What is installd?

If you open Activity Monitor and see a process called installd using your CPU, do not worry. It is a normal macOS system process.

What is installd?

installd is the daemon macOS uses to install and update apps. It handles App Store downloads, software updates, and any .pkg installer you run. When it is busy, macOS is usually installing or updating something in the background.

Why is it using so much CPU?

Common reasons:

• macOS is installing a software update. This can happen quietly in the background, especially after a restart.
• App Store apps are updating. If you have automatic updates turned on, installd can start at any time.
• An install got stuck. Sometimes an update fails part way through and installd keeps retrying.

What to do

Most of the time, just wait. The process will finish on its own once the install or update is done.

If it has been running for a long time:

1. Open the App Store and check if anything is downloading or updating.
2. Check System Settings, then General, then Software Update for a pending macOS update.
3. If nothing seems to be happening, restart your Mac. This clears any stuck installs and installd will settle down.

If the problem comes back after a restart, you can try clearing the installer cache:

sudo rm -rf /Library/Updates/*

Then check for updates again. This forces macOS to download fresh update files instead of retrying with damaged ones.

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