How do I fix high Slack usage?

1. Sign out of workspaces you rarely use 2. Quit and reopen Slack occasionally to free memory 3. Pause GIF autoplay in Slack's accessibility or messages settings 4. Update Slack

What is Slack on Mac?

Q: Why is Slack using so much CPU or memory?

Many workspaces signed in. Busy channels with images, GIFs and video. Huddles or calls. Long uptime without restarting the app.

Q: Is it safe to quit Slack?

Yes, it's safe to quit. Safe to quit; you'll stop getting desktop notifications until you reopen it.

By Junaid, maker of Taskglass · Last reviewed November 5, 2026

The Slack messaging app (built on Electron) and its helper processes.

Slack's desktop app is built with Electron, essentially a dedicated Chromium browser, so it runs a main process plus helpers for its interface (Renderer), graphics (GPU) and utility work. Memory grows with the number of workspaces, channels and media you have open.

Category: Third-party
Made by: Salesforce (Slack)
Safe to quit:: Yes

Shown in Activity Monitor as Slack, Slack Helper, Slack Helper (Renderer), Slack Helper (GPU), Slack Helper (Plugin)

Why is Slack using so much CPU or memory?

Many workspaces signed in
Busy channels with images, GIFs and video
Huddles or calls
Long uptime without restarting the app

What to do

1Sign out of workspaces you rarely use
2Quit and reopen Slack occasionally to free memory
3Pause GIF autoplay in Slack's accessibility or messages settings
4Update Slack

Safe to quit? Yes.

Safe to quit; you'll stop getting desktop notifications until you reopen it.

Typical usage

Rough ranges on Apple Silicon Macs. Yours will vary.

Memory: 300 MB – 1.5 GB across all its processes

Related processes

Part of the Taskglass Process Library