageExtension from running constantly?