How do I fix high cfprefsd usage?

1. Wait a minute after login or after opening several apps 2. Quit recently opened apps one by one to find the one hammering its settings 3. Restart your Mac 4. If the same app keeps causing it, update or reinstall that app

What is cfprefsd on Mac?

Q: Why is cfprefsd using so much CPU or memory?

An app reading or writing its settings in a tight loop. A very large or damaged preference file. Many apps launching together, such as right after login.

Q: Is it safe to quit cfprefsd?

Quit with care. macOS relaunches it automatically, but a setting change that was in progress could be lost.

By Junaid, maker of Taskglass · Last reviewed November 5, 2026

Reads and saves the settings (preferences) of every app and of macOS itself.

cfprefsd is the preferences server: whenever an app reads or changes a setting, cfprefsd handles the request and keeps the preference files on disk in sync. There's one system copy plus one per logged-in user. It's critical plumbing and is normally very light.

Category: macOS system
Made by: Apple
Safe to quit:: With care

Shown in Activity Monitor as cfprefsd

Why is cfprefsd using so much CPU or memory?

An app reading or writing its settings in a tight loop
A very large or damaged preference file
Many apps launching together, such as right after login

What to do

1Wait a minute after login or after opening several apps
2Quit recently opened apps one by one to find the one hammering its settings
3Restart your Mac
4If the same app keeps causing it, update or reinstall that app

Safe to quit? With care.

macOS relaunches it automatically, but a setting change that was in progress could be lost.

Typical usage

Rough ranges on Apple Silicon Macs. Yours will vary.

CPU: Near 0%
Memory: 5–40 MB

Related processes

Part of the Taskglass Process Library