sharingd is the macOS daemon behind AirDrop, Handoff, Instant Hotspot, Shared Computers and Remote Disc in the Finder (its man page lists all five); it's part of macOS and safe. If AirDrop misbehaves or sharingd stays busy, check who can send you items in Control Center > AirDrop, and use Contacts Only rather than Everyone in public.
Last reviewed · 2 sources
One Mac, macOS 26.5 (25F71) on Apple silicon, read with ps and codesign on October 29, 2026
| Path | /usr/libexec/sharingd |
|---|---|
| Runs as | your user account |
| Signed by | Apple (Software Signing), identifier com.apple.sharingd |
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 Control Center, click next to AirDrop, and choose Contacts Only or Everyone (not No One). The other device must accept AirDrop from you too, and Apple says the devices must be within 30 feet (10 meters) of each other.
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, turn it off in Control Center. 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's network check reports listening network services other than loopback, so with AirDrop on, a sharingd listener can show up in its list. A listening address alone doesn't mean another device can reach it.
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System Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services
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. Set AirDrop to Contacts Only or Everyone in Control Center. Both devices must support AirDrop and be within 30 feet (10 meters) of each other. 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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