macOS processes

What is locationd on Mac?

locationd runs Location Services. It finds where the Mac is for apps that you allowed.

Process: locationdApplies to: macOS 13 Ventura and later for the System Settings path. Seen on macOS 27.2.Checked: 29 October 2026

Where you see it

  • locationd is in the list in Activity Monitor › Network, in nettop or in Kilobat.
  • A firewall or network monitor asks if locationd can connect.
  • Traffic appears when an app such as Maps or Weather asks for your location.

What it is

The man page says that locationd “obtains geographic location and manages the authorization” for apps, daemons and widgets.

Apple's guide says that turning off Location Services stops apps and websites from using your location through it.

Why it uses the network

  • Location requests. A Mac has no GPS. Apple does not document how locationd finds the location, so this page does not describe it.

Is it normal?

Yes, when apps with permission ask for your location. The amount is small.

See how much it uses

  1. Open Activity Monitor from Applications > Utilities. Click Network.

  2. Type locationd in the search field. The Sent Bytes and Rcvd Bytes columns show what it moved.

  3. In Terminal, watch only this process. Press d to show the change per second, and q to quit.

    nettop -p locationd -P

Reduce or pause it safely

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.

  2. Turn off the apps that do not need your location. Or turn Location Services off.

  3. Find My Mac needs Location Services. Keep it on if you use Find My.

  4. Do not quit locationd in Activity Monitor. It is part of macOS, and other features depend on it.

With Kilobat

  1. Open the Kilobat app list and search for locationd. Its row shows the live rate and the bytes it moved.

  2. In Terminal, see the same live list. Press / and type the name to search.

    kilobat status --watch

  3. Show its traffic over one day. Names match kilobat report --summary.

    kilobat bandwidth locationd day

  4. Through MCP, an AI agent gets the same history with get_app_bandwidth and the name locationd.

  5. The live view is free. History in the app needs Pro. Kilobat records history only while the app runs.

Questions

Does Apple get my location?

Apple's guide says that the Mac does not send its precise location to Apple when Location Services is off.

Sources

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