The Spotlight feature is useful. If its critical mds_stores process consumes excessive CPU and memory, your Mac will slow down and overheat. This post from MiniTool tells you what mds_stores is and how to fix the mds_stores high CPU issue.
What Is Mds_stores?
What is mds_stores? Mds_stores is a built-in indexing process integrated into Mac Spotlight Search. MDS stands for Metadata Server and it tracks and maintains data that exists on your Mac. It is used by macOS Spotlight. Mds_stores is responsible for maintaining and compiling the data collected by MDS to make Spotlight more efficient.
Every time you open Spotlight and type a keyword you want to visit in the search box, it returns a list of recommendations. These recommendations are indexed by the mds, mds_stores and mdworker processes.
Why Does Mds_stores High CPU Issue Appear?
Sometimes, you may find that your Mac Spotlight Search is not working properly and your Mac is running slower than usual with some noise. Some Mac users report that the high CPU issue is caused by mds_stores.
Why does the “mds_stores high CPU” issue appear on your Mac?
Constantly adding, deleting, and editing content on your system can cause the mds_stores high CPU issue. It forces the process to use more CPU to keep track of the changes you made. There are 4 main reasons:
- One or more external drives are connected to your Mac.
- The application keeps modifying the contents of certain folders.
- Constantly changing content on the device.
- The work of some third-party software, or even a system bug.
How to Fix Mds_stores High CPU Issue?
How to fix the Mac mds_stores high CPU? The are three solutions and we will introduce the detailed steps for each one.
- Restart Your Mac
- Disable Spotlight
- Temporarily Stop and Restart Spotlight
Fix 1: Restart Your Mac
The most effective and easy way is to restart your Mac to fix the macOS mds_stores high CPU issue. You need to press the control and power buttons at the same time. Then, press the reboot option to continue rebooting. When your Mac opens, go to Activity Monitor to check if the mds_stores high CPU issue is fixed.
Fix 2: Disable Spotlight
Next, you can try to disable Spotlight to get rid of the issue. Here is how to do that:
Step 1: Go to Desktop and open the Finder app. Open the Applications folder and click the Utilities option.
Step 2: Then, open the Terminal app. Type the following command and press the Enter key.
sudo mdutil -a -I off
Step 3: Then, you will be prompted to provide the admin password. After entering it, press the Enter key.
Then, you can go to Activity Monitor again to see if the issue has gone.
Fix 3: Temporarily Stop and Restart Spotlight
The last solution you can try to resolve the mds_stores error is to stop Spotlight temporarily.
Step 1: Go to Finder > Go > Applications >Utilities.
Step 2: Open the Terminal option, type the following command and press the Enter key.
sudo launchctl unload
-w/System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.metadata.
mds.plist
Step 3: Now enter the admin password and press the Enter key again and restart the device. Then, restart the Spotlight.
Step 4: Open the Utilities app again.
Step 5: Click the Terminal option, type the following command, and press the Enter key.
sudo launchctl -w/System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.metadata.mds.plis
Final Words
What is the mds_stores process? How to fix the mds_stores high CPU issue? Now, you should find the answers in this post.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Having been an editor at MiniTool since graduating college as an English major, Daisy specializes in writing about data backups, disk cloning, and file syncing as well as general computer knowledge and issues. In her free time, Daisy enjoys running and going with friends to the amusement park.