Glossary
App memory
The memory used by apps and their processes, as opposed to the system or file caches.
What it is
Activity Monitor splits “Memory Used” into app memory, wired memory and compressed memory. App memory is the part that belongs to the apps you run and the background processes that serve them.
It is the part you can change: quitting an app or closing browser tabs lowers it.
Why it matters
When memory pressure is high, app memory is usually where the growth is. Knowing which app grew, and by how much, tells you what to close.
In Activity Monitor
“App Memory” under the Memory Pressure graph in the Memory tab.
In iKnowMyMac
The Memory tab breaks memory into app, wired, compressed, cached and free, and lists apps (not processes) sorted by memory, each with its process rows.
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