What is the 'hidd' Process on Mac

Both Windows and Mac computers have a large number of background services and processes, which most users are not familiar with. Such processes become even more intriguing if users end up experiencing issues with them – using too much resources, crashing, or showing various warnings and alerts. One of the commonly researched Mac processes is called hidd and in this article we will talk more about its purpose and the issues it may sometimes cause.

What is hidd?

Hidd is short for 'human interface device daemon.' In short, it is responsible for running all sorts of peripherals and devices, which help you manage your Mac, software, and games – mice, keyboards, controllers, gamepads, trackpads, and more. The hidd process is essential for allowing Mac to intercept and execute trackpad commands, mouse movements, and keyboard combinations. Not having hidd running may render most of your peripherals useless.

What are issues related to hidd?

MacOS is a very robust operating system, but even it is prone to some issues. Users often report that hidd is consuming extraordinary amounts of CPU and RAM resources. Understandably, this is seen as a problem since it may hinder the performance of other software running on your device. Typically, such issues are resolved with a simple restart of your Mac, which allows hidd to start in a fresh state.

If you do not want to restart the whole system, then there is an alternative – restart just the hidd process. One way to do this is through the Terminal:

1. Open Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal.
2. Type top to get a list of running processes. Find hidd and note the number next to PID (Process ID.)
3. Type kill –PID and replace PID with the number corresponding to hidd – e.g., kill -10.
4. Once you stop hidd it will restart automatically.