How do I fix Account SDD High CPU Usage in macOS Tahoe 26.2?

Three approaches in order of safety: (1) Sign Out and In of iCloud; (2) Clear Accounts Cache. Full Terminal commands and System Settings paths are inside each section.

Is this fix confirmed for macOS Tahoe 26.2?

Yes — verified on macOS Tahoe 26.2. Article is updated when Apple ships a point release that changes the symptom or fix.

How to Fix Account SDD High CPU Usage in macOS Tahoe 26.2

Symptom: Your Mac fans are spinning loudly, and Activity Monitor shows a process named accountssd or accountsnd consuming 100% or more CPU.

TL;DR fix

Start with Fix 1: Sign Out and In of iCloud. If the issue persists after that, try Fix 2: Clear Accounts Cache. Full Terminal commands and step-by-step instructions are in each section below.

Why this happens

This process handles iCloud account syncing. In Tahoe, it can get stuck in a "Verification Loop" if there is a sync conflict between your Mac and the Apple ID servers.

Recommended Troubleshooting Tool

Before proceeding with manual fixes, we recommend using CleanMyMac X. Quickly identify high CPU apps and optimize system memory with one click.

Fix 1: Sign Out and In of iCloud

Go to System Settings > [Your Name].
Scroll down and click Sign Out.
Choose to keep a copy of data on your Mac.
Restart your Mac and sign back in.

Fix 2: Clear Accounts Cache

Open Terminal.
Run: rm -rf ~/Library/Accounts
Restart your Mac. *Note: You will need to re-enter passwords for some services.*

Recommended Tool: CleanMyMac

High CPU usage from system daemons can often be fixed by clearing "System Junk." Use CleanMyMac to clear background logs and caches that might be triggering the accountssd loop.

Tested and documented by the MacDebug team — about MacDebug. See also Photoshop & Adobe Apps Crashing on macOS Tahoe, Fix macOS "No AirPlay Found", or browse all guides on macdebug.