softwareupdated high CPU on Mac? Here's why
softwareupdated using high CPU on your Mac is the Software Update daemon checking, downloading, or installing updates. Here's why it sometimes gets stuck, and how to fix it safely.
softwareupdated is the Software Update daemon. High CPU normally just means it's checking, downloading, or installing an update, and it quiets down when that finishes. When it stays high, it's usually stuck on a bad download, and the fix is simple.
What softwareupdated does
It runs software updates in the background (macOS system updates and update content) through the Software Update framework you see at System Settings → General → Software Update. One thing to keep straight: softwareupdated (with the trailing "d") is the daemon; softwareupdate (no "d") is the command-line tool. They're different things.
Why it's using high CPU
- Normal, brief bursts while it checks for, downloads, or installs an update, then it settles.
- Sustained high CPU usually means it's busy with a large update, or stuck retrying on a stale or partially-downloaded, corrupted update payload.
- VPN software has been reported to trigger repeated update-check activity.
Is softwareupdated a virus?
No. It's a legitimate Apple component. High CPU means it's busy or stuck, not infected.
What to do about it
- Often, wait it out. If a download or install is running, let it finish.
- If it seems stuck, reboot. macOS relaunches the daemon as needed, which clears a wedged state.
- Run the update manually at System Settings → General → Software Update, so it completes rather than looping in the background.
- Temporarily disable a VPN if the activity correlates with it.
- Don't permanently disable it. Force-quitting in Activity Monitor is only a stopgap (the system relaunches it), and disabling updates leaves your Mac unpatched.
What people get wrong
Force-quitting softwareupdated isn't a fix; it comes right back. And don't confuse it with related update processes like mobileassetd or installd, which can spike for similar reasons during an update.
See whether it's working or wedged
An update quietly running in the background is a common reason a Mac feels busy for a while. Plumby shows live CPU in your menu bar with the process named plainly, so you can tell "an update's installing, let it finish" from "this is stuck", measured from your Mac's real state, never estimated.
