hidd high CPU usage on Mac

Most Mac users never think about the machinery humming away under the hood until something slows the whole system down to a crawl. One of the usual suspects in these situations is Activity Monitor reporting that some obscure background item is monopolizing the processor for no obvious reason. Over the years, a whole roster of such entities has popped up in user reports, many of them harmless in principle yet capable of making a modern machine feel like it's running through syrup when they spin out of control.

This time around, the process in the spotlight is hidd. When everything is fine, it barely registers on the CPU chart and quietly does its job in the background. When things go sideways, though, you may see hidd hovering near the top of the list with double-digit or even three-digit CPU usage, fans ramping up, battery life tanking, and the pointer feeling laggy or jittery. In some scenarios, hidd also shows up as "preventing sleep", which is another nuisance on its own.

That being said, let's look at what hidd does, why it may misbehave, and which steps are worth trying in a sensible order.

What is hidd on Mac?

It makes sense to start with the basics. The cryptic name hidd stands for Human Interface Device Daemon. Functionally, this is a background service that interprets everything you do with your mouse, trackpad, keyboard, and similar peripherals, then hands these signals off to the rest of macOS.

In practice, hidd is the piece that turns key presses, mouse movements, clicks, taps, and gestures into meaningful actions on the screen. It also mediates input from third-party hardware such as drawing tablets, game controllers, and external pointing devices. Without it, the desktop would look perfectly normal but refuse to respond to you. That's why simply removing or blocking this process is not an option – the operating system will restart it anyway, and if it somehow failed to do so, your Mac would be effectively unusable.

Under the hood, hidd is a standard macOS binary stored in /usr/libexec/ and launched by launchd with a dedicated low-privilege user. You'll see it listed in Activity Monitor under exactly that name. On a healthy system it usually consumes negligible CPU, occasionally spiking for a moment when you're actively moving the mouse or hammering the keyboard. Persistent high usage is a sign that something around the input stack is stuck in a loop, not that the daemon itself suddenly turned malicious.

Why hidd can overuse CPU

When hidd is at the top of the CPU chart for more than a brief moment, there is almost always an underlying trigger. Broadly speaking, it's either hardware, software, or configuration getting in the way.

Faulty or "noisy" input devices

The most common factor is a misbehaving peripheral that bombards the system with events. A stuck key on an external keyboard, a failing Bluetooth mouse, or a flaky USB dongle can all cause hidd to burn extra cycles while trying to keep up with the chatter. In sleep-related cases, a twitchy mouse or keyboard can repeatedly wake the machine or prevent it from dozing off in the first place because hidd keeps detecting "activity".

Wireless devices are especially prone to this if they're low on battery, out of range, or affected by interference. From hidd's point of view, it simply sees a storm of partial or repeated signals and works overtime to process them.

Software and driver quirks

Another big slice of the pie is software that hooks deeply into input handling. That includes:

• Custom keyboard mapping tools
• Third-party mouse or trackpad enhancers
• Game controller drivers
• Accessibility utilities that remap shortcuts or gestures

If one of these extensions goes off the rails after an update or due to a bug, it can generate a feedback loop of events that keeps hidd busy. In some macOS builds, there have also been transient bugs where input-related daemons in general (including hidd) used more CPU than they should, typically fixed in subsequent updates.

System settings and accessibility features

Features such as Mouse Keys, certain Pointer Control options, or aggressive gesture recognition can amplify underlying noise. Under specific conditions, this can manifest as hidd polling hardware more frequently than usual or misinterpreting sensor data, especially on older hardware or when multiple input methods are active at once.

In rare but plausible scenarios, background tasks that keep waking the machine for reminders, notifications, or power events may keep the input stack awake as a side effect. From the user perspective, it just looks like hidd won't calm down even when you aren't touching anything.

Edge cases and malware side effects

While hidd itself is not a virus, an overly "chatty" system modified by adware, browser hijackers, or poorly written background agents can add more fuel to the fire. For example, a piece of software that constantly flashes on-screen overlays, fake alerts, or full-screen windows may cause extra input events or keep the UI stack redrawing, nudging hidd to do more work behind the scenes.

This isn't the most common cause of high hidd CPU usage, but if you're also seeing strange pop-ups, redirects, or uninvited apps on top of the performance hit, it's worth factoring into the diagnosis.

How to fix hidd high CPU usage on Mac

This section walks you through practical ways to tame hidd without crippling input on your system. The idea is to start with the least intrusive checks and only then move to more advanced troubleshooting.

Step 1. Confirm that hidd is actually the culprit

Before changing anything, it's worth verifying that hidd is indeed the process monopolizing CPU and not just one of many items spiking in tandem.

• Open Activity Monitor from Applications → Utilities.
• Click the CPU tab.
• Click the % CPU column header so that the highest values appear at the top.
• Look for a process named hidd and note its CPU percentage over 20–30 seconds.

If hidd briefly jumps up when you move the mouse or type and then drops back below a few percent, that's normal behavior. If it sits near the top of the list with a steady high value even when you leave the Mac idle, you're dealing with an actual issue.

Step 2. Restart macOS and see if the spike is transient

It sounds simplistic, but a full reboot is still the quickest way to clear stuck processes and driver glitches. hidd is no exception.

• Save your work and close open apps.
• Click the Apple menu () and choose Restart….
• After the Mac comes back up, give it a minute or two to settle and then revisit Activity Monitor → CPU.

If hidd falls back to its usual minimal usage and stays that way, the spike was a temporary hiccup. If the problem returns quickly, move on to the next steps.

Step 3. Check and isolate input devices

Because hidd lives and dies by your input hardware, the next step is to rule out peripherals as the source of trouble.

• Disconnect external USB devices one by one – mice, keyboards, drawing tablets, dongles, and gamepads.
• After each removal, watch hidd in Activity Monitor for a minute to see whether CPU usage drops.
• If you use a Bluetooth mouse or keyboard, turn Bluetooth off temporarily from the menu bar or System Settings → Bluetooth.
• Test with the built-in keyboard and trackpad (on a MacBook) or, conversely, with a known-good wired mouse and keyboard.

If hidd calms down as soon as you unplug a particular device, you've probably found the culprit. Replacing that peripheral, updating its firmware (if available), or using it with different settings may be the long-term fix.

Step 4. Restart the hidd process via Activity Monitor

If the hardware appears fine but hidd keeps hogging the CPU, you can force the daemon to restart cleanly. macOS will relaunch it automatically, and input may temporarily freeze for a few seconds while it resets.

• Open Activity Monitor and stay on the CPU tab.
• Locate hidd in the list and select it.
• Click the "X" button in the toolbar.
• Choose Quit (or Force Quit if the regular quit fails).
• Wait a few seconds for mouse and keyboard control to return, then check whether CPU usage drops.

This maneuver is roughly equivalent to restarting the Mac but focuses just on the input daemon. If the spike recurs quickly, keep going – there's likely a deeper cause.

Step 5. Review input-related and accessibility settings

Misconfigured accessibility or pointer features can sometimes create conditions where hidd is overly active. It's worth a quick detour through the settings that directly affect how input is processed.

• Go to System Settings → Accessibility.
• Under Keyboard, temporarily disable options such as Sticky Keys, Slow Keys, or Full Keyboard Access if they're not essential to your workflow.
• Under Pointer Control, turn off any unusual mouse or trackpad options you've recently enabled.
• Apply changes and monitor hidd again.

If CPU usage improves, you can re-enable features one by one to find the exact combination that triggers the issue.

Step 6. Remove or disable input-tweaking utilities

Third-party tools that go beyond basic driver duties and deeply customize mouse or keyboard behavior are a frequent source of oddities.

• Make a short list of any apps you use for:
  • Custom keyboard shortcuts or key remapping
  • Advanced mouse acceleration or gesture tweaks
  • Game controller mapping
• Temporarily quit those utilities and, if possible, disable any login items they install so they don't auto-start.
• Log out of your account and log back in, or perform a quick restart.
• Check hidd in Activity Monitor again.

If one of these apps turns out to be the trigger, see whether the developer offers a newer build, adjust its settings, or consider replacing it with a less intrusive alternative.

Step 7. Boot into Safe Mode to narrow down causes

Safe Mode is a good way to tell whether the issue is rooted in third-party software or something deeper in macOS. In this state, the system runs with a minimal set of drivers and disables most login items.

• On Apple silicon Macs:

  1. Shut down the Mac completely.
  2. Press and hold the power button until you see "Loading startup options."
  3. Select your startup disk, press and hold Shift, then click Continue in Safe Mode.

• On Intel-based Macs:

  1. Restart the Mac and immediately hold down the Shift key.
  2. Release it when you see the login window with "Safe Boot" in red.

Once in Safe Mode, let the system sit for a bit and then open Activity Monitor. If hidd no longer misbehaves there but acts up again in a normal boot, that's a strong hint that third-party extensions, drivers, or login items are involved. You can then remove or reconfigure them selectively.

Step 8. Reset NVRAM/PRAM and SMC (for Intel Macs)

On Intel machines, some deeply cached settings and power-management parameters can contribute to odd input or sleep behavior. Resetting NVRAM/PRAM and the SMC is a time-tested way to rule this out.

• Reset NVRAM/PRAM (Intel):

  1. Shut down your Mac.
  2. Turn it on and immediately hold Option + Command + P + R.
  3. Keep holding the keys for about 20 seconds, then release and let the Mac boot normally.

• Reset SMC (Intel laptops with T2 chip):

  1. Shut down the Mac.
  2. Hold Control + Option (Alt) + Shift on the left side of the keyboard for 7 seconds.
  3. While holding these, also press and hold the power button for another 7 seconds.
  4. Release all keys, wait a few seconds, then turn the Mac back on.

On Apple silicon Macs, these resets are effectively folded into a regular shutdown and power-on cycle, so you don't have separate keyboard combos to perform.

Step 9. Create a fresh user account for comparison

Sometimes the problem lives in user-specific settings, preferences, or launch agents. Testing hidd under a brand-new account is a quick way to confirm or rule this out.

• Open System Settings → Users & Groups.
• Click the "+" button to create a new Standard user.
• Log out from your current account and log in to the new one.
• Use the Mac normally for a while, then check hidd in Activity Monitor.

If the high CPU issue doesn't reproduce there, it points to something in your original profile: custom preferences, per-user launch agents, or installed utilities. At that point, focusing on what's unique to your main account will usually reveal the culprit sooner or later.

Step 10. Consider malware and OS repair as last resorts

If, on top of the hidd spike, you're seeing obvious signs of unwanted software – browser redirects, fake alerts, unknown apps – it's reasonable to suspect that adware or a PUA might be adding load indirectly. In that situation, running a full system scan with a reputable security solution you trust is a sensible precaution.

If everything else fails and the Mac still struggles with hidd across reboots, Safe Mode, and a clean user, you're dealing with a rare edge case. At that stage, backing up your data (via Time Machine or another method) and reinstalling macOS over the top of the existing system can clear deeper inconsistencies without wiping your files. Reserve a full erase-and-install for the very last step if nothing else moves the needle.

How to prevent hidd issues going forward

Once you've wrestled hidd back into its usual low-profile state, a few simple habits can reduce the chances of it going haywire again. This isn't a magic shield, but it tilts the odds in your favor.

• Keep macOS reasonably up to date: Input handling, Bluetooth stacks, and USB drivers do get bug fixes. Installing current system updates tends to iron out the more blatant resource-usage quirks over time.
• Be picky about peripherals: Cheap, no-name USB dongles and off-brand wireless devices are more likely to misbehave. If you notice that hidd spikes only when a particular gadget is plugged in, treat that as a red flag rather than a coincidence.
• Avoid stacking too many input-tweaking tools: Running several keyboard or mouse optimization utilities side by side may lead to overlapping hooks and unpredictable interactions. Stick with one well-maintained app if you really need extra behavior.
• Watch for early warning signs: Occasional micro-stutters, a cursor that feels "sticky", or a Mac suddenly refusing to sleep can all be early hints that the input stack is under unusual strain. Checking Activity Monitor at that point is far easier than troubleshooting once the system is already bogged down.
• Practice general security hygiene: Being careful with what you install – especially bundled software and shady browser add-ons – reduces the risk of background components that indirectly keep processes like hidd busier than they should be.

FAQ

Is hidd a virus or some kind of spyware?

Can I safely quit the hidd process in Activity Monitor?

Why does hidd show up as "preventing sleep"?

Does high hidd CPU mean my Mac has been hacked?