Apple’s refreshed Calculator in macOS 26 is drawing attention for the wrong reasons. Reports show the utility consuming more than 30 GB of RAM, enough to trigger the dreaded system warning: “Your system has run out of application memory.”
In one screenshot shared by a user, Calculator reached 32.23 GB, pausing other apps like Discord and Chrome until the user force quit the process. It’s baffling to see a core utility destabilize an entire machine.
A utility behaving like a runaway process
A calculator should not behave like a heavy workload. Memory leaks occur when an application allocates memory but fails to release it. Over time, usage climbs uncontrollably until macOS halts processes or locks up. That matches what users describe: systems freezing, GPUs running at 95 percent, and essential apps becoming unresponsive until a restart.
Some users reported that Calculator remained within normal limits, hovering under 100 MB of memory even after hours. Others, however, saw the app’s allocation rise into tens of gigabytes. The inconsistency suggests the leak may appear under certain conditions, such as uptime or a specific calculation state. Regardless, the evidence points to a clear regression in macOS 26.
Reactions from the community
Some mocked the situation with lines like “pre-caching all possible answers” or “now it’s Mac Vista.” Others called out the absurdity of Apple failing at “the one thing computers were originally designed to do.” A pointed observation captured the frustration: Apple has been making calculators for decades, yet the modern iteration of macOS introduced a bug that can swallow more RAM than most professional-grade apps.
Beyond the jokes, seasoned users advised caution with new releases. Several warned against updating on day one, recommending waiting until version 26.1 or later. One comment summed it up bluntly: “Repeat after me: never update on day 0.” The advice reflects a common pattern, major macOS releases often introduce regressions that get addressed in point updates.
What users can do right now
If Calculator begins to misbehave, you should:
- Open Activity Monitor and check memory usage.
- Quit Calculator immediately. If it’s frozen, use Force Quit.
- Restart macOS to clear leaked memory.
- Record details such as uptime, memory numbers, and steps taken. Capture a screenshot.
- Submit a bug report to Apple through Feedback Assistant.
Why it matters
Core utilities should be rock-solid. A bug in Calculator is not just embarrassing. It undermines trust in Apple’s software reliability. The lesson is practical for users. They should avoid installing major updates on machines you depend on for work until at least the first maintenance release. For now, Apple should address regressions swiftly and restore confidence that macOS can handle its most basic tasks.
It’s not just Calculator. Messages was showing more than 60GB of usage.