Force-Restart a launchd Service with launchctl kickstart

Kick a hung daemon or user agent back to life without a reboot, using launchctl kickstart.

macOSdaemonslaunchctltroubleshootingMedium risk

Run `sudo launchctl kickstart -k system/<service-label>` to kill and restart a system daemon, or `launchctl kickstart -k gui/$(id -u)/<label>` for a user agent.

01Command

Command

$ sudo launchctl kickstart -k system/com.apple.mDNSResponder

02What it does

kickstart tells launchd to start the service now; `-k` first kills a running instance so it doubles as a clean restart. System daemons live in the `system/` domain while per-user agents use `gui/<uid>/`, and `launchctl blame <service>` shows which process or configuration is holding it. This replaces the old load/unload dance and works entirely with labels from `launchctl list`.

03Risk

RiskMedium risk

!Warning: Killing some system daemons (like mDNSResponder) briefly drops name resolution and VPN connections.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

LAUNCHCTL Command: load or unload daemons with launchd in macOS
SS64 · technical · 2026-09-17
Evidence: Documents launchctl kickstart with -k (kill first) and gui/$UID/system service targeting.

Last verified: 2026-09-17 · Category: System & Settings

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