VTDecoderXPCService Mac: Fix High CPU and Memory Usage

Activity Monitor is the go-to tool whenever your system starts to slow down, overheat, or display error messages. You can easily identify which process might be hogging your system’s resources and take action to resolve it.

One common culprit that has been frustrating many users lately is a process called VTDecoderXPCService. Reports show that this background service can suddenly spike CPU usage and consume tens of gigabytes of RAM, which leads to the "Your system has run out of application memory" error. Even if you force quit the process, it tends to come back and continue using high resources.

Don't worry. In this article, we will break down what VTDecoderXPCService is, why it behaves this way, and most importantly, how you can fix the VTDecoderXPCService high memory usage problem and get your Mac running smoothly again.

VTDecoderXPCService: What Is It?

VTDecoderXPCService is part of Apple’s VideoToolbox framework, which includes a set of tools that let both Apple and third-party apps use your Mac’s GPU to encode and decode video efficiently.

Here’s a breakdown of what VTDecoderXPCService on Mac means:

• VT stands for VideoToolbox.
• Decoder indicates that this component handles video decoding, converting compressed video data into a viewable format.
• XPCService refers to XPC (Cross Process Communication) Service, which allows the decoding process to securely communicate with apps that need it.

For example, when you watch a video in Safari, the video is typically compressed using codecs like H.264, HEVC (H.265), or VP9 to reduce file size without significantly sacrificing quality. However, Safari can’t play these compressed files directly. Instead, it relies on VTDecoderXPCService to decode the video in real-time so it can be viewed smoothly.

Another common case is video editing. When you import video files into Final Cut Pro or other editing software, those files are usually compressed using similar codecs. Before the software can trim, cut, apply effects, or overlay content, it must first decode the video. This is also handled by VTDecoderXPCService, which allows the program to access individual frames and perform precise editing tasks.

How to Stop VTDecoderXPCService from Draining CPU and Memory on Mac

VTDecoderXPCService is a built-in macOS process, so you can't simply close it to fix the problem. Any time your Mac needs to decode video, the process will start up again. Instead, you will need to address the root cause using the methods below.

Restart Your Mac

Software glitches can sometimes cause the video decoding process to get stuck, leading to high CPU usage and potential memory leaks. A quick way to resolve this is to restart your Mac, which can clear out any frozen or misbehaving processes.

Update macOS and Apps

If a Mac restart doesn't reduce the CPU and memory usage of VTDecoderXPCService, the issue may be due to software bugs or system glitches that require an update. Installing the latest macOS version can help, as it may include important bug fixes and updated GPU drivers.

If the issue of VTDecoderXPCService high memory usage on Mac doesn't go away, it may be caused by a specific app that's having trouble with Apple's video decoding process. In that case, try updating the app to the latest version on your Mac or uninstalling and reinstalling it.

Close All Video-Related Apps or Browser Tabs

Since it is to pinpoint exactly which video decoding task is causing VTDecoderXPCService to misbehave, it's best to close any apps, programs, or websites that might be decoding video in the background. This helps put the VTDecoderXPCService process to rest and may ease the high CPU and memory usage.

This isn't limited to video-hosting websites like YouTube, Vimeo, and Streamable, and it can also include:

• Media players
• Video editors
• Browser tabs that are playing videos, audio, animated images, and video ads
• Messaging client apps
• Social media platforms
• Video or audio calling services
• Music apps

Clear Caches in Video-Heavy Apps

To decode video smoothly, VTDecoderXPCService stores buffered video data in memory. However, if the cached data isn't properly released after processing, it can accumulate over time, which leads to VTDecoderXPCService's high memory usage on your Mac.

Rather than manually clearing caches in video-intensive apps like Safari or Final Cut Pro, it's recommended to use a professional Mac cache cleaner like BuhoCleaner. It allows you to quickly and efficiently clear old cached data from multiple apps and browsers at once. This Mac cleaner app can also help remove unnecessary junk files and keep your Mac running at peak performance.

How to reduce VTDecoderXPCService high memory usage on Mac with BuhoCleaner

Step 1. Download BuhoCleaner by clicking the button below, then follow the on-screen instructions to install it on your Mac. The installation process is quick and requires minimal setup to get started.

Step 2. Launch BuhoCleaner and navigate to the Flash Clean option in the sidebar. Click the Scan button to begin a system-wide search for unnecessary and temporary files taking up space.

Step 3. Once the scan is complete, BuhoCleaner will display a detailed list of junk files found on your Mac. To focus specifically on caches, click View Details to review the results.

Step 4. From the list of detected files, select categories like Browser Cache and User Cache Files. These files are often linked to VTDecoderXPCService process issues. Click Remove to clean them safely and completely.

Step 5. Click Continue to confirm your selection. BuhoCleaner will now remove the chosen cache files, helping to reduce memory usage caused by VTDecoderXPCService and other unwanted cached data.

Force Release RAM

If VTDecoderXPCService continues to use an abnormal amount of memory on your Mac, you may need to use a RAM cleaner to forcibly free up system memory. BuhoCleaner includes a built-in tool that lets you clear RAM with just one click.

How to free up RAM on Mac with BuhoCleaner

Step 1. Open BuhoCleaner, go to the Toolkit section in the sidebar, and select Free Up RAM.

Step 2. Click the Start button. BuhoCleaner will immediately begin the process of releasing memory on your Mac.

Step 3. Once the RAM has been successfully released, click Done to complete the process and check if the VTDecoderXPCService's unusual memory usage has been resolved.

Why Does VTDecoderXPCService Take Up So Much CPU and Memory Usage?

While VTDecoderXPCService primarily utilizes the GPU for video decoding, it still requires CPU resources to manage, coordinate, and oversee the decoding process. Additionally, to enable smooth playback, the service buffers multiple frames of video in memory at once.

Under typical conditions, the CPU and memory usage of VTDecoderXPCService remain within reasonable limits during video playback and related tasks.

If the VTDecoderXPCService process consumes an excessive amount of CPU and RAM, it could be due to one or more of the following reasons.

Playing or Decoding High-Resolution Video

Decoding 4K or even 8K video, especially using complex codecs like HEVC (H.265), requires significant processing power and memory. If you are watching or editing such videos, the process naturally uses more resources.

Corrupted or Problematic Video Files

If a video file is damaged or encoded incorrectly, the decoder might get stuck trying to process it, leading to unusually high CPU or memory use.

Multiple Video Streams or Background Tasks

If multiple apps are decoding video at the same time, such as several browser tabs playing videos or background tasks processing video, VTDecoderXPCService may experience a spike in CPU and memory usage.

Software Bugs

Sometimes, VTDecoderXPCService's high memory usage on Mac can result from bugs or memory leaks, where the process fails to release memory properly after completing its tasks.

Conclusion

VTDecoderXPCService is a built-in macOS background process that handles video decoding to ensure smooth playback. However, when it's working with large video files, decoding multiple videos at once, dealing with corrupted video content, or affected by software bugs, it can cause unusually high CPU and memory usage, as seen in Activity Monitor.

This article has provided five effective solutions for resolving the VTDecoderXPCService high memory usage issue. We highly recommend using BuhoCleaner to simplify the process. It offers a fast, thorough cleanup of cached data from your browser and video-related apps to help free up memory. Additionally, it includes a built-in tool to forcibly release RAM.