MacPeek RemoteProcessPeek: Inspect a process and its relationships.
What exactly is this process?
The problem
You see an unfamiliar process name. Where did it come from, what started it, and what is it listening on?
The solution
ProcessPeek lists your processes in a searchable list. Open one to see how it was launched (its command name), parent, user, start time, how long it has been running, CPU and memory, its full command line, the ports it listens on, and its child processes, and jump to the parent or any child. It is deliberately not Activity Monitor: it explains one process rather than charting all of them. Ending a process is optional and uses the same safe-termination checks as PortPeek; nothing is ever ended by default.
Features
- Search by name, PID, user or path; sort by name, CPU, memory or PID
- Name, PID, parent, user, start time and running time
- How it was launched (its command name) and the full command line, read only when you open a process
- Listening TCP and UDP ports of that process (for your own processes; macOS does not let MacPeek see other users’)
- Parent and children, one click to jump to any of them
- Your processes by default; other users’ processes only if you include them
- Optional Kill Process through the shared safe-termination service: confirmed, identity re-checked (so a reused PID is never hit), SIGTERM first, explicit force kill
How it works
- Open ProcessPeek and search for a process.
- Open a row to read its identity and relationships.
- Jump to its parent or children.
Installation
ProcessPeek is part of MacPeek. Install MacPeek, open Manage utilities and make sure ProcessPeek is switched on (it is on by default). There is nothing separate to download.
Privacy
What ProcessPeek reads:
- The process list (ps); a process’s command line and listening ports only when you open it
Access it needs: None to inspect. Some details are unavailable for other users’ processes, and you can terminate only processes your user owns.
Everything stays on your Mac: no account, no telemetry, no network access. Read the full privacy statement.
Open source
MacPeek and every utility in it are MIT-licensed. Read the code on GitHub, or see how a utility is built.
Frequently asked questions
What does ProcessPeek do?
ProcessPeek lists your processes in a searchable list. Open one to see how it was launched (its command name), parent, user, start time, how long it has been running, CPU and memory, its full command line, the ports it listens on, and its child processes, and jump to the parent or any child. It is deliberately not Activity Monitor: it explains one process rather than charting all of them. Ending a process is optional and uses the same safe-termination checks as PortPeek; nothing is ever ended by default.
What does ProcessPeek read from my Mac?
The process list (ps); a process’s command line and listening ports only when you open it.
Does ProcessPeek need any permissions?
None to inspect. Some details are unavailable for other users’ processes, and you can terminate only processes your user owns.
Does ProcessPeek send my data anywhere?
No. Everything stays on your Mac: no account, no telemetry, nothing is sent anywhere.
Is ProcessPeek free?
Yes. ProcessPeek is part of MacPeek, which is free and open source under the MIT license.
Related guides
Get ProcessPeek with MacPeek. Free and open source.