Diagnostics, analytics and ads

What is analyticsd?

analyticsd collects diagnostics and usage data locally for users who opted in. Turning off Share Mac Analytics stops your Mac from sending it.

Process: analyticsdMade by AppleApplies to: macOS 14 Sonoma and later. Checked on macOS 27.2.Checked: 1 November 2026

Short answer

Part of macOS. It collects diagnostics and usage data on the Mac for users who opted in to sharing analytics.

Safe to block

Safe to block. Apple just stops getting your analytics. Turning off Share Mac Analytics does the same thing cleanly.

Path: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/CoreAnalytics.framework/Support/analyticsd
launchd label: com.apple.analyticsd
Signing identifier: com.apple.analyticsd

What it is

The man page says that analyticsd “is a system daemon that collects diagnostics and usage data locally for users that have opted in”. It has no options, and users should not run it manually.

It is in the CoreAnalytics framework. Its launchd property list runs it as the _analyticsd user.

The man page describes collection on the Mac. Apple's analytics article says what is shared, and that you choose whether to share.

Why it uses the network

Collecting, then sharing. The man page says that it collects data locally. Sharing with Apple happens only if you opted in to Share Mac Analytics.
Not documented in detail. The man page doesn't say whether analyticsd itself uploads, or hands data to another process such as SubmitDiagInfo.

How much is normal

Little network traffic is usual. Most of its work is local.

If you didn't opt in, it shouldn't send analytics to Apple.

Analytics shared with Apple are small next to updates and sync.

Apple says that personal data is either not logged, protected with techniques such as differential privacy, or removed before reports are sent.

When it uses a lot, and why

Not documented as heavy. Apple documents no large transfers for analyticsd. If you see them, check the remote addresses with lsof.

Is it safe to block?

Safe to block

Safe to block. Apple just stops getting your analytics. Turning off Share Mac Analytics does the same thing cleanly.

What breaks if you block it

Apple stops getting your diagnostic and usage data.
Nothing that you use on the Mac depends on sending analytics.

Blocking means a firewall rule that refuses its connections. Don’t quit or disable a macOS process to save data: macOS starts it again, and other features depend on it.

Reduce its use

Choose Apple menu › System Settings › Privacy & Security. Click Analytics & Improvements.
Turn off Share Mac Analytics.
Turn off Share with app developers and the other options there too, if you want.
Don't quit analyticsd in Activity Monitor. macOS starts it again.

See how much it uses

Open Activity Monitor from Applications › Utilities. Click Network, then search for analyticsd.
In Terminal, list its open network connections, if any.
```
sudo lsof -nP -i -a -c analyticsd
```
Needs an administrator password.

With Kilobat

In the Kilobat app list, search for analyticsd. Its row shows the live rate and what it moved today.
In Connections, click the ⓘ button on one of its rows. The popover shows this page’s short answer, without going online.
In Terminal, ask the same question. Add --json for scripts and agents.
```
kilobat explain 'analyticsd'
```
Show its traffic over one day.
```
kilobat bandwidth 'analyticsd' day
```
Through MCP, an AI agent asks explain_connection with the process name. It gets the same facts.

The live view and the explanations are free. History in the app needs Kilobat Pro. Blocking needs Pro and the network filter: see the network filter, Protection and the hotspot data saver.

What isn’t documented

Apple doesn't document which process uploads analytics, or how often. This page describes the man page and the analytics setting.

Questions

Does analyticsd send my files to Apple?

The man page says that it collects diagnostics and usage data. Apple's analytics article describes what is shared when you opt in.

What does analytics data contain?

Apple says that it contains your Mac's hardware and software specifications, connected devices and the versions of macOS and apps.

Sources

analyticsd(8), man page installed with macOS 27.2
launchd property list com.apple.analyticsd, macOS 27.2
Apple Support: Share analytics information from your Mac with Apple

Checked on 1 November 2026.