macOS processes › Apple account and messaging
What is accountsd on Mac?
accountsd manages the accounts you've added to your Mac, such as iCloud, Google, Microsoft Exchange and other internet accounts, and gives apps like Mail, Calendar and Contacts access to them.
What it does
It stores account details and credentials, hands them to the apps that need them, and tells apps when accounts are added or changed. You see the same accounts in System Settings › Internet Accounts.
Why it gets busy
- An account that keeps failing to sign in, so apps retry.
- Adding or removing accounts, which notifies every app that uses them.
- Many accounts with several apps syncing each one.
Why is accountsd using so much CPU?
accountsd spikes when an internet account keeps failing or many apps sync through it. Fix or remove the account showing a warning in Internet Accounts.
Is it safe to quit?
macOS restarts it immediately. Apps using your accounts may pause briefly.
How to calm it down
- Open System Settings › Internet Accounts and look for an account with a warning. Sign in again or remove it.
- For each account, turn off apps you don't use, such as Notes or Calendar for a work account.
- Remove old accounts you no longer need.
In SystemWatch
SystemWatch's History shows when accountsd got busy, which often matches when an account's password changed somewhere else.
