macOS processes

What is configd on Mac?

Q: Is configd part of macOS?

Yes. It is /usr/libexec/configd, with a man page.

configd keeps the network configuration of the Mac. It gets IP addresses with DHCP, so it sends small amounts of traffic to the router.

Process: configdApplies to: All current macOS versions. Seen on macOS 27.2.Checked: 29 October 2026

Where you see it

configd is in the list in Activity Monitor › Network, in nettop or in Kilobat.
A firewall or network monitor asks if configd can connect.
Small traffic appears when the Mac joins a network or wakes from sleep.

What it is

The man page says that configd “is responsible for many configuration aspects of the local system”. Most of its agents set up the network.

The man page says that its IPConfiguration agent sets up IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. They are manual, or they come from DHCP, DHCPv6 or router advertisements.

Why it uses the network

DHCP. It asks the router for an address, and it renews the lease.
Network changes. When a link goes up or down, its agents update the configuration.

Is it normal?

Yes. DHCP traffic is small. A large amount of data under configd is not usual. Then examine what else runs.

See how much it uses

Open Activity Monitor from Applications > Utilities. Click Network.
Type configd in the search field. The Sent Bytes and Rcvd Bytes columns show what it moved.
In Terminal, watch only this process. Press d to show the change per second, and q to quit.
```
nettop -p configd -P
```
Show the DHCP answer that the Mac accepted. Use the device name of the service, for example en0.
```
ipconfig getpacket en0
```

Reduce or pause it safely

There is nothing to reduce. Its traffic is the minimum that a network connection needs.
If the Mac renews its address too often, examine the network. See Renew the DHCP lease on a Mac.
Do not quit configd in Activity Monitor. It is part of macOS, and other features depend on it. It keeps the network configuration.

With Kilobat

Open the Kilobat app list and search for configd. Its row shows the live rate and the bytes it moved.
In Terminal, see the same live list. Press / and type the name to search.
```
kilobat status --watch
```
Show its traffic over one day. Names match kilobat report --summary.
```
kilobat bandwidth configd day
```
Through MCP, an AI agent gets the same history with get_app_bandwidth and the name configd.
The live view is free. History in the app needs Pro. Kilobat records history only while the app runs.

Questions

Is configd part of macOS?

Yes. It is /usr/libexec/configd, with a man page.

Sources

configd(8) and ipconfig(8), man page installed with macOS 27.2
Apple Support: Renew your IP address from the DHCP server on Mac
nettop(1), man page installed with macOS 27.2

Sources checked on 29 October 2026. Man pages are the ones installed with macOS; open one with man <name> in Terminal.