# rapportd

Canonical page: https://vitalsmac.com/glossary/rapportd

Activity Monitor glossary, Processes you will see. What is rapportd on Mac?

Also: device-to-device connections

**Short answer:** rapportd is the macOS process your Apple devices use to find and talk to each other on the same network. It is behind Continuity features between a Mac, an iPhone, an iPad and an Apple TV signed in to the same Apple Account.

It runs under your own account and keeps a quiet connection to your other devices, so features that pass work between them respond at once instead of searching first.

Like sharingd, it usually shows up in a firewall prompt asking to accept incoming connections, because your other devices need to reach it.

## Why rapportd appears in the firewall and Activity Monitor

It listens on the local network for your own devices. A firewall that asks about each process asks about it the first time it listens, and sometimes again after a macOS update. It is signed by Apple, and allowing it keeps Continuity working.

Its CPU and network use are normally tiny. More devices on the same account, or a network where devices drop and rejoin often, give it more to do.

## What happens if you block it

Features that depend on your devices seeing each other fail or slow down, with no clear error. If Continuity stops working after a firewall change, check whether rapportd was denied, in System Settings → Network → Firewall → Options or in your firewall app.

## How to see what rapportd is doing

rapportd announces itself on the local network so your other devices can find it, and Terminal can show both sides of that.

1. Open Activity Monitor, click the Network tab and type `rapportd` in the search field. Its Sent Bytes and Rcvd Bytes are normally small.
2. Open Terminal and run `lsof -a -i -n -P -c rapportd`. A line ending in `(LISTEN)` is the port it waits on, which is a random high number. Lines marked `ESTABLISHED` are connections to other devices, usually your own.
3. Run `dns-sd -B _companion-link._tcp local.` to list the Apple devices on your network that announce this service. Your Mac appears under its own name. Press Control-C to stop.
4. For its own messages, run `log stream --predicate 'process == "rapportd"'`. Press Control-C to stop.

## Normal rapportd use vs a problem

Normal: close to zero CPU and a trickle of network traffic, with a short burst when another of your devices comes near or joins the network.

Worth looking into: steady traffic for hours, or Continuity features that stop working. The usual causes:

- A guest or hotel network that keeps devices from seeing each other, so your devices cannot connect however long rapportd tries.
- A device on your account that keeps dropping off Wi-Fi and joining again.
- A firewall that denied rapportd, so your other devices cannot reach it.
- Many devices signed in to the same Apple Account on one network.

## What rapportd shows on public Wi-Fi

rapportd announces the `_companion-link` service on every network you join, and the announcement carries your Mac's name, as the `dns-sd` command above shows. On a café or hotel network, other devices can see that name even though they cannot use the service.

If your Mac's name includes your full name, change it in System Settings → General → About → Name. rapportd and the Mac's other Bonjour announcements then use the new name.

## Questions people ask

### What is rapportd on Mac?

The macOS process that lets your Apple devices find and talk to each other on the same network, for Continuity features between a Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.

### Should I allow rapportd to accept incoming connections?

Yes, if you use Continuity features with your other Apple devices. It is part of macOS and signed by Apple.

### Is rapportd spyware?

No. It is an Apple process that only talks to devices signed in to your own Apple Account. It lives at /usr/libexec/rapportd, on the sealed part of the disk that only Apple's updates can change.

### Can I disable rapportd?

Not in a supported way. It is started by macOS and lives on the sealed part of the disk. Denying it in the firewall stops your other devices from reaching it, at the cost of the Continuity features that need it.

### Why is rapportd listening on a port?

Your other Apple devices connect to it over the local network, so it keeps a port open for them. The port is a random high number and is announced on the local network as `_companion-link`.

## In Vitals

Vitals lists rapportd with macOS's own processes, with its network use, which is normally close to zero.

## Related

- [sharingd](https://vitalsmac.com/glossary/sharingd)
- [Listening port](https://vitalsmac.com/glossary/listening-port)
- [mDNSResponder](https://vitalsmac.com/glossary/mdnsresponder)
- [launchd](https://vitalsmac.com/glossary/launchd)

Looking for something better than Activity Monitor? See [the best Activity Monitor alternatives for Mac](https://vitalsmac.com/best-activity-monitor-alternatives), or [every term in the glossary](https://vitalsmac.com/glossary).