In Activity Monitor, Opendirectoryd is using between 40 and 90% CPU.
I've tried everything I can find to solve the issue, but no luck. How can I see what Opendirectoryd is doing to try to get to the bottom of what's triggering it?
I have a 2019 16 inch macbook pro with 16 G ram running macOS Tahoe 26.1, but this has been happening for years. However, I need to do video editing now and need that CPU capacity
MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 26.1
Hi,
I don't have much info either about that process. You could use the Console application (in the Applications > Utilities folder) to start streaming the system but I have to warn you, it is not for the faint of heart as the log is inundated with entries. You can filter the log by process, though, but you still get a lot of entries to look at and most are not understandable by mere mortals.
I would recommend reading the eclecticlight.co articles (search "log site:eclecticlight.co" in Google) to get an idea on how to master the logs. But, still, it's a bit overwhelming, at least to me.
Duncan2a wrote:
I got this laptop second-hand. It had been a company laptop that was managed. When I got it, I reinstalled macOS, but I don't think that wipes out everything and starts again clean
ref: Unbind from a server in Directory Utility on Mac - Apple Support
if no resolve other possibility (?)
Remove Active Directory connection withou… - Apple Community
ai spit this out—
For a complete reset, you can erase all content and settings
ref:
Erase your Mac and reset it to factory settings
Duncan2a wrote:
In Activity Monitor, Opendirectoryd is using between 40 and 90% CPU.
I've tried everything I can find to solve the issue, but no luck. How can I see what Opendirectoryd is doing to try to get to the bottom of what's triggering it?
I have a 2019 16 inch macbook pro with 16 G ram running macOS Tahoe 26.1,
but this has been happening for years.
Not seeing an issue here in macOS 26.1 —
opendirectoryd—is a core daemon (background process) in macOS that manages directory services, acting as the central hub for authenticating users and retrieving directory information from various sources like Active Directory, LDAP, or local user accounts.
You can try a A SafeBoot Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support will sort many anomalies
Login and test. Reboot as normal and test. Caches get rebuilt automatically.
This test will tell you if third party interference; most extensions etc are not loaded in safe boot mode.
You can click open the process right there in the Activity Monitor and run a Sample— see if there is some clue buried in there....
easy enough to re-install the macOS on top of your existing macOS to sort upgrade/point-update issues:
How to reinstall macOS Recovery (both M1/M2/M3/M4 and Intel) — How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support
I found this old discussion relating to the same issue. It seems the issue is related to Active Directory. Use the link in the question as the basis for the instructions.
On macOS Tahoe (I hope it is rhetorical same as macOS Sequoia which I'm using), you'll find the Open Directory Utility by going to System Settings > Users & Groups, clicking on the Edit button (next to Network account server) and by clicking the button Open Directory Utility. Then apply the instructions in the link from step #7.
Open Directory daemon is used to obtain information when your computer is tied to, and depends on, an Open Directory Server.
The most frequent use case is in schools and companies that use MacOS Server.
MacOS Server was obsoleted years ago, and is no longer supported. Most of its code was only 32-bit, so was retired before Catalina.
You should definitely follow the suggestions in the obsolete article mentioned:
Hi,
Thanks for this. I'd seen this thread and tried the steps in it with no luck. Does anyone know how to see what opendirectoryd is doing, like some logs somewhere, that might help narrow down what's causing it?
Ah, thank you!
This file, ...duncan.plist, keeps popping up
Here's a grab of the threads
I've posted the sample output below - I can't make head or tail of it. Can anyone see what's causing the issue?
Thanks for that. I'll look into those - it certainly gives me some direction.
'duncan' is my user which is an admin.
I got this laptop second-hand. It had been a company laptop that was managed. When I got it, I reinstalled macOS, but I don't think that wipes out everything and starts again clean
Hi,
Thank you so much for your help.
I also don't have anything under Device Management, and also only the default under dslocal.
I have no idea what duncan.plist is ('duncan' is my user, but I don't know what this file is. The activity monitor does ramp up to around 90% when it appears in the opendirectoryd Files and Ports. Otherwise it's around 40%.
I think I might have to erase and reinstall this weekend :(
Hi,
Thank you for your help. Booting into safe mode doesn't fix it - opendirectoryd is still high even in safe mode
Duncan2a wrote:
but this has been happening for years.
Ah, thank you!
This file, ...duncan.plist, keeps popping up
<Sample output.log>
What does "duncan" mean anything to you, is that your User/Admin account?
Is this your personal machine or managed by some Active Directory or some such?
is this a new machine, bought used, new issue, old issue...(?)
Configure LDAP directory access in Directory Utility on Mac - Apple Support
Is there a profile in your >System Settings>
ref:
Use configuration profiles to standardize settings on Mac computers - Apple Support
Change LDAP directory access in Directory Utility on Mac - Apple Support
re: /private/var/db/dslocal/nodes/Default/users/duncan.plist
From the Finder >Go>Go to Folder copy and paste
/private/var/db/dslocal/
I see nothing but default ..
How to see why opendirectoryd is using high CPU
