What is XProtect (XprotectService) on Mac?
By Junaid, maker of Taskglass · Last reviewed
macOS's built-in anti-malware: scans apps for known malware and removes infections.
XProtect is the antivirus technology built into macOS. It checks apps for known malware when they're first opened or changed, and its companion XProtect Remediator scans in the background periodically and removes known threats. Apple updates its malware definitions automatically. Seeing these processes is a good sign: it means your Mac's built-in protection is working.
- Category
- Security
- Made by
- Apple
- Safe to quit:
- With care
Shown in Activity Monitor as XprotectService, xprotectd, XProtectBridgeService, XProtect
Why is XProtect (XprotectService) using so much CPU or memory?
- Opening newly downloaded or updated apps, which get scanned
- A periodic background malware scan
- Just after XProtect's definitions were updated
- Large apps or archives with many files to check
What to do
- 1Let the scan finish; it usually takes seconds to a few minutes
- 2Keep 'Install Security Responses and system files' on in System Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates
- 3Restart your Mac if it stays busy for a long time
- 4Don't try to disable it; it protects you from malware
Safe to quit? With care.
macOS relaunches these when needed; quitting just interrupts a scan.
Related processes
Part of the Taskglass Process Library