Check how much memory and processor Epilude uses
See what Epilude and Local Mode cost your Mac in memory and processor, what the numbers mean, and how to free memory in one click.
Open Settings → Performance to see, live, how much of your Mac's memory and processor Epilude is using, and how much room your Mac has left. The figures are the same ones Activity Monitor shows for Epilude.
Read the verdict at the top
The first line tells you whether your Mac has room. It shows one of three states, based on the memory pressure macOS itself reports:
| Verdict | What it means |
|---|---|
| Plenty of room | macOS reports normal pressure and at least a quarter of memory is available. |
| Getting tight | macOS reports warning-level pressure, or less than a quarter of memory is available. |
| Under pressure | macOS reports critical pressure. Apps across your Mac may slow down until memory frees up. |
Below the verdict, one sentence gives the numbers: how much Epilude is using, how much your Mac has in total, and how much is available. When the verdict is anything but Plenty of room, a line explains where it came from, because the two can look like they disagree: macOS can report memory pressure while half your memory still shows as available. The bar splits your Mac's memory into EP-1, the rest of Epilude, other apps and system, and what is still available.
Swap is shown separately
If your Mac is using more than 1 GB of swap, a line under the numbers says so, and it names the total when the swap file is nearly full. Swap on its own does not change the verdict, because macOS routinely swaps while memory pressure stays normal. A nearly full swap file is, though, the usual reason macOS reports pressure with memory still available.
Understand what EP-1 holds
In Local Mode, Epilude keeps EP-1 in memory so dictation starts instantly. On Macs with 16 GB or more, that includes the part of the model that does AI cleanup. That is why Activity Monitor can show Epilude at 2 to 4 GB in Local Mode.
The EP-1 card shows the model's current state and memory as one line. On a 16 GB+ Mac expect roughly 2 to 4 GB: the model's weights plus up to 2 GB of reusable working memory that keeps dictation fast (hover over the row for that note). On smaller Macs expect about 0.5 GB. If part of the measurement is unclear, the figure says "about".
The row also shows what the model is doing right now (loaded, unloaded, loading, or working) and how much of the last minute it spent working. That activity figure stands in for a graphics or Neural Engine percentage, which macOS does not expose to apps.
In Cloud mode, or before you download EP-1, the card says nothing is loaded on your Mac.
Free memory now
Click Free up memory now to unload EP-1. The memory returns to your Mac within a second, and the next dictation loads the model again. The card tells you how long that reload took last time.
The button is disabled while a dictation or cleanup is running, so it can never interrupt one. Try again in a moment.
Check Epilude's processor use
The Processor card shows Epilude's share of your whole Mac right now, the peak over the last minute, and a small chart of that minute. At rest it sits near zero. It rises while you dictate and settles again when the transcript is inserted.
Hover over the figure to see the same number as a share of one processor core, which is how Activity Monitor's CPU column counts.
What Epilude does automatically
Epilude gives memory back without you doing anything, and the Performance page spells out the rules for your Mac:
- On Macs with less than 16 GB, Epilude unloads EP-1 after 10 minutes without dictation and whenever macOS asks for memory. Full AI Cleanup runs in the cloud on those Macs.
- On Macs with 16 GB or more, Epilude keeps EP-1 loaded and frees most of its memory when macOS reports critical memory pressure, loading it again on the next dictation.
Troubleshooting
- The page says Getting tight but Epilude shows under 1 GB? Another app is using the memory. Check Activity Monitor's Memory tab, sorted by the Memory column, and quit what you do not need.
- Your Mac feels slow and the page shows Under pressure? Click Free up memory now, then close other heavy apps. If the verdict stays red with Epilude at a few hundred megabytes, Epilude is not the cause.
- A row says Unavailable? macOS declined a reading, which is rare. Close and reopen Settings; if it persists, get help from support.
- The page shows "Your Mac is running hot"? That is your Mac's own thermal state, not something Epilude caused. Dictation keeps working; macOS may slow things down until the Mac cools.