What is touristd?

You might spot touristd in Activity Monitor or see it making network connections. It is a normal macOS process, even if the name sounds odd.

What does it do?

touristd powers the "What is New" prompts you see after upgrading macOS. It tells you about new features and suggests things to try, such as setting up Apple Pay or turning on iCloud features.

The name makes sense: it gives you a tour of what changed in the latest macOS version.

Why does it connect to the internet?

touristd downloads the latest tour content from Apple servers. This lets Apple update the feature tour without shipping a full macOS update.

Can you turn it off?

There is no official switch, but touristd only runs briefly after a macOS upgrade. Once you close the prompts or it finishes downloading, it goes quiet on its own.

If it bothers you, blocking its network access in a firewall like Little Snitch will stop it from downloading tour content. This will not affect anything else on your Mac.

Should you worry?

No. It is harmless. It only does something useful right after a macOS upgrade. It does not collect data or run all the time.

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