What are timed, sntpd, and tzlinkd?

These processes keep your Mac clock correct.

What is timed?

timed is the time daemon. It manages time and time zone settings on your Mac. It handles automatic time setting, time zone detection, and clock synchronisation.

What is sntpd?

sntpd synchronises your Mac clock with Apple time servers, usually time.apple.com. It uses the Simple Network Time Protocol to keep your clock accurate to within milliseconds.

An accurate clock matters for:

• Certificate checks (certificates expire on set dates)
• File timestamps
• Calendar and scheduling
• Two-factor login codes that depend on time
• Secure network connections

What is tzlinkd?

tzlinkd detects and sets your time zone. When "Set time zone automatically" is turned on in System Settings, tzlinkd works out your time zone from your location and updates the clock.

Can I use a different time server?

Yes. You can change the server in System Settings, General, Date and Time, or from the terminal:

sudo sntp -sS time.apple.com

Should you worry?

No. These are normal system processes. A wrong clock can cause odd problems: secure websites may refuse to load, certificates may look expired, and time-based login codes may stop working.

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