TaskExplorer
TaskExplorer is a macOS process explorer that helps you inspect running apps, their files, libraries, signatures, and network activity.
What is TaskExplorer?
TaskExplorer is a macOS security and system utility that lets you examine the processes running on your Mac in much more detail than a basic task list. It is designed for users who want to understand what apps and background tasks are doing, including developers, security researchers, IT admins, and advanced everyday users troubleshooting unusual behavior. The app can show a process tree, code-signing status, loaded dynamic libraries, open files, and active network connections, which makes it useful for investigating system slowdowns, suspicious activity, or dependency issues. It also includes search and filtering tools to help you quickly find unsigned or third-party processes. TaskExplorer is published by Objective-See, LLC and is available for modern versions of macOS.
Key features
- Browse all running processes in flat or hierarchical tree views
- Inspect a process's code-signing status and identify unsigned items
- View loaded dynamic libraries for each running task
- See files currently opened by a selected process
- Check network connections associated with running processes
- Search and filter tasks by name, signature, connection state, and more
- Use VirusTotal integration to review known detections for process binaries
Review app leftovers with diCleaner
Inspect caches, support files, containers, and login items before cleaning.
Safety overview
Status: Mostly safe
TaskExplorer is a legitimate Mac utility for inspecting running processes and related system activity. It may request elevated privileges so it can read detailed information about other processes, such as loaded libraries and open files; that access is consistent with its purpose, but it also means the app has broad visibility into local process activity. Download it from the official Objective-See page and review any privilege prompts before granting access.
Recommendation: Keep TaskExplorer if you actively use it for troubleshooting, process inspection, or security review on your Mac. If you do not use advanced process-monitoring tools, you can remove it without affecting normal macOS operation beyond losing its inspection features.
Common paths
/Applications/TaskExplorer.app
Preference paths
~/Library/Preferences/com.objective-see.TaskExplorer.plist
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