Fix softwareupdated High CPU Spikes on Mac

Most Mac users never give a second thought to the legion of background services that keep the system in shape. That's the way it should be: daemons and agents quietly doing their thing while you get work done. The illusion breaks the moment your fans roar, everything becomes laggy, and Activity Monitor suddenly shows softwareupdated parked at the top of the CPU column, edging towards 100% or more on a multi-core machine.

To make things even more confusing, this doesn't happen in isolation. Over the past few years I've seen plenty of complaints about other system processes like chronod, contactsd, syspolicyd, or cloudd behaving in a similar manner and slowing Macs down to a crawl. In almost every case, these aren't "viruses" but legitimate components that got stuck in some sort of loop. The same logic applies to softwareupdated: it's designed to keep macOS up to date, but when it misfires, the side effects are brutal.

In this guide, I'll zoom in on softwareupdated specifically: what it is, why it sometimes monopolizes CPU and memory, and which practical steps you can take to calm it down. If you opened this page because your Mac sounds like it's about to take off, don't panic just yet. In many scenarios, the fix comes down to finishing or clearing a problematic update, resetting some preferences, or nudging the process back into a sane state.

What is softwareupdated on Mac?

Before you try to tame it, it helps to understand what softwareupdated actually does.

At a technical level, softwareupdated is an Apple system daemon responsible for handling macOS software updates and some App Store-driven content in the background. It's tied into the Software Update framework you see under System Settings → General → Software Update and is orchestrated by launchd, the master process that manages most daemons in macOS. When your Mac is checking for new system builds, downloading them, or preparing an install, softwareupdated is heavily involved in the background.

It's worth noting that softwareupdated is Apple-signed and part of the OS, not malware or some shady third-party add-on. In that sense, it sits in the same family as cloudd (iCloud/CloudKit sync), contactsd (contacts framework), and chronod (widgets), all of which are legitimate pieces of the macOS puzzle that occasionally overstep their resource budget.

Under normal circumstances, softwareupdated works in short bursts:

• It wakes up to check for updates, perhaps once a day or after a reboot.
• It may download or resume downloading a macOS update, incremental patch, or app update.
• Once the task finishes or fails cleanly, it goes quiet again.

The problem is when those bursts don't end, or they repeat every few minutes with the same high CPU pattern.

Why softwareupdated can start hogging CPU

A brief spike of softwareupdated during a system update is perfectly normal. It's when the process keeps resurfacing or sits at the top of Activity Monitor for long stretches of time that you're dealing with an actual problem. The common triggers include:

• A macOS or app update stuck in limbo: An update may have downloaded halfway and then stalled, leaving softwareupdated in a perpetual "trying again" loop. This is especially common with larger installers (macOS upgrades, Xcode, big games) over flaky or slow connections.
• Corrupted or stale update caches: Downloaded installers and index files stored under /Library/Updates or related caches can become inconsistent. When that happens, softwareupdated keeps hammering on them, burning CPU and I/O without making progress.
• Problematic Software Update preferences or catalogs: Older Macs from institutions or previous owners sometimes inherit custom update servers or badly formed preference files. If your Mac is pointed at an invalid or unreachable software update catalog, the daemon keeps retrying and spinning its wheels.
• Network filters, VPNs, or security tools in the way: Enterprise VPNs, web filters, or aggressive firewalls can block Apple's update servers partially: enough for the initial check to succeed, but not enough for the full download. From softwareupdated's perspective, the only option is to keep trying.
• Third-party "cleaner" or tweaking utilities gone overboard: Some utilities indiscriminately wipe caches and .plist files, then claim victory. In reality, this can leave Software Update in a half-broken state, with softwareupdated trying to reconcile missing or malformed configuration.
• General system strain and other background tasks: If your Mac is already performing heavy Spotlight indexing, Time Machine backups, or large file copies, softwareupdated joins the queue and contributes to the bottleneck. The result looks like one badly behaving process, while in fact several services are colliding.

From a broader perspective, the high CPU symptom is usually a side effect rather than the root cause. The daemon is doing its job – it just isn't being allowed to finish it properly.

How to fix softwareupdated high CPU on Mac

Instead of chasing the symptom in isolation, it makes sense to walk through a set of focused steps that address the most common root causes. The sequence below keeps things practical while avoiding unnecessary complexity.

Step 1. Confirm that softwareupdated is the real culprit and check for in-progress updates

Before making changes, verify that you're not looking at a short-lived, legitimate update task.

• Open Activity Monitor from Applications → Utilities.
• Click the CPU tab and sort by % CPU.
• Make sure softwareupdated is actually near the top and stays there for minutes, not just a few seconds.

• Then go to Apple menu → System Settings → General → Software Update and see whether macOS shows a Downloading, Preparing, or Installing message for an update. If it does, and the status appears to be progressing, let it finish. If it has been stuck on the same message for hours, move on to the next steps.

Step 2. Restart your Mac to clear transient loops

A simple reboot is still one of the most effective ways to dislodge minor glitches in the update chain.

• Save your work and close open apps.
• Click the Apple menu → Restart.
• After the reboot, open Activity Monitor again and watch softwareupdated for a while. If it behaves and doesn't climb back to the top, the issue may have been transient. If it races back into high CPU territory, continue troubleshooting.

Step 3. Force-quit softwareupdated to break a stuck session

If the daemon is clearly stuck, you can terminate it so macOS can relaunch it with a clean slate.

• In Activity Monitor, select softwareupdated and click the (X) button in the toolbar.
• Choose Quit, and if that doesn't work, choose Force Quit.

• Alternatively, open Terminal and run the following command (one line): $ sudo killall softwareupdated
• Enter your admin password when prompted.

This won't fix a deeper configuration issue, but it can momentarily restore responsiveness and sometimes clears the loop by itself.

Step 4. Clear the Software Update cache in /Library/Updates

Stale or corrupted update payloads are a frequent reason why softwareupdated keeps retrying and burning CPU cycles. Clearing the cache forces macOS to re-download required components.

• In Finder, click Go → Go to Folder… in the menu bar.
• Type: /Library/Updates and press Return.
• Select everything inside the Updates folder (but not the folder itself).
• Move the selected items to the Trash (authenticate if prompted).
• Restart your Mac.
• After the reboot, revisit System Settings → General → Software Update and let macOS perform a fresh check and download.

Step 5. Reset Software Update preference files (.plist)

Corrupted or legacy .plist files can confuse the update mechanism and keep softwareupdated in an unending retry state. Resetting them lets the system recreate clean preferences.

• In Finder, click Go → Go to Folder….
• Enter: ~/Library/Preferences (mind the tilde symbol) and press Return.
• Look for these files (they may or may not be present):
  • com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.plist
  • com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist
• Drag any that you find to your Desktop as a backup.
• Restart your Mac.
• Open System Settings → General → Software Update so macOS can rebuild the relevant preferences and perform a new check.

Step 6. Use Terminal to let pending updates finish cleanly

Sometimes the graphical Software Update interface gets stuck while the underlying tools can still complete the job. Running updates from Terminal can push things over the line.

• Open Terminal from Applications → Utilities.
• To list pending updates, run: $ softwareupdate -l

• To install all available updates, run: $ sudo softwareupdate -i -a

• Wait for the process to complete; large updates can take a while, and there may be long pauses. Avoid interrupting it.
• When finished, restart your Mac and check Activity Monitor to see whether softwareupdated settles down.

Step 7. Reset the update catalog and check for old management profiles

If your Mac was previously managed by a company or school, it may still point to a custom update server, or be governed by profiles that affect Software Update. Resetting the catalog and reviewing profiles can remove these leftovers.

• Open Terminal and run: $ sudo softwareupdate --clear-catalog
• Restart your Mac.

• Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Profiles (or Profiles in older System Preferences) and review any listed profiles.
• If you see a profile referring to software updates, MDM, or a previous organization, and you are now the sole owner of the Mac, you can consider removing it. On a work-issued Mac, talk to your IT department instead of deleting profiles yourself.

Step 8. Test in Safe Mode and consider a macOS reinstall as a last resort

When nothing else helps, Safe Mode can show whether third-party components are contributing to the problem, and a reinstall over the top can refresh the system update infrastructure without erasing your data.

• Start your Mac in Safe Mode (Shift-boot on Intel Macs, or hold the power button on Apple silicon until you see startup options, then choose your disk while holding Shift).
• Log in and watch Activity Monitor. If softwareupdated behaves normally in Safe Mode but not in a regular boot, third-party extensions, filters, or tweaks are likely involved.
• If the daemon still misbehaves even in Safe Mode, back up important data and consider reinstalling macOS via Recovery. This keeps your files and apps intact while replacing system components, including the update machinery.

When high softwareupdated CPU is actually normal

Not every spike is a sign that something's broken. There are several situations where softwareupdated is expected to work hard for a while and then calm down. The typical examples include:

• Right after a major macOS upgrade: The system may still be applying post-install configuration, fetching supplemental updates, or handling firmware-related tasks.
• During large app or Xcode updates: Professional tools and big games can be huge. Downloading, unpacking, and preparing them naturally consumes CPU, disk, and network resources.
• When you're catching up on multiple missed updates: If you've skipped several point releases and decide to install them all at once, the update subsystem will be busy for longer than usual.

The main thing to watch is duration and recurrence. Short bursts that subside once updates are complete are fine. Persistent peaks that make the Mac almost unusable for hours at a time, or that keep recurring without clear progress, are a sign that you should dig deeper.

How to prevent softwareupdated issues going forward

Once you've dealt with the current incident, a few habits and basic hygiene steps can reduce the chance of seeing high CPU from softwareupdated again.

Consider the following:

• Install macOS updates regularly: You don't have to be on the bleeding edge, but letting updates pile up for years makes the update process heavier and more error-prone, and weakens your overall security posture.
• Be selective with system "optimizers" and cleaners: Utilities that indiscriminately purge caches and preference files can easily cause more problems than they solve. If you rely on such tools, choose reputable ones and understand exactly what they modify.
• Maintain an adequate amount of free disk space: macOS updates often require tens of gigabytes of temporary space. Running your system near full capacity makes downloads and installations brittle and more likely to fail.
• Be cautious with unofficial patchers and deep system tweaks: Tools that let you run unsupported macOS versions or heavily adjust system behavior can be powerful, but they also complicate updates. If you use them, stick to their documentation and support channels when you hit update-related oddities.
• Keep an eye out for unrelated performance issues: If high CPU from softwareupdated coincides with other unusual behavior, such as aggressive advertising pop-ups, abnormal browser redirects, or unknown login items, you might be dealing with adware or other unwanted software on top of the update glitch. That scenario calls for a broader cleanup, not just Software Update-specific tinkering.

Also remember that seeing softwareupdated briefly in Activity Monitor is normal. The goal isn't to make it disappear, but to ensure it does its job quietly and then steps out of the way.

FAQ

Is softwareupdated a virus or malware?

Is it safe to force-quit softwareupdated when it's using 100% CPU?

Why does softwareupdated keep coming back after I kill it?

Can I disable softwareupdated permanently to avoid high CPU?