What is identityservicesd on a Mac, and why is it using CPU?
identityservicesd keeps iMessage and FaceTime registered and finds your contacts' devices. It used 7 MB on our Mac. Why it spikes, and what not to delete.
What is identityservicesd?
It is the daemon for Apple's identity service, IDS. iMessage, FaceTime and some Continuity features use it to register your devices and to look up whether a phone number or email can receive iMessage, along with the encryption keys for each device. It lives in /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/IDS.framework and runs as you. On our Mac it used 7 MB and no CPU, and had exchanged a couple of kilobytes in one network sample.
Why is identityservicesd using CPU?
- Registering after you sign in to iMessage or FaceTime.
- Looking up many contacts at once, for example when Messages loads a long history.
- Retrying after network problems.
It settles once registration finishes. If Messages keeps failing to send, signing out of iMessage and back in, in Messages, Settings, resets it properly. Its records are kept in the IdentityServices folder, which is best left alone.
See it live
Free Mac's System tab ranks every process by processor use and energy impact, once a second, and marks the ones macOS will not let you quit as protected. See also apsd.
Related: routined and mobileassetd.
Common questions
What is identityservicesd on a Mac?
The macOS daemon that registers iMessage and FaceTime and looks up which contacts can receive them.
Why is identityservicesd using high CPU?
Registration after signing in, or many contact lookups at once. It settles when done.
How do I reset identityservicesd?
Sign out of iMessage and back in from Messages, Settings, rather than deleting its files.