What is nsurlsessiond on Mac?
By Junaid, maker of Taskglass · Last reviewed
Does background downloads and uploads for apps, even after you close them.
nsurlsessiond performs background network transfers for apps that use Apple's background download system. App Store downloads, iCloud, Music, Podcasts, updates and many third-party apps hand their transfers to it so they can continue even if the app quits. High network activity here means some app is downloading or uploading.
- Category
- Apple service
- Made by
- Apple
- Safe to quit:
- With care
Shown in Activity Monitor as nsurlsessiond
Why is nsurlsessiond using so much CPU or memory?
- App, system or podcast downloads in progress
- iCloud or other sync services transferring data
- Apps downloading large content in the background
What to do
- 1Check App Store, Music, Podcasts and iCloud for active downloads
- 2Let large transfers finish on a good connection
- 3Restart your Mac if it seems stuck
Safe to quit? With care.
macOS relaunches it; downloads pause and usually resume later.
Typical usage
Rough ranges on Apple Silicon Macs. Yours will vary.
- CPU
- Near 0% when idle
- Memory
- 10–80 MB
Related processes
Part of the Taskglass Process Library