loginwindow runs your login session: the login screen, starting Finder, the Dock and your login items, and logging out, restarting or shutting down; one copy per logged-in user is normal and it's part of macOS. If login hangs or you keep getting logged out, start up in safe mode to rule out a login item, and check that the startup disk isn't full.
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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/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/MacOS/loginwindow |
|---|---|
| Runs as | your user account |
| Signed by | Apple (Software Signing), identifier com.apple.loginwindow |
loginwindow manages your macOS login session from start to finish. It presents the login screen, authenticates your credentials, launches the user session (Finder, Dock, and login items), and handles logout, sleep, restart, and shutdown operations. Each logged-in user has their own loginwindow process.
Stuck on the login screen or spinning wheel after entering password
Login items failing to launch after logging in
Force logout or desktop restart caused by WindowServer crash
Slow login due to too many startup items or a corrupted user profile
Go to System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions (Login Items before macOS 15) and remove any items you don't need. Third-party login items that crash can delay or hang the login process. Remove items one at a time to identify the problematic one.
On a Mac with Apple silicon, shut down, press and hold the power button until the startup options appear, select your startup disk, then hold Shift and click Continue in Safe Mode. On an Intel Mac, hold Shift as it starts up. Safe mode stops login items and extensions that macOS doesn't need from loading, which can get you past a stuck login and show whether one of them is the cause.
A nearly full startup disk can slow or stall login. Choose Apple menu > System Settings > General > Storage to see how much space is left, and free some up if it's nearly full.
If login is slow, create a new admin account in System Settings > Users & Groups. If the new account logs in quickly, the issue is in your user profile rather than a system-wide problem. You can then migrate your data to the new account.
loginwindow running in the background during your session is normal — it's always present as the session manager. Be concerned if you experience repeated unexpected logouts (forced back to the login screen), as this usually indicates WindowServer crashes, GPU issues, or a failing system extension.
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loginwindow is the macOS process that manages your entire user session. It handles the login screen, user authentication, launching your desktop environment (Finder, Dock, menu bar), loading login items, and processing logout/restart/shutdown requests. Every logged-in user has their own loginwindow process.
A stuck login screen is usually caused by a crashing login item, corrupted user preferences, or a full startup disk. Try starting up in safe mode (on Apple silicon, hold the power button until the startup options appear, select the disk, then hold Shift and click Continue in Safe Mode; on Intel, hold Shift at startup) to skip login items. If that works, the issue is a third-party login item or corrupted preferences.
Yes. loginwindow is a core Apple system process essential for the macOS user session. It is code-signed by Apple, runs as part of the system's authenticated session management, and is protected by System Integrity Protection. Every Mac has this process running for each logged-in user.
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