What is jetsamproperties?

jetsamproperties.Mac is part of the macOS memory management system.

What is jetsam?

Jetsam is the macOS memory pressure relief system, borrowed from iOS. When your Mac runs dangerously low on memory, jetsam kills processes to free up RAM and stop the system from freezing. The name comes from the sailing term for throwing cargo overboard to save a ship.

What does jetsamproperties.Mac do?

jetsamproperties.Mac provides settings for the jetsam system on macOS. It defines memory limits, priorities, and termination rules for different types of processes. It tells the system which processes can be killed first and which should be protected.

How does priority work?

Processes are ranked by importance:

• System-critical processes (kernel, WindowServer) are never killed
• Foreground apps are protected over background apps
• Background processes and cached apps are killed first
• Within each tier, the biggest memory users go first

Is this why my apps sometimes quit on their own?

If an app quits with no crash report, jetsam may have killed it because of memory pressure. This is more common on Macs with limited RAM running many apps at once. Check Activity Monitor under the Memory tab. If the pressure bar is often yellow or red, your Mac needs more free RAM.

Should you worry?

No. Jetsam stops your Mac from freezing when memory runs out. If you see frequent jetsam terminations, try closing unused apps or consider a Mac with more RAM.

Enjoyed this post?

Well, you could share the post with others, follow me with RSS Feeds and/or send me a comment via email.

Tags