What is ioupsd?

ioupsd is a process that appears when you connect an uninterruptible power supply to your Mac.

What is ioupsd?

ioupsd is the UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) daemon. It watches USB-connected UPS devices and reports power status (battery level, input power state, and time remaining) to the macOS power management system.

When does it run?

ioupsd only runs when a USB UPS is connected to your Mac. Common UPS brands like APC, CyberPower, and Tripp Lite use the standard USB HID UPS protocol, which ioupsd supports without extra drivers.

What does it do?

When a power cut happens and your Mac is running on UPS battery:

• It reports the UPS battery level to macOS
• It triggers automatic shutdown when the battery gets critically low
• It lets macOS show UPS status in the Energy section of System Settings

You can set up automatic shutdown behaviour in System Settings, then Battery, then UPS (when a UPS is connected).

Do I need a UPS?

Desktop Macs (Mac Pro, Mac Studio, Mac mini, iMac) benefit from a UPS to prevent data loss during power cuts. MacBooks have their own battery, so a UPS is not needed.

Should you worry?

No. It is a standard macOS power management process. If it is running and you do not have a UPS, check what is plugged into your USB ports. Some devices may appear as a UPS to the system.

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