What is remindd on Mac, and why is it using the network?

Last updated: 2026-07-31

What it is

remindd is the background service behind Reminders on macOS. Apple ships it as part of the operating system, and launchd starts it separately for each logged-in user. The system binary uses the signing identifier com.apple.remindd, so its presence is not evidence that a third-party application or monitoring tool has been installed.

Calling remindd only a sync helper leaves out important parts of its role. The inspected launch configuration shows that it participates in reminder alarms, location-based events, user notifications, cloud work, and push-related activity. That explains why it can run even when the Reminders app is closed: scheduled events, location changes, incoming pushes, account changes, and background maintenance can all require work without an open app window.

remindd is specifically associated with reminders. Although newer versions of Calendar can display and edit scheduled reminders, that does not make remindd a general-purpose daemon for synchronizing every calendar event.

Why it talks to the network

When iCloud Reminders is enabled, remindd may contact Apple’s iCloud services during an initial sync, after you create or edit a reminder, when another device changes reminder data, or when a collaborator updates a shared list. Attachment synchronization can also generate network activity. Background repair and maintenance may cause additional connections even when you have not just edited a reminder yourself.

Apple’s push infrastructure can wake remindd so that it can retrieve changes. If Reminders is enabled for a supported account under Internet Accounts, the service may also synchronize with that account provider’s task or reminder service. Whether a particular provider offers reminder support depends on the account.

Network attribution has an important limitation here. Some connections related to this work may be made on remindd’s behalf by system services such as cloudd, apsd, or accountsd. Apple’s public documentation does not establish exactly which bytes must always be attributed directly to remindd, nor does it publish a complete architecture, protocol description, or domain list for the service. Seeing activity under one of those supporting processes therefore does not by itself show that reminders were uninvolved.

How much traffic is normal

With no changes waiting to be synchronized, remindd is usually close to silent. Ordinary activity tends to appear as brief, low-volume exchanges of records rather than the sustained traffic associated with video, audio streaming, or large downloads.

A first sync can be more noticeable. Database repair, many changes to shared lists, and attachment synchronization can also create larger bursts. Apple does not publish a reliable normal byte range, so there is no supported daily or monthly figure that can be used as a universal threshold. The useful distinction is behavioral: short bursts around synchronization are consistent with its role, while persistent activity calls for closer observation rather than comparison with an invented MB limit.

Can you turn it off

The practical answer is to keep remindd itself and disable Reminders only for accounts you do not want to use on this Mac. macOS does not provide a supported global switch that turns off the daemon.

For iCloud, go to System Settings > [your name] > iCloud > See All next to Saved to iCloud, then turn off Reminders. For another supported account, go to System Settings > Internet Accounts > [account] > Reminders and turn it off there.

After Reminders is disabled for an account, that account’s reminders stop appearing and synchronizing on this Mac. Turning the option on again makes them accessible again. This account-level control is different from disabling notifications: System Settings > Notifications > Reminders changes how notifications are presented but does not stop synchronization or network access.

Force-unloading or blocking remindd with a firewall is not a supported substitute. It may disrupt synchronization, shared lists, background behavior in Reminders, and scheduled or location-based reminders. Apple does not publicly guarantee the exact scope of the resulting failures. Because launchd manages the service, it may also restart after being terminated.

What people get wrong

• “remindd is malware or a third-party monitoring process.” It is an Apple system component. The inspected binary is supplied by the operating system and carries the signing identifier com.apple.remindd.

• “remindd runs only while the Reminders app is open.” It is a per-user LaunchAgent. Reminder alarms, location changes, push notifications, account changes, and maintenance events can wake it while the app has no open window.

• “remindd only handles iCloud synchronization.” Its responsibilities are broader. The system configuration also connects it with local reminder alarms, location events, and notification processing. It can additionally support other Internet Accounts for which reminder functionality has been enabled.

• “Turning off Reminders notifications stops syncing.” Notification settings only control presentation. They do not disable an account’s reminder synchronization and do not guarantee that remindd will stop accessing the network.

• “Uninstalling com.apple.remindd is a safe performance optimization.” It is a system service managed by launchd, and it may be restarted after termination. Persistent disabling or blocking can leave data stale, prevent shared lists from updating, or cause reminders to fail. Sustained high CPU use should be investigated as a possible synchronization or database problem; it is not proof that the service is unnecessary.

• “remindd synchronizes every Calendar event.” It is the Reminders background service, not a general calendar-event synchronization daemon. Calendar’s ability to show or edit scheduled reminders does not change that distinction.

Seeing what it actually used

If the activity looks unusual, check Bytetally’s per-process history to see whether remindd produced brief sync bursts or sustained traffic. Compare the timestamps with reminder edits, shared-list changes, initial synchronization, attachment activity, or background repair. Also inspect related system processes such as cloudd, apsd, and accountsd, because Apple has not confirmed that every relevant byte is recorded directly under remindd.

Related processes

Common questions