Mac System Processes
1Password
Unknown Impact1Password password manager
Activity Monitor
Critical ImpactmacOS Activity Monitor
Adobe After Effects
Unknown ImpactAdobe After Effects motion graphics
Adobe Creative Cloud
Unknown ImpactAdobe Creative Cloud desktop app
Adobe Illustrator
Unknown ImpactAdobe Illustrator vector graphics editor
Adobe Photoshop
Unknown ImpactAdobe Photoshop image editor
Adobe Premiere Pro
Unknown ImpactAdobe Premiere Pro video editor
airportd
High ImpactAirport wireless management daemon
AMPArtworkAgent
Medium ImpactApple Music Player Artwork Agent
AMPLibraryAgent
Critical ImpactApple Music Player Library Agent
Android Studio
Unknown ImpactGoogle Android Studio IDE
Apache
Unknown ImpactApache HTTP Server
AppCleaner
High ImpactAppCleaner uninstaller utility
AppleMobileDeviceHelper
High ImpactProcess for iOS device connectivity
Archive Utility
Medium ImpactmacOS Archive Utility
autofsd
Medium ImpactAutomatic filesystem daemon
automountd
Medium ImpactAutomatic mount daemon
Avast Security
Unknown ImpactAvast antivirus application
AVG AntiVirus
Unknown ImpactAVG antivirus application
avgd
Critical ImpactAVG security daemon
backupd
Critical ImpactTime Machine backup daemon
Battle.net
Unknown ImpactMain Battle.net application
Battle.net Agent
Unknown ImpactBattle.net background service
Battle.net Helper
Critical ImpactBattle.net web helper process
bdld
Critical ImpactBitdefender live daemon
Bear
Critical ImpactBear markdown note-taking app
bird
High ImpactiCloud sync coordination daemon
Bitdefender Virus Scanner
Unknown ImpactBitdefender antivirus scanner
Bitwarden
Critical ImpactBitwarden password manager
Blender
Unknown ImpactBlender 3D creation suite
BlockBlock
High ImpactBlockBlock persistence monitor
blued
Low ImpactBluetooth daemon for managing Bluetooth connections.
bluetoothd
Medium ImpactBluetooth management daemon
Boot Camp Assistant
Unknown ImpactBoot Camp Assistant Windows installer
Calculator
Medium ImpactmacOS Calculator application
Calendar
Critical ImpactmacOS Calendar application
CalendarAgent
Medium ImpactCalendar synchronization agent
cfprefsd
High ImpactCore Foundation preferences daemon
Charles Proxy
Unknown ImpactCharles web debugging proxy
chronyd
Medium ImpactChrony time synchronization daemon
Cinema 4D
Unknown ImpactMaxon Cinema 4D 3D software
clamd
High ImpactClamAV daemon
ClamXav
Critical ImpactClamXav antivirus scanner
CleanMyMac
Critical ImpactCleanMyMac system cleaner
cloudd
Very Low ImpactiCloud syncing daemon.
CloudPhotosConfiguration
Medium ImpactiCloud Photos configuration service
Code Helper
Unknown ImpactVisual Studio Code helper process
Code Helper (GPU)
High ImpactVS Code GPU process
Code Helper (Renderer)
Critical ImpactVS Code renderer process
com.apple.accessibility.mediaaccessibilityd
Medium ImpactMedia accessibility daemon
com.apple.audio.SandboxHelper
Medium ImpactAudio sandbox helper
com.apple.backupd-helper
High ImpactTime Machine backup helper
com.apple.CoreSimulator.CoreSimulatorService
Unknown ImpactCore Simulator service
com.apple.dt.Xcode.sourcecontrol.Git
High ImpactXcode Git source control process
com.apple.iCloudHelper
High ImpactiCloud Helper background process
com.apple.music.StoreFront
Critical ImpactProcess for Music/iTunes Store
com.apple.parsecd
Medium ImpactSystem parsing daemon
com.apple.QuickTimePluginAgent
Medium ImpactProcess for QuickTime browser plugin support
com.apple.QuickTimeStreaming
High ImpactProcess for streaming media in QuickTime
com.apple.Safari.ContentBlocker
High ImpactProcess for handling content blocking in Safari
com.apple.Safari.SearchHelper
Medium ImpactProcess for handling Safari search functions
com.apple.siri.context.service
Medium ImpactSiri context service
com.apple.speech.speechsynthesisd
Medium ImpactSpeech synthesis daemon
com.apple.voiceservices.tts
Medium ImpactText-to-speech service
com.apple.WebKit.Networking.xpc
Unknown ImpactProcess for handling WebKit networking operations
com.apple.WebKit.Storage
Critical ImpactProcess for handling WebKit storage operations
com.avast.daemon
Critical ImpactAvast security daemon
com.colliderli.iina.helper
High ImpactHelper process for IINA
com.docker.backend
Unknown ImpactDocker backend service
CommCenter
Medium ImpactCommunications center for cellular connectivity
commerce
Medium ImpactApp Store commerce daemon
configd
High ImpactSystem configuration daemon
Console
High ImpactmacOS Console application
Contacts
High ImpactmacOS Contacts application
contactsd
Medium ImpactContacts synchronization daemon
coreaudiod
Medium ImpactCore Audio daemon for sound processing.
coreservicesd
Critical ImpactCore Services daemon
cron
Medium ImpactCron daemon for scheduled tasks
cups-browsed
Low ImpactCUPS printer browsing daemon
cupsd
Medium ImpactCommon Unix Printing System daemon
CyberGhost
Critical ImpactCyberGhost VPN application
DaVinci Resolve
Unknown ImpactBlackmagic DaVinci Resolve video editor
Deluge
High ImpactDeluge BitTorrent client
DevKinsta
Critical ImpactDevKinsta WordPress development
Discord
Unknown ImpactDiscord communication platform
diskarbitrationd
High ImpactDisk arbitration daemon for mounting and unmounting volumes
Disk Utility
Unknown ImpactmacOS Disk Utility
distnoted
Medium ImpactDistributed notification daemon
Dock
High ImpactThe macOS Dock application
Docker Desktop
Unknown ImpactDocker containerization platform
EA app
Unknown ImpactMain EA desktop application
EABackgroundService
Critical ImpactEA background service
EA Desktop Helper
High ImpactEA app web helper
ElasticSearch
Unknown ImpactElasticsearch search engine
Element
Critical ImpactElement Matrix messaging client
EOS
Critical ImpactEpic Online Services process
EpicGamesLaunched
Critical ImpactEpic Games launcher daemon
Epic Games Launcher
Unknown ImpactMain Epic Games application
EpicGamesLauncher Helper
High ImpactEpic Games helper process
EpicWebHelper
Critical ImpactEpic Games web helper process
Evernote
Unknown ImpactEvernote note-taking application
ExpressVPN
Unknown ImpactExpressVPN application
FaceTime
Unknown ImpactmacOS FaceTime application
Figma
Unknown ImpactFigma collaborative design tool
Final Cut Pro
Unknown ImpactApple Final Cut Pro video editor
Finder
High ImpactThe default file manager included with macOS.
Firefox
Unknown ImpactMain browser process that manages overall browser operation
Firefox Compositor Process
Critical ImpactProcess for compositing content
Firefox Extensions
Critical ImpactProcess for managing browser extensions
Firefox File Content Process
Critical ImpactProcess for handling file:// URLs
Firefox GMP Process
Critical ImpactGecko Media Plugin process
Firefox GPU Process
Unknown ImpactProcess for graphics and GPU operations
Firefox Launcher Process
Unknown ImpactProcess for launching Firefox
Firefox Privileged Content Process
Unknown ImpactProcess for running privileged content
Firefox RDD Process
Critical ImpactProcess for media decoding (Remote Data Decoder)
Firefox Socket Process
Unknown ImpactProcess for network operations
Firefox Thumbnails Process
Medium ImpactProcess for generating tab thumbnails
Firefox Utility Process
High ImpactGeneric process for running untrusted code
Firefox VR Process
High ImpactProcess for handling WebVR/XR
Firefox Web Content
Unknown ImpactContent process for rendering web pages
fontd
Medium ImpactFont management daemon
GalaxyClient Helper
High ImpactGOG Galaxy client helper
GalaxyClientService
Critical ImpactGOG Galaxy background service
GameOverlayUI
Critical ImpactSteam overlay user interface
GarageBand
Unknown ImpactApple GarageBand music creation
Git
Critical ImpactGit version control system
GitHub Desktop
Unknown ImpactGitHub desktop application
Go
High ImpactGo programming language
GOG Galaxy
Unknown ImpactMain GOG Galaxy client
Google Chrome
Unknown ImpactMain browser process that manages the overall browser operation
Google Chrome Crashpad Handler
Low ImpactProcess for managing crash reporting
Google Chrome Helper (Audio Service)
High ImpactProcess for handling audio processing
Google Chrome Helper (Browser Switch)
Medium ImpactProcess for switching between different browser profiles
Google Chrome Helper (Extension)
Critical ImpactProcess for running browser extensions
Google Chrome Helper (GPU)
Unknown ImpactProcess that handles graphics processing using hardware acceleration
Google Chrome Helper (Installer)
Medium ImpactProcess for handling Chrome updates
Google Chrome Helper (Network Service)
Unknown ImpactProcess for handling network operations
Google Chrome Helper (Plugin)
High ImpactProcess that runs browser plugins like Flash (legacy)
Google Chrome Helper (Renderer)
Unknown ImpactProcess responsible for rendering web page content
Google Chrome Helper (Sharing Service)
Medium ImpactProcess for handling sharing functionality
Google Chrome Helper (Storage Service)
Critical ImpactProcess for handling browser storage
Google Chrome Helper (Utility)
Critical ImpactProcess for handling various utility tasks
Google Chrome Helper (Video Capture)
High ImpactProcess for handling video capture functionality
Google Chrome Helper (Zygote)
Medium ImpactProcess used to launch new renderer processes quickly
hidd
High ImpactHuman Interface Device daemon
Homebrew
High ImpactHomebrew package manager
IINA
Unknown ImpactMain IINA media player process
iina-plugin-host
Medium ImpactProcess for IINA plugins
iina-thumbnailer
Low ImpactProcess for IINA thumbnail generation
installd
High ImpactSystem installer daemon
Instruments
Unknown ImpactXcode performance analysis tool
IntelliJ IDEA
Unknown ImpactJetBrains IntelliJ IDEA IDE
iokit
Critical ImpactInput/Output Kit framework process
iStat Menus
Critical ImpactSystem monitoring in menu bar
iTerm2
Unknown ImpactThird-party terminal emulator
iTunesHelper
High ImpactHelper process for iTunes/Music
iTunes Library Helper
High ImpactProcess for iTunes library management
Java
Critical ImpactJava runtime environment
kadmind
Medium ImpactKerberos administration daemon
Kafka
Unknown ImpactApache Kafka message broker
Kaspersky Internet Security
Unknown ImpactKaspersky security suite
kernel_task
Critical ImpactThe macOS kernel process, responsible for managing system resources, hardware access, and security.
kextd
High ImpactKernel extension daemon that manages kernel extensions
KextViewr
Medium ImpactKernel extension viewer
Keychain Access
Critical ImpactmacOS Keychain Access utility
Keynote
Unknown ImpactApple Keynote presentation software
Kibana
Critical ImpactKibana data visualization
klnagent
Critical ImpactKaspersky security agent
KnockKnock
High ImpactKnockKnock persistence scanner
krb5kdc
High ImpactKerberos Key Distribution Center
LastPass
Critical ImpactLastPass password manager
launchd
Critical ImpactThe first process started at system boot, responsible for launching other processes.
Line
Critical ImpactLine messaging application
Little Snitch
Unknown ImpactLittle Snitch network monitor
Little Snitch Network Monitor
Critical ImpactLittle Snitch monitoring service
Local by Flywheel
Unknown ImpactLocal WordPress development
Logic Pro
Unknown ImpactApple Logic Pro audio workstation
loginwindow
Critical ImpactLogin window process
Logstash
Critical ImpactLogstash data processing pipeline
lsd
High ImpactLaunch Services daemon
Lulu
Critical ImpactLuLu firewall application
Macs Fan Control
High ImpactFan speed control utility
macOS Mail application
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Unknown ImpactMalwarebytes security application
MalwareBytes Protection
Critical ImpactMalwarebytes real-time protection
MAMP
Unknown ImpactMAMP web development stack
masvc
Critical ImpactMcAfee security service
Maya
Unknown ImpactAutodesk Maya 3D animation software
McAfee Endpoint Security
Unknown ImpactMcAfee security platform
mDNSResponder
High ImpactMulticast DNS responder for Bonjour services
mds
Medium ImpactMetadata Server process for Spotlight indexing.
mdutil
Low ImpactMetadata utility for Spotlight management
mdworker
Medium ImpactMetadata worker process for Spotlight indexing
MenuMeters
High ImpactSystem metrics in menu bar
Messages
Critical ImpactmacOS Messages application
Messenger
Critical ImpactFacebook Messenger desktop app
Micro Snitch
High ImpactMicro Snitch microphone monitor
Microsoft Excel
Unknown ImpactMicrosoft Excel spreadsheet application
Microsoft Outlook
Unknown ImpactMicrosoft Outlook email client
Microsoft PowerPoint
Unknown ImpactMicrosoft PowerPoint presentation software
Microsoft Teams
Unknown ImpactMicrosoft Teams collaboration platform
Microsoft Word
Unknown ImpactMicrosoft Word document processor
Migration Assistant
Critical ImpactmacOS Migration Assistant
mobileassetd
Medium ImpactMobile asset management daemon
MongoDB
Unknown ImpactMongoDB database server
mpv
Critical ImpactMedia playback engine for IINA
Music
Unknown ImpactMain Music/iTunes application process
MusicCacheExtension
Medium ImpactProcess for Music app caching
MySQL
Unknown ImpactMySQL database server
networkd
High ImpactNetwork configuration daemon
Network Radar
High ImpactNetwork discovery tool
Nginx
Unknown ImpactNginx web server
Nmap
Critical ImpactNetwork mapping tool
Node.js
Critical ImpactNode.js JavaScript runtime
NordVPN
Unknown ImpactNordVPN application
Norton 360
Unknown ImpactNorton 360 security suite
Notes
High ImpactmacOS Notes application
NotificationCenter
Medium ImpactNotification center process
notifyd
High ImpactNotification daemon
Notion
Unknown ImpactNotion workspace application
npm
High ImpactNode.js package manager
nsurlsessiond
High ImpactNSURLSession daemon
ntpd
Medium ImpactNetwork Time Protocol daemon
Numbers
Unknown ImpactApple Numbers spreadsheet
Obsidian
Unknown ImpactObsidian knowledge management
opendirectoryd
Critical ImpactOpen Directory daemon
org.videolan.vlchelper
Medium ImpactBackground service process for VLC
OverSight
High ImpactOverSight microphone and camera monitor
Pages
Unknown ImpactApple Pages word processor
Parallels Desktop
Unknown ImpactParallels virtualization software
photoanalysisd
High ImpactPhotos analysis daemon
photolibraryd
High ImpactPhotos library daemon
PHP
High ImpactPHP interpreter
Plugin-container
High ImpactProcess for running browser plugins
PostgreSQL
Unknown ImpactPostgreSQL database server
powerd
High ImpactPower management daemon
Preview
Critical ImpactmacOS Preview application
ProtonVPN
Critical ImpactProtonVPN application
Pro Tools
Unknown ImpactAvid Pro Tools audio workstation
Proxyman
Unknown ImpactProxyman HTTP debugging proxy
PyCharm
Unknown ImpactJetBrains PyCharm Python IDE
Python
Critical ImpactPython interpreter
qBittorrent
Critical ImpactqBittorrent client
QuickTime Helper
High ImpactHelper process for QuickTime
QuickTime Player
Unknown ImpactMain QuickTime application process
QuickTimePlayerHelper
Medium ImpactHelper process for QuickTime Player
RabbitMQ
Critical ImpactRabbitMQ message broker
Radio Silence
High ImpactRadio Silence network firewall
RansomWhere
High ImpactRansomWhere ransomware detector
rapportd
High ImpactRapport daemon for device-to-device communication
Redis
Critical ImpactRedis in-memory database
Reminders
High ImpactmacOS Reminders application
Ruby
High ImpactRuby interpreter
Rust
High ImpactRust programming language
Safari
Unknown ImpactMain browser process that manages browser operation
SafariBookmarksSyncAgent
Medium ImpactProcess for synchronizing Safari bookmarks
Safari Extension
High ImpactProcess for running Safari extensions
Safari (GPU Process)
Unknown ImpactProcess for hardware-accelerated graphics in Safari
Safari Networking
Unknown ImpactProcess handling network operations for Safari
SafariNotificationAgent
Low ImpactProcess for handling Safari notifications
Safari Web Content
Unknown ImpactProcess that renders web page content using WebKit
Safari Web Content (Cached)
Medium ImpactProcess for cached web content
Safari Web Service
High ImpactBackground service process for Safari
sandboxd
Critical ImpactSandbox daemon for application security
Scrivener
Unknown ImpactScrivener writing software
securityd
Critical ImpactSecurity daemon responsible for managing security policies and keychain access.
sharingd
High ImpactSharing daemon for AirDrop and Handoff
Signal
Unknown ImpactSignal secure messaging
Simulator
Unknown ImpactiOS/watchOS/tvOS Simulator
Sketch
Unknown ImpactSketch vector design tool
Skype
Unknown ImpactSkype video calling service
Slack
Unknown ImpactSlack team communication platform
smcFanControl
High ImpactSystem Management Controller fan control
softwareupdate
High ImpactSoftware Update process
Sophos Home
Unknown ImpactSophos security application
SophosWebIntelligence
Critical ImpactSophos web protection service
SourceTree
Unknown ImpactAtlassian SourceTree Git client
Spotlight
Medium ImpactSpotlight search interface
SpringBoard
Critical ImpactiOS SpringBoard (on Apple Silicon during iOS app emulation)
Steam
Unknown ImpactMain Steam client process
SteamChildMonitor
High ImpactSteam child process monitor
steamservice
Critical ImpactSteam service process
steamwebhelper
Unknown ImpactSteam web browser component
storeassetd
Medium ImpactApp Store asset daemon
storedownloadd
High ImpactApp Store download daemon
suggestd
Medium ImpactSpotlight suggestions daemon
Surfshark
Critical ImpactSurfshark VPN application
swcd
Medium ImpactSoftware Update Catalog daemon
SymDaemon
Critical ImpactNorton Symantec daemon
syslogd
High ImpactSystem log daemon that manages logging services
System Information
High ImpactmacOS System Information utility
SystemUIServer
High ImpactSystem menu bar and user interface server
Telegram
Unknown ImpactTelegram messaging application
Terminal
Critical ImpactmacOS Terminal application
TextEdit
High ImpactmacOS TextEdit text editor
TG Pro
Critical ImpactTemperature and fan control
thermald
High ImpactThermal management daemon
The Unarchiver
High ImpactThe Unarchiver archive utility
TmPreFilter
High ImpactTrend Micro pre-filter
Transmission
Critical ImpactTransmission BitTorrent client
Trend Micro Antivirus
Unknown ImpactTrend Micro security suite
Tunnelblick
Critical ImpactTunnelblick OpenVPN client
Ubisoft Connect
Unknown ImpactMain Ubisoft Connect application
UbisoftConnect Helper
High ImpactUbisoft Connect helper process
UbisoftConnectService
Critical ImpactUbisoft Connect service
Ulysses
Unknown ImpactUlysses writing application
UnityHelper
Medium ImpactUnity helper process
Unity Hub
Critical ImpactUnity game engine launcher
UnityPackageManager
High ImpactUnity package manager process
UnrealCEFSubProcess
High ImpactUnreal engine web subprocess
Unreal Engine
Unknown ImpactUnreal game engine process
update_dyld_shared_cache
Medium ImpactDynamic linker shared cache update process
usbmuxd
Medium ImpactUSB multiplexing daemon for iOS devices
UserEventAgent
Medium ImpactUser event agent
UserNotificationCenter
Medium ImpactUser notification center daemon
uTorrent
Critical ImpactuTorrent BitTorrent client
Vagrant
Critical ImpactVagrant virtualization manager
Valet
High ImpactLaravel Valet development environment
Viber
Critical ImpactViber messaging and calling
VirtualBox
Unknown ImpactOracle VirtualBox virtualization
Viscosity
Critical ImpactViscosity OpenVPN client
Visual Studio Code
Unknown ImpactMicrosoft Visual Studio Code editor
VLC
Unknown ImpactMain VLC media player process
vlc-cache-gen
Low ImpactVLC cache generation process
VLC Helper
High ImpactHelper process for VLC
VLCKit
Medium ImpactFramework process for VLC
VMware Fusion
Unknown ImpactVMware virtualization software
watchdogd
High ImpactSystem watchdog daemon
WebKitServiceProcess
Critical ImpactProcess for handling WebKit services
WebKit Web Content
Unknown ImpactWebKit rendering engine process
WebStorm
Unknown ImpactJetBrains WebStorm JavaScript IDE
WeChat messaging application
WhatsApp messaging application
Wickr Me
Critical ImpactWickr secure messaging
wifid
High ImpactWiFi daemon for wireless network management
WiFi Explorer
Critical ImpactWiFi analysis tool
WiFi Scanner
High ImpactWiFi network scanner
WindowServer
Critical ImpactManages the graphical user interface and handles drawing to the screen.
Wireshark
Unknown ImpactWireshark network analyzer
XAMPP
Unknown ImpactXAMPP web development stack
Xbox
Unknown ImpactXbox app for Mac
XboxHelper
High ImpactXbox app helper process
XboxNetworkingService
Critical ImpactXbox networking service
Xcode
Unknown ImpactMain Xcode IDE process
xcodebuild
Unknown ImpactXcode command-line build tool
xcrun
Critical ImpactXcode command-line tool runner
Zoom
Unknown ImpactZoom video conferencing