What Is Apple Software Update Daemon? Is It Safe to Disable at Startup?

What Is softwareupdated?

softwareupdated is a built-in macOS background process from Apple. It handles parts of the system update process, including checking for available macOS and Apple software updates, downloading update data, and coordinating installation tasks.

On modern macOS versions, it is part of the normal update system. You may notice it running when your Mac is checking for updates automatically, after a macOS upgrade, or when App Store and system update components are refreshing in the background.

This is not usually a user-installed startup app. It is part of macOS itself.

Is It Safe?

Yes — if it is the real Apple process, softwareupdated is safe. It is a normal system component and should be signed by Apple.

If you want to verify it, check the process in Activity Monitor, then inspect the file path and code signature in Finder or Terminal. The exact path can vary by macOS version, so the safest check is whether macOS identifies it as Apple-signed software rather than relying on a guessed location.

Like other system process names, it is possible for malware to use a similar name. If you see softwareupdated running from an unusual user folder, Downloads, or another non-system location, investigate it.

Should I Disable It at Startup?

No. Keep it enabled.

softwareupdated is part of macOS update delivery. Disabling it can stop your Mac from checking for important security patches and system updates automatically. That can leave the system outdated or cause update-related errors later.

In most cases, there is no normal startup item for you to disable anyway. If Kudu shows something using this name as a user Launch Agent or another login item, treat that with caution and verify that it is genuinely from Apple.

Why Is It Using High CPU or Memory?

Short bursts of CPU, disk, memory, or network use are normal while macOS is:

• checking for updates
• downloading update packages
• verifying update files
• preparing or finalizing an installation

Higher usage can also happen after a major macOS update, when the system is catching up on background maintenance.

If usage stays high for a long time, first check whether macOS is currently downloading or preparing an update in System Settings. Restarting the Mac can clear a stuck update check, but do not force-quit it repeatedly during an active update unless the system is clearly hung.

If the process name is correct but the file is not Apple-signed, or it runs from a strange location, investigate for impersonation.

How to Disable or Remove It

You generally should not remove or disable softwareupdated. It is part of macOS.

If you want fewer background update checks, use macOS update settings rather than trying to delete system components. In System Settings, look for Software Update options and review whether automatic checks, downloads, or installs are enabled. The exact setting names can vary by macOS version.

Do not try to delete system files related to softwareupdated. That can break software updates and may be reversed only by reinstalling macOS.

Where Kudu Helps

Kudu can help you confirm whether softwareupdated is behaving normally:

• Performance Monitor shows its live CPU, memory, disk, and network activity.
• Startup Manager can show whether a suspicious item with the same name was added as a Launch Agent or login item.
• Malware Scanner can help check for persistence tricks or lookalike processes pretending to be Apple components.

If Kudu finds a startup entry named softwareupdated outside normal macOS system locations, investigate it instead of disabling real Apple update services blindly.

Download Kudu Free →