cloudd is the macOS daemon behind CloudKit, the iCloud framework apps use to sync their data between your devices; it's part of macOS and safe. It's busy after a new sign-in, a big sync or time offline, and if it stays busy with nothing to sync, turn the iCloud service you suspect off and on again.
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One Mac, macOS 26.5 (25F71) on Apple silicon, read with ps and codesign on October 29, 2026
| Path | /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/CloudKitDaemon.framework/Support/cloudd |
|---|---|
| Runs as | your user account and root |
| Signed by | Apple (Software Signing), identifier com.apple.cloudd |
| Note | Two copies: one for the user, one as root. |
cloudd is the background daemon that handles CloudKit operations on macOS. CloudKit is Apple's framework for syncing data between your devices via iCloud. cloudd manages the network connections, conflict resolution, and data transfer for apps that use CloudKit, including Apple's own apps like Notes, Reminders, Safari bookmarks, and third-party apps with iCloud sync.
Persistent high CPU usage during large iCloud data syncs
Excessive network bandwidth consumption when syncing after being offline
Memory leaks during prolonged sync operations on large datasets
Sync conflicts causing repeated upload/download cycles
Go to System Settings > Apple Account > iCloud and review which services are syncing. If a particular service shows a sync indicator, wait for it to complete. Large initial syncs (especially Photos and iCloud Drive) can take hours or days.
If cloudd is stuck, disable the problematic iCloud service (e.g., iCloud Drive, Notes), wait 30 seconds, then re-enable it. This forces cloudd to reinitialize that service's sync state and can resolve stuck operations.
Go to System Settings > Apple Account > iCloud > Manage. If your iCloud storage is full, cloudd may be repeatedly failing to upload new data. Free up space or upgrade your iCloud storage plan.
As a last resort, go to System Settings > Apple Account and sign out of iCloud, then sign back in. This resets all CloudKit sync state. Note: choose to keep a local copy of your data when signing out to prevent data loss.
cloudd using resources during active iCloud syncing is expected behavior. Be concerned if it uses sustained high CPU while iCloud sync appears idle with no changes pending, or if it keeps uploading large amounts of data when nothing on your Mac has changed.
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cloudd uses high CPU when actively syncing data through iCloud. This commonly occurs after macOS updates, when signing into a new device, when syncing a large Photos library, or when catching up on changes after being offline. The usage should decrease once the sync backlog is processed.
Yes. cloudd is the Apple system daemon behind CloudKit, the framework apps use to keep data in iCloud. It is code-signed by Apple, lives in a folder System Integrity Protection guards, and iCloud sync for CloudKit apps depends on it.
You cannot directly disable cloudd, but you can reduce its activity by turning off iCloud services you don't use in System Settings > Apple Account > iCloud. Disabling all iCloud services will effectively idle cloudd, though the process will still run in the background as a system daemon.
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