--- title: "suggestd: what it is, what Apple documents, and whether to block it · Kilobat" url: "https://kilobat.app/processes/suggestd" description: "suggestd processes content from Mail, Messages and other apps to find contacts and events on a Mac. What Apple documents about its network use, and what to block." --- Apple services # What is suggestd? `suggestd` processes content from Spotlight, Mail, Messages and other apps to find contacts, events and names. It powers Found in Apps and suggestions in the keyboard and Siri. Process: `suggestd` · Made by Apple · Applies to: macOS 14 Sonoma and later. Checked on macOS 27.2. · Checked: 1 November 2026 ## Short answer Part of macOS. It reads content from Mail, Messages and other apps on the Mac to suggest contacts and events. Apple doesn't document much network use. Block with care Apple doesn't document what its connections are for. Blocking them may affect suggestions; the settings below turn the features off instead. Path `/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/CoreSuggestions.framework/Versions/A/Support/suggestd` launchd label `com.apple.suggestd` Signing identifier `com.apple.suggestd` ## What it is The man page calls `suggestd` the daemon “that processes user content in order to detect contacts, events, named entities, etc.” The man page says that it receives content from Spotlight, Mail, Messages and other apps. It powers Found in Apps, Proactive QuickType and Keyboard, Siri and News personalization. It is in the CoreSuggestions framework, started for each user as `com.apple.suggestd`. Its launchd property list schedules background tasks, including weekly statistics. ## Why it uses the network - **Mostly on-device work.** The man page describes processing of content on the Mac. It doesn't say that the content is sent anywhere. - **Scheduled tasks.** Its launchd property list names background tasks, such as `com.apple.suggestions.collectweeklystats` and a metric upload. Apple doesn't document what they send. ## How much is normal The man page describes its work as processing content, so CPU use is more likely than network traffic. Little or no network traffic is usual. Measure it with the steps below before you block it. If you share analytics with Apple, statistics can be part of what macOS sends. Apple doesn't say which. ## When it uses a lot, and why - **Not documented as heavy.** Apple documents no large transfers for `suggestd`. If you see them, note the remote addresses with `lsof`. ## Is it safe to block? Block with care Apple doesn't document what its connections are for. Blocking them may affect suggestions; the settings below turn the features off instead. What breaks if you block it - Not documented. Suggestions in Mail, Messages, the keyboard and Siri may get worse or stop. - Found in Apps contacts and events may not appear. 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 1. Choose Apple menu › System Settings › Siri. Find the suggestion settings for each app. 2. Turn off suggestions for the apps that you don't want analysed. The names of the options differ between macOS versions. 3. Choose Apple menu › System Settings › Privacy & Security › Analytics & Improvements. Turn off Share Mac Analytics if you don't want to share analytics. 4. Don't quit `suggestd` in Activity Monitor. macOS starts it again. ## See how much it uses 1. Open Activity Monitor from Applications › Utilities. Click Network, then search for `suggestd`. 2. In Terminal, list its open network connections, if any. ``` sudo lsof -nP -i -a -c suggestd ``` Needs an administrator password. ## With Kilobat 1. In the Kilobat app list, search for `suggestd`. Its row shows the live rate and what it moved today. 2. In Connections, click the ⓘ button on one of its rows. The popover shows this page’s short answer, without going online. 3. In Terminal, ask the same question. Add `--json` for scripts and agents. ``` kilobat explain 'suggestd' ``` 4. Show its traffic over one day. ``` kilobat bandwidth 'suggestd' day ``` 5. 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](https://kilobat.app/docs/blocking#filtering), [Protection](https://kilobat.app/docs/blocking#protection) and the [hotspot data saver](https://kilobat.app/save-hotspot-data). ## What isn’t documented The man page describes what `suggestd` processes, not what it sends. Its launchd file names upload tasks, but Apple doesn't document them. ## Sources - suggestd(8), man page installed with macOS 27.2 - launchd property list com.apple.suggestd, macOS 27.2 - [Apple Support: Siri settings on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/siri-settings-on-mac-mchl3fd7fc15/mac) - [Apple Support: Share analytics information from your Mac with Apple](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/share-analytics-information-mac-mh27990/mac) Checked on 1 November 2026. ## Related - [parsecd](https://kilobat.app/processes/parsecd): Part of macOS. It handles Siri, Spotlight and Safari suggestions and Look Up, so it connects to Apple while you search or type. - [assistantd](https://kilobat.app/processes/assistantd): Part of macOS. It is the Siri daemon, so Siri requests and dictation that need Apple's servers can show under it. - [analyticsd](https://kilobat.app/processes/analyticsd): Part of macOS. It collects diagnostics and usage data on the Mac for users who opted in to sharing analytics.