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What is apsd on Mac?

Bondi's Mac guide · Reviewed by Noaman Khalil ·

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On this page
  1. Key points
  2. What apsd does
  3. Why is apsd using CPU?
  4. apsd and keychain password prompts
  5. Can I quit apsd?
  6. How to check it
  7. Questions

apsd is Apple Push Notifications: it keeps one connection to Apple open and receives notifications from the internet for your apps, from messages to iCloud updates. It's part of macOS and safe.

Key points

  • apsd receives push notifications for your apps and Apple's services.
  • It's rarely busy.
  • Leave it running: notifications and iCloud updates depend on it.

What apsd does

Rather than every app checking its server again and again, apsd keeps a single connection to Apple's push service. When something new arrives, a message, a calendar change or an iCloud update, apsd passes it to the right app. cloudd relies on it to know when to sync.

Why is apsd using CPU?

It's rarely busy. A brief spike happens when many notifications arrive at once, for example when the Mac wakes up or reconnects to a network.

In one reading of a MacBook Pro (M1 Max, 64 GB) on October 10, 2026, apsd was running, but as a system process it can be measured only with administrator permission, which that reading didn't have.

apsd and keychain password prompts

If a window says apsd wants to use the "login" keychain, it's genuine: apsd stores its security keys there. Type your Mac's login password. If it keeps asking, the login keychain's password may no longer match your Mac's password, which can happen after a password change; Apple's support pages explain how to reset the login keychain.

Can I quit apsd?

Leave it running: macOS needs it.

How to check it

  1. Open Activity Monitor: press Command-Space, type "Activity Monitor" and press Return.
  2. Type apsd in the search field at the top right.
  3. Look at % CPU and Memory.

Questions

Is apsd a virus?

No. apsd is part of macOS: it's Apple's push notification service.

Why does apsd want to use my login keychain?

It keeps its security keys there. Type your Mac's login password; if it keeps asking, the keychain's password may be out of step with your Mac's.

What does apsd do on a Mac?

It receives push notifications from the internet for your apps and Apple's services, over one connection to Apple.

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