sharingd (Sharing Daemon) is a safe macOS network process. sharingd is the macOS daemon that handles AirDrop file transfers, Shared Computers discovery in Finder, and parts of the Handoff system. It manages the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising and the peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connections that AirDrop uses to transfer files between Apple devices without needing a traditional network connection. sharingd using some resources when AirDrop is enabled or when sharing features are active is normal. Be concerned if sharingd shows sustained high activity when you're not using any sharing features — this could indicate someone is repeatedly attempting to AirDrop content to your Mac, which is possible in public places with AirDrop set to 'Everyone.'
Sharing Daemon
sharingd is the macOS daemon that handles AirDrop file transfers, Shared Computers discovery in Finder, and parts of the Handoff system. It manages the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising and the peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connections that AirDrop uses to transfer files between Apple devices without needing a traditional network connection.
AirDrop not discovering nearby devices or failing to transfer files
High CPU or battery drain from constant Bluetooth scanning
Firewall prompts about sharingd accepting incoming connections
Shared computer or device names not appearing in Finder's Network section
Open Finder and click AirDrop in the sidebar. At the bottom, ensure 'Allow me to be discovered by' is set to 'Contacts Only' or 'Everyone' (not 'No One'). Both the sender and receiver must have AirDrop enabled with compatible discovery settings.
Turn Bluetooth and Wi-Fi off and back on from the menu bar. AirDrop requires both to be active — Bluetooth for device discovery and Wi-Fi for the actual data transfer. Toggling both resets the AirDrop stack.
If you don't use AirDrop, set discovery to 'No One' in Finder > AirDrop. This stops sharingd from actively scanning for devices and reduces its CPU, battery, and network usage, especially useful in crowded environments.
Run 'killall sharingd' in Terminal to restart the sharing daemon. launchd will restart it immediately. This resolves most AirDrop discovery and transfer issues by clearing the daemon's state and forcing a fresh device scan.
sharingd using some resources when AirDrop is enabled or when sharing features are active is normal. Be concerned if sharingd shows sustained high activity when you're not using any sharing features — this could indicate someone is repeatedly attempting to AirDrop content to your Mac, which is possible in public places with AirDrop set to 'Everyone.'
CoreLock monitors AirDrop and sharing service activity, alerting you to unsolicited incoming connection attempts. It helps you maintain optimal AirDrop security settings and detects when sharing services are configured more permissively than recommended.
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sharingd is the daemon that powers AirDrop, shared computer discovery, and parts of Handoff on macOS. It handles the Bluetooth Low Energy advertising that makes your Mac visible to nearby devices and manages the peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connections used for AirDrop file transfers.
AirDrop requires both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to be enabled. Ensure AirDrop discovery is set to 'Contacts Only' or 'Everyone' in Finder > AirDrop. Both devices must support AirDrop and be within Bluetooth range (~30 feet). If it still doesn't work, restart sharingd with 'killall sharingd' in Terminal.
Yes. sharingd is a standard Apple system process for sharing features. However, setting AirDrop to 'Everyone' in public places can expose you to unwanted file transfer requests. For security, keep AirDrop set to 'Contacts Only' and only switch to 'Everyone' temporarily when needed.
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