How do I fix high sharingd usage?

1. Set AirDrop to Contacts Only or off in Control Center when not using it 2. Turn off Handoff in System Settings > General > AirDrop & Handoff if you don't use it 3. Restart your Mac

What is sharingd on Mac?

Q: Is it safe to quit sharingd?

Quit with care. macOS relaunches it; an AirDrop transfer in progress will fail.

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

Powers AirDrop, Handoff, Instant Hotspot and other sharing features.

sharingd enables AirDrop file sharing, Handoff between your devices, Instant Hotspot, connecting to shared computers and Remote Disc. It keeps an eye out for nearby Apple devices, so some background activity is normal.

Category: Apple service
Made by: Apple
Safe to quit:: With care

Shown in Activity Monitor as sharingd

Why is sharingd using so much CPU or memory?

AirDrop transfers or AirDrop open to Everyone in a crowded place
Handoff and Universal Clipboard activity
Many Apple devices nearby

What to do

1Set AirDrop to Contacts Only or off in Control Center when not using it
2Turn off Handoff in System Settings > General > AirDrop & Handoff if you don't use it
3Restart your Mac

Safe to quit? With care.

macOS relaunches it; an AirDrop transfer in progress will fail.

Typical usage

Rough ranges on Apple Silicon Macs. Yours will vary.

CPU: 0–2%
Memory: 20–100 MB

Related processes

Part of the Taskglass Process Library