How to Fix “crashpad_handler >90% CPU usage” in Android Studio Emulator

On macOS, Android Studio’s Android Emulator can leave crashpad_handler consuming more than 90% CPU even when the virtual device is doing little or no work. The Mac may remain hot, its fans may run continuously, and Activity Monitor may place the process near the top of the CPU list. Google tracked this behavior as Issue #333628462, fixed it in Android Emulator 36.5.6 Canary, and included the fix in stable Android Emulator 36.5.10, released on April 2, 2026.

Observed diagnostic
Cause
Affected conditions and versions
Recommended fix
Temporary workaround when updating is not possible
How to verify the fix
If high CPU usage continues
Important notes
Summary
Official references

Observed diagnostic

This is not a Gradle build error. It is a process diagnostic visible in macOS Activity Monitor or command-line process tools.

Process: crashpad_handler
%CPU: 90% - 100% or higher

# Example Terminal checks
ps aux | grep crashpad_handler
top -o cpu

The characteristic symptom is sustained high CPU use by crashpad_handler after Android Emulator has been launched.

Cause

crashpad_handler is a helper process used by Android Emulator’s crash-reporting system. Google’s official fix records this as an Android Emulator defect that caused the helper to consume excessive CPU on macOS.

The public release notes do not document the complete internal trigger. Do not assume that a specific AVD option, application code path, or Android Studio plugin is responsible. Updating the Emulator package is the evidence-backed first action.

Affected conditions and versions

The host operating system is macOS.
An Android Emulator build older than the fixed release is installed.
crashpad_handler remains active and consumes sustained high CPU after an emulator session starts.
In some cases, the helper can remain temporarily after Android Studio or an AVD is closed.

Google lists the fix under Android Emulator 36.5.6 Canary in the closed-issues page. For stable-channel users, the same Issue #333628462 is included in Android Emulator 36.5.10.

Recommended fix

In Android Studio, open “Tools” → “SDK Manager.”
Select the “SDK Tools” tab.
Check the installed version of “Android Emulator.”
Update to stable Android Emulator 36.5.10 or later. If a newer stable build is available, use the latest stable version unless your environment requires a pinned release.
Close all running AVDs and restart Android Studio.
Launch the emulator again and monitor CPU use in Activity Monitor.

# When using the SDK command-line tools
sdkmanager --update

# Check the Emulator version
emulator -version

Temporary workaround when updating is not possible

After shutting down all AVDs, check whether an old crashpad_handler process remains. If the emulator is no longer running, terminating that leftover process in Activity Monitor can temporarily stop the CPU load.

# Locate the process
pgrep -fl crashpad_handler

# Request normal termination by PID
kill <PID>

This is not a permanent fix, and the behavior can return the next time Android Emulator starts. Stop the AVD first; terminating the helper while the emulator is active can interfere with crash reporting and related processing.

How to verify the fix

Confirm Android Emulator 36.5.10 or later in SDK Manager or with emulator -version.
Start the same AVD that previously triggered the problem.
Open Activity Monitor and sort by CPU usage.
Confirm that crashpad_handler does not remain above 90% CPU for an extended period.
Shut down the AVD and verify that its helper processes and CPU load settle normally.

If high CPU usage continues

Restart the Mac to clear helper processes left by an older Emulator session.
Verify that the “Android Emulator” SDK package—not only the Android Studio IDE—was updated.
Test another AVD to determine whether the behavior is global or limited to one virtual device.
If the high-CPU process is actually qemu-system-* or another application rather than crashpad_handler, investigate it as a different issue.

Important notes

Android Studio and Android Emulator are updated as separate components. Installing the latest IDE does not guarantee that the Emulator package in SDK Manager is current. Avoid deleting Crashpad files or changing their permissions, because doing so can damage crash-report collection without correcting the underlying defect.

Summary

Sustained crashpad_handler CPU usage above 90% on macOS is a confirmed Android Emulator issue. The recommended solution is to install stable Android Emulator 36.5.10 or later. Process termination is only a temporary workaround; after updating, retest the same AVD and verify in Activity Monitor that CPU usage returns to normal.