Check if Screen Sharing Is Running

Inspect the com.apple.screensharing launchd service to see whether VNC-style screen sharing is active.

macOSlaunchctlsystemsecurityMedium risk

Run `sudo launchctl print system/com.apple.screensharing | head -15` — 'state: running' means screen sharing is on; an error means it is off.

01Command

Command

$ sudo launchctl print system/com.apple.screensharing | head -15

02What it does

Screen Sharing lets another machine view and control this Mac's display, so knowing whether the daemon is actually running matters more than how the checkbox looks. If the service is running but you never enabled it in System Settings > General > Sharing, investigate before turning it off. Stop it with `sudo launchctl bootout system/com.apple.screensharing` (temporary until reboot) or by unchecking Screen Sharing in Sharing settings.

03Risk

RiskMedium risk

RequirementsRequires sudo; 'state: running' means the service is active right now.

04Undo

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

05Sources

launchctl — interact with launchd services (macOS man page)
SS64 · technical · 2026-09-17
Evidence: Documents `launchctl print <service-target>` which reports the state and details of a specific launchd service.

Last verified: 2026-09-18 · Category: Security & Privacy

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